Archive for the ‘ In the News ’ Category

Helping Sea Turtles Injured In The Gulf Oil Spill

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

With the disastrous effects of the Gulf Oil Spill, I’m sure many are wondering the effects it’s having on wildlife. Dr. Terry M. Norton and Amanda Noble, of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, recently co-wrote a published article about the effects of the Gulf Oil Spill on sea turtles. Here are some of their findings.


“Why is oil crude?”


The nature of the hydrocarbons – the design the hydrogen atoms form around the carbon atoms – is elementary. It can also be quite crude (rough) when it comes in contact with currently living creatures. For instance, sea turtles can become ill from ingestion or inhalation of such oil. To living organisms, crude oil is toxic.
As of July 31st, 815 sea turtles have been found dead, ill or oiled in the Gulf since the oil spill. Of those alive, 253 were visibly oiled, and 61 were not visibly oiled. Of the dead, 17 were visibly oiled, 82 were not oiled, 402 cases were “pending.” Thirty-three of total had been released at that time. These numbers obviously change on a daily basis.



So what is being done about the oiled turtles?
Conservation biologists and veterinarians have been traveling (by boat) to the Sargassum weed line to retrieve turtles. This involves actively searching for turtles and using a dip net to capture them. Once a turtle is brought on board it receives a light cleaning and then is placed in a cool quiet area for transport to a rehabilitation facility.
Burning the oil off of the surface has been one of the techniques utilized to remove some of the oil. Unfortunately, the process can harm wildlife – such as turtles – residing in the oiled Sargassum. This was found to be the case by our colleagues involved in rescuing the turtles. Some environmental organizations have promoted awareness of the potential for sea turtles to become trapped within systematic burnings of oiled ocean water. These areas are known as “burn boxes.”


What’s the procedure for rescuing injured sea turtles?


The capture, transport, and intake process is extremely stressful and an oiled animal’s condition may be very unstable. A veterinarian or animal care specialist conducts an initial examination and identifies conditions that are considered to be life-threatening.


Turtles are weighed and measured at the beginning of the process so that drug dosages can be calculated immediately. All turtles receive a temporary flipper band (zip tie with a number on it) and eventually a passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag inserted under the skin once the turtle is deemed stable. It is very important for each turtle to have at least two forms of identification so it can be treated and monitored throughout its stay at the center. For legal purposes, an oil sample is taken from the turtle along with a digital photograph of the oiled animal with the stranding reference number in the picture.


At this time, a more complete examination is conducted. The degree and nature of oil contamination is observed and recorded. Hyperthermia or over heating is a significant concern, thus a body temperature is measured. An over heated turtle is treated by placing it in cool (not cold or iced) water, fluid therapy, and potentially other medical intervention. A heart rate is obtained with an ultrasonic Doppler probe. The eyes and oral cavity commonly contain oil, thus are examined carefully.


If the turtle is deemed stable, the next step will be to clean the oil off of it. However, if the turtle is deemed compromised based on the physical exam and blood work, supportive fluids, glucose, calcium and ophthalmic medications may be administered prior to washing. The de-oiling process is very similar to the techniques developed for birds, with one key exception – cooler water temperatures (not to exceed 80-85°F) are used. Liquid detergent (Dawn® is a commonly used product) is effective for removing oil from the shell and skin on most parts of the body. Interestingly, mayonnaise and vegetable oil are used to remove oil from the eyes and mouth. Mayonnaise is placed in the eyes prior to cleaning with Dawn. Soft scrub brushes, toothbrushes, cotton swabs, and gauze are all helpful tools for removing oil. The turtle is rinsed with fresh water several times to assure no detergent remains after the cleaning process.


Article written by Dr. Terry M. Norton and Amanda Noble

 

Going Green Jekyll Island Style

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Going green? It’s a topic you hear a lot these days. For some that’s just means recycling bottles and cans. Others may do some composting. And yet others are thinking more outside the box to help cut down on pollution.

