Field Trips

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Field Trips - Thursday October 9, 2008

Thursday - Friday - Saturday - Sunday - Monday

All departure and return times shown are to and from the Jekyll Island Convention Center.

 

Glennville Water Treatment Facility

Photo: Steve Holzman
Time: 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM
(*Option - meet at Glennville at noon. See details below) 		Limit: 15 participants per day
Leader: Gene Wilkinson Fee: $10
Trip Rigor: Easy – two miles of level walking on sturdy berms.

The Glennville Water Treatment Facility consists of eight ponds ranging from 2 to 6 acres each in size and a large grass field that utilizes a spray system. The field is drained by a gravity flow system through the ponds, which are planted with water plants such as cattails, pickerel weed, cypress and gum trees. Participants will explore the facility on approximately 2 miles of berms that are accessible by foot in any weather. With over 167 species of birds reported at this site over the past four years, there should be a good showing of shorebirds, waders, waterfowl, raptors and migrating songbirds.

*Option: Participants traveling to Jekyll Island on Thursday for the Festival will have the option of meeting the leader in Glennville at noon on their “way in” and then continuing on to Jekyll after the field trip.

Recommended Needs: Sun protection, insect repellent, water/drinks, snacks/lunch, binoculars, spotting scope (optional).



Jekyll Island “Ramble” with the Director

Painting: Lydia Thompson
Time: 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM Limit:8 participants
Leaders: : Lydia Thompson Fee: $25
Trip Rigor: Easy – expect to walk 1-2 miles.

Join Festival Executive Director Lydia Thompson on a small group exploration of some of Jekyll’s best birding spots. The reason she calls it a “ramble” is to emphasize that effective birding requires flexibility, since which birds you will see and where you will find them changes with the tides. She believes that birding is best done “in the moment.” Lydia looks for birds on Jekyll Island every week of the year and enjoys sharing her insights with her tour members.

Recommended Needs : Insect repellent, sun protection, snacks, water, binoculars, spotting scope (optional).

Sapelo Island

Photo: Pete Pattavina
Time: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Limit: 17 participants per day (16 on Saturday)
Leader: Malcolm Hodges
Fee :$50 (Participants must bring an additional $2 cash for ferry)
Trip Rigor: The ferry crossing can be cold and wet depending on current weather conditions – please dress accordingly.

State-owned and largely undeveloped, Sapelo Island is the approximate mid-point of Georgia's barrier islands and the probable site of first European settlement (16th century missionaries) in Georgia. A 200-year history of wealthy private ownership of most of the island's 20,000 acres of upland and marshland preceded the establishment of the University of Georgia's Marine Institute (1953), R.J. Reynolds Wildlife Management Area (1969) and the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve (1973). About 70 descendants of the Gullah culture established by freed slaves in 1865 still live in the community of Hog Hammock. Sapelo has miles of pristine beaches and dunes, inter-dune meadows and ponds, salt marshes and tidal creeks, grassy fields and mature maritime forest (live oak hammock) as well as pond-pine savanna. A mix of woodland, grassland, marsh, shore and seabirds in these varied habitats can be seen year round. Sapelo is also the only east coast location where Plain Chachalaca can be found. Lunch will not be provided.

Recommended Needs : Insect repellent, sun protection, long sleeves and pants, hat, water, snacks and lunch, rain gear, binoculars.


Recommended Needs: Insect repellent, sun protection, long sleeves and pants, hat, water, snacks and lunch, rain gear, binoculars.

St. Catherines Island

Photo:Steve Holzman
Time: 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM
You can meet us at the dock at 7:15 am if you'd like. Directions below.
Limit: 8 participants* per day
Leaders: Steve Holzman and Jenifer Hilburn
Fee: $75
Trip Rigor: Easy – open-air riding on flatbed truck with benches (potentially dusty if it has been dry); 2 miles of optional beach walking and up to ½ mile of road/trail walking. Boat travel can be cold and wet depending on current weather conditions – please dress accordingly.

* First timers only – please sign up for this trip only if you have never been to St. Catherines Island.

Special Note : The field trips to Blackbeard, Little St. Simons and St. Catherines Islands are among our most popular and can accommodate only a small number of visitors per trip. We therefore request that you refrain from registering for more than two of these island trips during this year’s festival. Your cooperation is appreciated.

The St. Catherines Island Foundation owns this island and operates it for charitable, scientific, literary and educational purposes. The Foundation aims to promote conservation of natural resources, the survival of endangered species, and the preservation of historic sites, and to expand human knowledge in the fields of ecology, botany, zoology, natural history, archaeology, and other scientific and educational disciplines. Wildlife abounds due to miles of unspoiled beaches, dense maritime forest and interior wetlands. Traces of a colonial era Spanish mission and well-preserved antebellum slave quarters enhance the visitor’s appreciation of the island’s history. Lunch will not be provided and cannot be purchased on the island.

Recommended Needs : Insect repellent, sun protection, long sleeves and pants, hat, water, snacks and lunch, rain gear, binoculars. A cooler with ice will be available for participants’ use.

Directions to the St. Catherine's Island dock: From I-95. Exit at Exit # 76 (US 84). Head East approx. 7-8 miles until you see marsh on BOTH sides of the road, and the Half Moon Marina sign--large white sign hidden a bit behind a tree on the right. Turn Right onto Kings Road. Take second Right onto Camellia Road (careful, it sneaks up on you). Turn left approx. 4-5 mailboxes up, onto a dirt driveway. This driveway is marked by two mailboxes, a large mini log-cabin & a black one with a small St. Catherines sticker. Park anywhere, remembering to stay off the road which circles the parking lot.