Celebrate Earth Day on Jekyll Island with the first annual Jekyll Island Mother Nature Festival on April 18, 2009. The festival, a celebration of nature and eco-friendly fun, boasts numerous activities for families to enjoy the outdoors and explore Jekyll Island while being green-conscious.
“This event is all about exploring nature while discovering ways to be more eco-friendly,” said Beth Burnsed, Event Marketing Coordinator for the Jekyll Island Authority.  “Jekyll Island offers many opportunities for families to learn about environment while respecting it.”
The hub of the activities is the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Beginning at 10 a.m., the Center will host an eco-friendly exhibitor area, eco-craft zone, and a special Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Regift Auction. In the exhibitor area, environmental organizations, artists, and shops will exhibit their eco-conscious and nature-related wares. Simultaneously, in the children’s eco-craft zone, kids can practice being environmentally friendly by making recycled-art projects. Finally, in the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Regift Auction, visitors can take part in a silent auction with a twist. The items in the auction are “re-gifts” — they have never been used, but were never needed by the donor. Now they can be your treasure. Proceeds from the auction go to the continuing operation of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.  All activities, exhibitors, and entertainment continue until 4 p.m. The exhibitor area is free. The craft zone and auction are free with paid admission to the Center.
Other activities taking place the same day include a Family Fishing Day at Rixen Pond, behind Tidelands Nature Center. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be on-site to give fishing tips, loan free children’s fishing rods, provide bait, and help children identify the fish they catch. Rixen Pond is rich in red fish, speckled trout, and Atlantic croaker.
For added adventure, families can choose from a variety guided excursions to get an up-close look at the natural habitats that make Jekyll Island unique. Tours include Dolphin Tours, Eco-Tours, Off-Shore Fishing, Kayaking, Bird Walks, Nature Walks and Horseback Riding. Many of these tours are offered year-round; however, in honor of Earth Day, all are offering special themed tours both April 18 and 19.
For more information on Jekyll Island’s Mother Nature Festival, a complete festival agenda and list of guided excursions visit www.jekyllisland.com/mothernaturefestival.

Tags: days inn and suites, earth day, georgia beaches, Jekyll Island Events, jekyll island mother nature festival, jekyll island vacation, things to do on jekyll island

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 24th, 2009 at 10:24 am and is filed under Beachscape, March 2009. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.