But if you can't get outside, or if you're miles away from the Golden Isles, take a look at our staff reading recommendation for October, Paul Bolster's book Saving the Georgia Coast. When our daughter was a teenager and we'd walk into a room where she and her friend Becca were having an intimate conversation, the whispers would come to a halt and one of them would say, "and that's how a bill becomes a law." Bolster does a great job of showing the challenges and heroics of creating a political coalition and the fascinating machinations that it takes for a bill to, in fact, become a law like the Marshlands Protection Act.

There's much more to read below, including catching a peek at a special week that we're planning for next January, introducing you to a tree planted and named for one of our finest community leaders, a video created by Cannon's Point Preserve's dedicated Education Task Force about the Marvelous Marshes of Glynn, and much more.

We get asked that question often, and we don't blame folks for inquiring. In a normal year, details about this much loved, community event would have been shared by now, and we would have already started selling tickets. Unfortunately, due to concerns about Covid-19 and bringing more than 1,300 people together, the Oyster Roast is going to look a little different in 2021. In fact, we're partnering with our 50+ restaurant sponsors in a totally different way!

we're going to support THEM!

Be on the lookout soon for information about the first-ever

Earlier this month, The Georgia Conservancy's Board of Trustees honored Leslie Mattingly for her dedication, leadership, and service as the Conservancy's Board Chair with a live oak planting at the Land Trust's office (1810 Frederica Road).

Leslie served as TGC's Board Chair for two years and was recently replaced by Dr. Mark Berry. She and her husband, former U.S. Senator Mack Mattingly (pictured here holding the shovel), have been Land Trust supporters for two decades and have contributed to major land acquisitions such as the Chevron Station and the Old Stables Corner. Among their many other community roles, Leslie serves on the Land Trust's Advisory Council.

Those present for the dedication included Leslie and Senator Mattingly, the Conservancy's Coastal Director, Charles McMillan, the Land Trust's Executive Director Emily Ellison and, of course, the tree! We've named her LMat. Please drop by and visit her soon.

Thank you to all community members who recently have joined our growing group of Land Trust Volunteers! Every trained CPP Docent who we are able to add to our corps of dedicated volunteers allows us to properly manage the Preserve's more than 600 acres and keep it open for locals and visitors to enjoy.

Interested in getting more involved? Sign up to be a volunteer HERE or email Marty Moody at [email protected].

REMINDER: Cannon's Point Preserve will be open Saturdays and Mondays from 9AM-3pm through the end of the year. The Preserve will not be open on Sundays.

Cannon's Point Preserve Manager, Stephanie Knox, and other Butterflies of the Atlantic Flyway Alliance (BAFA) volunteers have continued counting both migrating and nectaring butterflies in multiple plots throughout the southern area of the Preserve. They have also documented the nectar plants these beautiful pollinators are utilizing as a food source.

As of October 21, the group has counted a total of 132 gulf fritillaries, 7 cloudless sulphurs, 3 palamedes swallowtails, 1 monarch and 1 zebra longwing.

Learn more about BAFA surveys HERE.

Other butterflies have been spotted outside of research plots but are not added to the data collected.

If you missed the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' virtual CoastFest this year, you can still experience it HERE. You can also watch the short and informative video (featured below) that was created for CoastFest by members of Cannon Point Preserve's Education Task Force. Enjoy!

And for another informative spotlight on Georgia's marshes, watch this video by College of Coastal Georgia student, Nick Harris.

From now through December 31, 2020, if you purchase a Fire Kettle

from Sea Island Forge and use the promo code SSLandTrust2020,

This promotion includes free delivery in Glynn County.

Please join us again in congratulating Connie and Dick Bissinger, WINNERS of the 30-gallon Fire Kettle set that was recently delivered to them by Steve and Sandy Schoettle from Sea Island Forge.

The Bissingers are St. Simons locals who have been generous supporters of the Land Trust over the past few years and significantly increased their giving in 2020 to take part in our early renewal incentive. We hope they will enjoy this unique gift for many years and on many memorable gatherings of family, friends, and neighbors.

We extend a warm welcome and congratulations to

Greg Hoover, who was recently named the new General Manager of Little St. Simons Island.

Greg and his wife Katie come from Waynesville, NC, where Greg previously managed The Swag Resort. In his tenure as GM of The Swag, he had often heard his guests talk about the coastal equivalent to The Swag. "Imagine my surprise when a recruiter called me out of the blue to interview for this position!", Greg recalls. "There are so many similarities but also remarkable differences. LSSI is unsurpassed in its commitment to conservation and I am amazed at the professionalism of its Naturalist/Ecological staff! What an amazing 11,000-acre conservation easement and place to learn so much about the wonders of nature in a protected environment."

Prior to The Swag, Greg managed top private clubs such as Old Baldy in Saratoga, Wyoming, and his resort management experience includes properties from the Bahamas to Oregon. Early in his career, Greg undertook a culinary apprenticeship In Portland, Oregon, and became Executive Chef of one of the most successful restaurants in the city at that time, the Brasserie Montmartre.

His love of all things hospitality-related has propelled his success in the industry and led Greg and Katie on a varied, fun, and exciting journey across the country. "The lodge on Little St Simons will be the last stop in our journey and, I can easily see, one of our most memorable. We look forward to being part of this great team and welcoming our wonderful guests to the island to help create memories that will last a lifetime."

Little St. Simons Island is one of our Pennies for Preservation partners.

Pennies for Preservation businesses raise funds to preserve and protect St. Simons Island.

Currently, 100% of the Pennies for Preservation contributions goes directly to protecting 70 acres at Oatland North on the island’s north end and to helping create a wilderness corridor on St. Simons. Learn more HERE.

The Land Trust's fourth 1% Wednesday Industry Grouping

highlighted our dedicated photography partners.

Learn more about each local business and ways to support them

by clicking here and the links below.

Be sure to also follow our #OnePercentWednesday posts on social media!

Thank you to all participating Pennies for Preservation businesses,

their teams, and their patrons!

Because land conservation means more now than ever,

and because our work continues in spite of pandemics and economic downturns,

Your renewals are helping us make the wisest possible financial decisions

as we near the year's end.

Note: Memberships can be paid monthly or quarterly with direct, online payments.