February included celebration of Black History Month, SuperB-Owl night walks at Guale Preserve and Cannon's Point Preserve (for those who didn't mind missing the Super Bowl), and Georgia Arbor Day, among numerous other activities. But it also was filled with many serendipitous moments that have informed much of my musings during the month.

One of my favorites was when Max Harrell who, along with his artist wife Phillis, has been a Land Trust member for more than twenty years, walked into the office with an old magazine article he found entitled "Silent Witness." The piece was about the south's ancient oaks "that have withstood the test of time -- persisting amidst moments that forever changed the trajectory of a nation and its people." When I began reading Mr. Harrell's gift, it was one of those "goose-bump" occasions after having been out at Cannon's Point Preserve in the dark of night, walking under live oaks that have born witness for scores of years, and listening for the calls of screech owls. Never am I able to be on that property without thinking of those souls who lived and worked on the Couper Plantation beginning in the 1700s, and the generations that followed them, creating new lives in the Harrington neighborhood and on other parts of St. Simons.

This year, the St. Simons African American Coalition is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Historic Harrington School, a one-room schoolhouse that served as the community center for the Harrington neighborhood beginning in 1924. Witness Trees were once thick along South and North Harrington Roads, and the descendants of enslaved people made up 98% of those who lived in Harrington. Today, only 2% or less of the neighborhood's population is comprised of those whose families attended the school.

A few days later my husband and I attended a presentation by Dr. Bernard Powers that was hosted by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society. Dr. Powers is head of the Center for the Study of Slavery at the College of Charleston, and he spoke about the "Weeping Time" when hundreds of Africans were brought to the Carolinas and Georgia and sold into slavery. If trees could talk, what would they tell us? And would we be able to endure the pain of what they told us?

All of this got me to wondering about the ages of this island's live oak trees, the hardiest and longest lived of all the oaks in the south. So my colleague Raleigh Kitchen and I went out and measured the circumference of one of the largest oaks in the pollinator garden at our office. We divided the 214 inches of the tree by pi (3.14) to get the diameter (68 inches) and then multiplied that by 4, which most resources consider to be the growth factor of live oaks. That big tree, with a tree spirit carved into its north side, is likely to be approximately 272 years old. What would that seedling have witnessed back in 1752? And in 1852?

God willing, many of the young oaks we're planting these days will still be around in another 272 years. Let's give them something good to witness.

Emily Ellison

Executive Director

Since "soft opening" the Land Trust's newest trail just south of Cannon's Point Preserve a few weeks ago, it has been truly enjoyable watching many of you discover the Correll Trail at Oatland all on your own! This 40+ acre property is officially open to the public and boasts a dog-friendly* one-mile hiking path that guides you through maritime forest, under a dense canopy of live oaks, and along the edge of the saltmarsh.

Correll Trail at Oatland offers passive recreation for locals and visitors to the island including walking, running, biking, birding, and picnicking. Stop by soon to enjoy this exciting new island trail!

We once again thank the donors of Phase II of The Canopy Campaign and supporters of the Pennies for Preservation program, whose contributions provided funds that helped to purchase this stunning property.

The beloved John Gilbert Nature Trail boardwalk reconstruction is moving along nicely and is on track to be completed by the end of March. In addition to the boardwalk repairs, the Land Trust is putting down locally sourced mulch along the dirt portion of the trail to protect tree roots and to make the trail as accessible as possible for all who want to visit.

If you would like to help fund this initiative, please contact Emily Ellison at emellison@sslt.org or call 912-638-9109.

As a reminder, this entire property is CLOSED until the project is completed as construction equipment is moving through the property on a daily basis. Thank you for understanding!

This week, work began to add several additional parking spaces to the front of the Land Trust's office. As with the existing driveway and parking area, these spaces will be made with a pervious service to allow life-giving rainwater to reach the soil beneath.

This much-needed addition will protect the Pollinator Garden in the front yard at our offices and allow easy access for our many partners and visitors. The project should be completed by the end of the week. We look forward to welcoming you with these mew parking spaces soon!

February was a fantastic month to enjoy Land Trust properties. Our Stewardship team came across some very intriguing things at the Correll Trail at Oatland, including an armadillo pelvic bone and a stinkhorn mushroom. Meanwhile, volunteers spotted a canebrake rattlesnake sunning itself at Cannon's Point Preserve. Visiting protected properties never disappoints!

If you find interesting plants or wildlife while visiting Land Trust properties, please share your photos with us! Pictures can be emailed to Raleigh Kitchen at rkitchen@sslt.org.

For those who sometimes worry about the world of tomorrow and wonder what the "younger generations" are doing, they need only to take a look at the St. Simons Land Trust Ambassadors to know that the future is in good hands. Over the next several months, we will be featuring these dedicated young professionals in our "Ambassador of the Month" initiative and try to express how grateful we are for all they do!

