February E-Newsletter

February 2019

Terry Thomas Foundation

The Land Trust is incredibly honored to have received a generous $20,000 grant from the Terry Thomas Foundation .

This grant will directly fund education outreach items for local children, school groups, colleges and universities, and the entire community. Those items include binoculars for the Coastal Ecology Lab at Cannon's Point Preserve and interpretive signage for Guale Preserve, formally known as Musgrove.

Binoculars will enhance the "outdoor laboratory" experiences for all school groups utilizing the lab and the more than dozen interpretive signs will educate visitors about the environmental, geographic, and historic features of the Preserve.

The Land Trust is grateful for the philanthropic spirit of Terry Thomas, Susan Goodhue (pictured above), and the entire Terry Thomas Foundation team for investing in this community, believing in the Land Trust's mission, and helping us achieve our goals.

1810 Frederica Update

Boy Scouts in Action

Have you noticed the significant progress made at 1810 Frederica ? With new exterior finish,

roof, and continued interior improvements, this space will be a stunning location for Land Trust offices and events.

A tip of the hat to our contractor, Shelley Renner , and her highly skilled crew.

Landscape architect, Roger Steffens is hard at work developing the landscape plans. We are looking forward to seeing his designs.

A special thanks to our board member, Jay Buchert , who put his life’s work as a builder to use as our one-man construction

supervision committee.

The estimated completion

of the renovation is

late spring/early summer .

Earlier this month, local Boy Scout Troop #248 volunteered their time cleaning up Land Trust property trails.

The Troop's Senior Patrol Leader, Calan Mackinnon , strongly believes the environment should be protected. He says his favorite part about trail clearing is "making a difference on the nature trail and helping others enjoy the outdoors."

Will Bristol , the Troop's Life Scout and Assistant Senior Patrol Leader says, "Conservation service projects, like the one we did with the Land Trust, are cool because we get to do things that will help other people experience nature's beauty right where we live."

Thank you, Troop #248 for your hard work and dedication!

To learn more about the Coastal Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America, click HERE .

Legacy Oaks

In the fall of 2017, Dr. Owen Burney from New Mexico State University and the rest of the maritime forest restoration team at Cannon's Point Preserve collected numerous acorns from beneath the sprawling live oaks at the site of the old Taylor's Fish Camp.

These acorns were brought back to a lab where they were grown under the care of Dr. Burney. Over the last year, they have sprouted and turned into 3ft. tall live oak saplings - perfect for planting!

In celebration of Georgia Arbor Day , these "Legacy Oaks" were planted around the old Taylor's Fish Camp and throughout the southern area of the Preserve.

We are excited to watch these trees grow today, tomorrow, and for future generations.

1% for St. Simons NEW Business

We are thrilled to announce our newest 1% for St. Simons Partner, Del Sur !

Thank you for your dedication to land protection.

Don't miss their Launch Party on March 25th !

Thank you to ALL the 1% for St. Simons business partners!

To learn more about this program and how you can participate, please click HERE .

The Traveling "Partner of the Year" Award

Since being honored at the Golden Isles CVB Celebration in January,

the 1% for St. Simons " Partner of the Year" Award

has been on the move!

The award's first stop was

Barbara Jean's Restaurant.

Jim and Barbara Barta were the program pioneers and displayed

the award with pride.

The award's current home is

Georgia Sea Grill.

Community-loved owner, Zack Gowen, is one of the founding program partners.

Be sure to check out the award

this week.

Keep up with our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts

to find out where the award will go next !

Land Trust Dictionary

Wendy Barnes Design

"INVASIVE SPECIES"

It's National Invasive Species Awareness Week and according to the US Department of Agriculture,

an invasive species is:

1) non-native to the ecosystem under consideration and

2) whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health

These can be plants, animals, and other organisms. Some of the most common invasive species in coastal Georgia are large leaf lantana, chinese tallowtree, salt cedar, flathead catfish, island apple snail, lionfish, Cuban tree frog,

feral hog, red imported fire ant and

ambrosia beetle.

For more information about

invasive species in coastal Georgia, click HERE .

We are always eager to partner with businesses that share the Land Trust's goal of creating a community culture of conservation.

One such partner is

Wendy Barnes Design,

whose mission is to

"inspire champions for our planet's vibrant wildlife through colorful

and sustainable-minded gifts that give back."

Wendy Barnes' Live Oak pattern

has now gone live! You can purchase these beautiful reusable straw cases and other sustainable items in the Live Oak pattern TODAY.

Remember: With every item sold

in this Live Oak pattern,

10% is donated to the Land Trust !

Check out Wendy Barnes Design HERE .

J.McLaughlin Success!

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the launch of J.McLaughlin's February catalog! The donations received from this event are truly humbling.

And thank you to J.McLaughlin for choosing the Land Trust as its coastal Georgia nonprofit recipient!

Documentary Debut

Does the success of a place sometimes threaten its very existence? That is one of the questions videographers George Crain and Lance Lipman ask in “St. Simons: Surviving Success,” a documentary that has been more than two years in the making and includes interviews with SSI residents from across the island.

The full documentary will be debuted

at our annual Live Oak Society Reception

on March 16 ^th .

Watch the 2-minute trailer HERE .

Become a member of the Live Oak Society HERE .