Dear Friends,
Never has supporting land conservation been more important than it is now. As each year passes, we see more traffic on our roads, more trees uprooted, natural habitat replaced with development, and fewer places for children and grandchildren to play outdoors to learn about nature. Over the past few weeks, since I have returned as interim executive director of the Land Trust, I have been heartened to see how many people believe in and support the mission and vision of protecting irreplaceable properties on this island.
As you'll see in this newsletter, we have numerous projects in the works. We also have many things to celebrate. This includes the
5th Anniversary
of the opening of Cannon's Point Preserve. We hope that you'll join us in marking this major conservation initiative on Saturday, October 19 and participate in nature walks, birding, history talks, and other fun activities. Less than a month later, on November 9, we'll also be hosting a
Community Celebration at Guale Preserve
with a Trail Run, botany walk, story-telling about Native American culture on St. Simons, artifacts, food, and fun for guests of all ages. Please mark your calendars for these and other events you'll see listed in our Save-the-Date section.
|
|
In the meantime, thank you to the many who have called and written expressing your support. Please drop by our new offices at 1810 Frederica and let us show you where a Dollar General Store could have been built if the Land Trust had not acquired the property and renovated the building. If you have questions or concerns about anything, I'm happy to meet with anyone at any time. I also welcome your input and advice as we move toward the Land Trust's 20th Anniversary next year. Thanks again for your support. I look forward to seeing you soon!
Ben Slade
Co-Founder and Interim Executive Director
|
|
The Next Generation of Environmentalists!
|
|
Nearly 60 students -- elementary- aged through high school -- from the
Savannah State University Coast Camp
visited Cannon’s Point Preserve last month. The students had several opportunities to learn about the habitats and abundant wildlife found inside the Preserve’s 600 acres.
In addition to climbing the observation tower to experience a maritime forest from a bird's eye view, the students used butterfly nets to capture a multitude of insects. To find species living under the floating dock at the Old Taylor's Fish Camp, they plunged dip nets into the saltmarsh waters and encountered some of the fascinating marine life that lives below the surface.
Thank you
to the teachers and counselors from SSU Coast Camp and members of the Cannon’s Point Preserve Education Task Force who helped us share so many important ecological and historical features at CPP. Thank you also to the Terry Thomas Foundation for providing equipment for our Coastal Ecology Lab and making other educational outreach work possible. These and other activities are inspiring, educating, and motivating the next generation of environmentalists.
To learn more about SSU Coast Camp, click
HERE
.
The Cannon's Point Preserve Five-Year Anniversary will be held on October 19th!
|
|
In less than five months, over 1,000 St. Simons residents and visitors will come together to eat, drink, and celebrate the
more than 1,000 acres
preserved during the last 20 years of the Land Trust's existence.
We are incredibly grateful to all volunteers, partners, sponsors, vendors,
and guests who make the Oyster Roast possible every year.
We can't wait to celebrate with you on January 18th!
Click
HERE
to purchase your tickets today!
|
|
 |
Over the last 15 years, the Land Trust has partnered with
Glynn County
to protect and maintain properties on St. Simons.
In 2004, the
Harrington Schoolhouse
and surrounding 12 acres were purchased through a joint effort of the Land Trust and Glynn County, using state of Georgia Greenspace funds and contributions from Land Trust members.
Harrington Community Park
(pictured above) was developed and opened in 2016.
In 2008, the Sea Island Company donated 20 acres to the Land Trust. With an incredibly generous donation from the estate of Alice Richards,
Frederica Park
and the
Alice Richards Botanical Trail
became realities and added the largest park space on the island in nearly 50 years. Today, the county manages the park.
We are grateful to Glynn County for partnering with us to provide protected land where island residents and visitors can connect with nature, relax, and recharge.
|
|
|
|
Mimicry
, or imitating another species, is fascinating in the animal world. More often than not, an animal will mimic another in order to ward off predators. One example of such mimicry is in that of the
scarlet snake
.
The elusive scarlet snake pictured above was spotted by our Preserve Manager, Stephanie Knox, at
Cannon's Point Preserve
. Upon first glance, it could easily be confused with a scarlet kingsnake, or even a highly venomous coral snake. Each of these snakes have three very similar colors and patterns.
The scarlet snake and scarlet kingsnake mimic the coral snake, but their bellies help to tell them apart. The bellies of a coral and scarlet kingsnake resemble the colors on their backs while the scarlet snake has a white belly.
Freshen up on all Georgia
|
|
|
|
|
The beauty of Guale Preserve was highlighted in a recent
Coastal Illustrated
article -
Guale Preserve: Island in its Natural State
.
Thank you to Coastal Illustrated for publishing this piece and to Land Trust board member Susan Shipman for sharing her knowledge of coastal Georgia ecosystems.
Click
HERE
to read the full article and
HERE
to learn more about Guale Preserve.
To read Guale Preserve FAQs, click
HERE
.
|
|
|
|
If you're searching for some of the best places to explore on St. Simons Island, look no further than the July issue of
Elegant Island Living
.
Their article
Invitation to Explore
features ten Land Trust properties and provides ways for you to enjoy them. These include Old Stables Corner, John Gilbert Nature Trail and the newly opened Gaule Preserve, just to name a few!
Thank you to EIL for featuring so many of our protected parks, greenspaces, trails, and preserves.
Read the full article
HERE
.
|
|
|
|
The Land Trust's partnership with
Our Daily Planet
has produced several fun and educational articles over the last few months.
Click on the images below to read each article!
And thank you, ODP, for being such supportive partners!
|
|
The phenomenal 2019 loggerhead nesting season and the efforts of many community partners are featured here.
|
|
Guale Preserve is featured here as a great place to picnic on St. Simons Island during National Picnic Month.
|
|
Cannon's Point Preserve's involvement with BAFA (Butterflies of the Atlantic Flyway Alliance) is featured here.
|
|
|
Land Trust members are made up of college students, young professionals, families, retirees, foundations, and businesses who are passionate about land conservation on St. Simons. Some have been with us for nearly 20 years while others joined for the first time this week.
The Land Trust is so grateful
to each one of our
1,200+ members.
And
we want to spotlight YOU!
For more information about Land Trust Member Spotlights or to be highlighted in an upcoming Spotlight, please contact
rkitchen@sslt.org
or call our offices at (912) 638-9109.
|
|
|
|
Keep up with all things Land Trust by following us on:
|
|
|
|
September 2
: Cannon's Point Preserve is CLOSED.
September 12
: Land Trust Volunteer Orientation. Register
HERE
.
October 5:
CoastFest. 10AM-4PM. More info
HERE
.
October 19
: Cannon's Point Preserve 5-year Anniversary Celebration. 7AM-3PM. More info
HERE
.
November 9
: Guale Preserve Trail Run and Fun - Community Celebration. 8-11AM. Register
HERE
.
January 18, 2020
: 20th Annual Oyster Roast. 5-8PM. Purchase tickets
HERE
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