See below for our February Ambassador of the Month feature:

Justin Callaway has been a part of the Land Trust's Ambassador program from the very beginning. He works for Marshland Credit Union, and he and his wife Sarah are the owners and founders of Sandy Bottom Bagels on St. Simons. The Callaways have 3 boys: Hunter, Chase, and Jack.

Justin grew up on St. Simons Island and moved back with his family in late 2014. In addition to serving as longtime Chair of the SSLT Ambassadors, Justin has served on the board of United Way of Coastal Georgia and the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce. He has also served as CEO of NewCity Brunswick (now Forward Brunswick) and United Way of Coastal Georgia.

please email program manager Raleigh Kitchen at rkitchen@sslt.org.

The Land Trust recently participated in the annual Georgia History Day celebration at Oglethorpe Point Elementary School. Land Stewardship Technician Rebecca Cushing worked with Cannon’s Point Preserve History Task Force member Myrna Crook to share information about the archaeological research conducted at the Preserve with fourth-graders at the school.

Myrna and Rebecca led a fun, hands-on activity where students created their own ‘middens’, studied pictures of an archaeological dig, were introduced to Munsell soil-color charts, learned how to create a soil profile, and were shown real-life examples of artifacts from this area, including Native American pottery. 

Thank you to Oglethorpe Point Elementary School for being one of our great education partners and to Myrna and Rebecca for inspiring the next generation of conservationists.

on Friday, March 22, 2024 at 7:00 PM,

for Movie Night Under the Oaks

A Bug's Life!

Current Land Trust Members: $5/person

Non-Members: $10/person

Join us in welcoming our newest Pennies for Preservation partner, Fitted Fairways! This indoor golf studio offers Trackman simulator bays, an interactive putting green, fittings, lessons, private events, mobile & in-studio action, and more! With a vast array of equipment, accessories like gloves, hats, and apparel, and clubs of every kind, Fitted Fairways is a one-stop-shop for all your golfing needs. And on foul-weather days, you can play 9 or 18 holes on the world's finest courses without leaving the island.

Business owner and founder Michael Morgan has had a fascination with golf since he was very young. He earned a degree in Professional Golf Management at the Professional Golfer's Career College in Bluffton, SC, in 2011 and is a certified Trackman Professional Level 2. Michael enjoys expanding his knowledge and is currently going through the PGA professional Golf Management program.

and the Land Trust's dedicated Pennies for Preservation partners.

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

1) Collecting a voluntary 1% or specific dollar amount donation from

their customers' receipts/invoices.

2) Donating 1% of their companies' proceeds or services.

We've heard your numerous requests for St. Simons Land Trust t-shirts and are excited to share that they are now available for purchase! Offered in adult ($25) and children's sizes ($20), these high-quality Comfort Color shirts are incredibly comfortable and durable. We can't wait to see you in them!

Stop by the office (1810 Frederica Road) or order online today to get your very own.

After a quiet beginning of the year for SSLT hat adventures, we were pleased to receive photos of hats traveling as far as the Arctic Circle and those worn by supporters at the SGHS Foundation Bridge Run this month! What adventures await your Land Trust hat? Share with us!

All four versions of SSLT hats can be purchased in-office or on our website below.

If you lost an item at a Land Trust event or while on a property, let us know! We have a Lost & Found box with a few items from the last two months and would love to see them returned to their owners. Please respond to this email or contact Kimbrough Haverstock at kimbrough@sslt.org to claim your missing item. Thank you!

March: Marsh Madness 2024 with Keep Golden Isles Beautiful. Volunteers needed for 35 cleanups. Learn more and register HERE.

March 21: One Hundred Miles Naturalist 101 Field Trip: A Day on Sapelo.

March 22: Movie Night Under the Oaks. 7:00-9:30pm. SSLT Office Backyard. Purchase tickets HERE.

March 27: GADNR Brownbag Presentation - Birds Georgia and Project Safe Flight. 12pm. The Susan Shipman Environmental Learning Center at GADNR Coastal Regional Headquarters

March 28: One Hundred Miles Naturalist 101 Lecture: Lessons in Ecology from the Little Island

April 12: One Hundred Miles Naturalist 101 Field Trip: A Day on Little St. Simons

April 13: Coastal WildScapes' Spring Native Plant Sale. Ashantilly Center, Darien. 9am-1pm.

April 20: Walk the Frederica Greenway with St. Simons Land Trust and Bike Walk Golden Isles. 8:30-10am. More information to come!

April 20: Keep Golden Isles Beautiful Electronics Recycling Event. Glynn Place Mall. 9am-12pm.

April 25: One Hundred Miles Naturalist 101 Lecture: A Naturalist's History of Cumberland Island