That’s exactly what crews in Jekyll Island were thinking when they installed a new stormwater runoff system. The new system collects all the rain water runoff from the convention center parking lot and the area that is now Great Dunes Park and filters it. Therefore, all the pollutants get taken out before being introduced back into the wetlands.


This all part of a long term goal of making Jekyll Island a zero-waste island.

Remember to recycle to keep Jekyll Island green. The island even has it’s own recycling center.

 

Views From Above: Indian Mound Cottage

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Watch this video for an aerial tour of Indian Mound Cottage, one of the newly restored and renovated cottages in Jekyll Island’s Historic District.


This cottage was once a vacation home for William and Almira Rockefeller, who stayed there in the early 1900s. They oversaw the additions and renovations that gave Indian Mound Cottage its present day appearance.


Tours of the Indian Mound Cottage are available seven days a week. For more information, contact the Jekyll Island Museum Staff.

 

Summer Travel On The Rise On Jekyll Island

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

It’s summer time! That traditionally means it’s time to grab the swimsuits and beach towels and pack the car for a good ole’ American road trip.

Jekyll Island is one destination that is increasing in popularity this summer. According to the Jekyll Island Authority Board of Directors, revenue for the island increased significantly in June.

Hotel revenue rose 28 percent from this time last year. Most notably, the newly constructed Hampton Inn & Suites made $500,000 in revenue. The Jekyll Island Club Hotel also saw a 25 percent increase in sales.

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Summer Waves Water Park and several local restaurants all saw a surge in sales.

In addition to more people visiting the island, there were also several big conventions on Jekyll Island last month.

“Leveraging events to gain earned media and focusing on  internet marketing is paying off,” stated Eric Garvey, JIA Chief 
Communications Officer. “We are in a good position. Our message is out there and we are being rewarded with incremental business.”

Ben Porter, Chairman of the JIA Board of Directors Marketing Committee, echoed the optimism. “These results are a reflection of the 
staff’s hard work and commitment, and I am very pleased with the  direction we are heading.”

To view more information on the increase in summer travel, click here.

 

Eatin’ Shrimp on Jekyll Island | Washington Times Communities

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

Eatin’ Shrimp on Jekyll Island | Washington Times Communities.

Reed Hellman

Eatin’ Shrimp on Jekyll Island

Thursday, April 8, 2010 – Adventures In Dining by Reed Hellman

I don’t like shrimp.  On my palate, the little decapod crustaceans have a kind of funky, skunky taste that just doesn’t sit well.  But, to be absolutely correct, I must say that I didn’t like shrimp.  I didn’t like them until I tasted wild Georgia shrimp on Jekyll Island.

Jekyll is one of the southernmost, and one of the smallest, of Georgia’s Atlantic Coast islands.  Not as well known as St. Simons, Hilton Head, Kiawah, or other South Atlantic resort islands, Jekyll’s impact on our nation’s history far exceeds its comparative size or repute.  Over Thanksgiving in 1910, in a room in the Jekyll Island Club, Rhode Island Senator Nelson Aldrich brought together representatives of banks holding at least one-sixth of the world’s wealth and planned the establishment of our Federal Reserve System.

But, I didn’t go to Jekyll for the history; rather, I went for the food, particularly wild Georgia shrimp.  Wild shrimp, as opposed to farmed or aquaculture shrimp, live in Georgia’s clean coastal Atlantic Ocean waters, are caught by local shrimp fisherman, and landed at a Georgia state certified facility.  The natural food source for wild Georgia shrimp comes from the nutrients found in coastal marshes and estuaries that line the southern Atlantic coast.

Coming next:  Second course, Southern Style Comfort Food

Shrimp Creole
Courtesy of Georgia Wild shrimp, www.georgiashrimp.org
Serves 4
2 strips smoked bacon, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 Andouille or smoked sausage, thinly sliced
1 pound Wild Georgia Shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (15 ounce) canned chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper, Tabasco® to taste

In a large, heavy pot, sauté the bacon and sausage over medium heat until they begin to color.  Remove and reserve.  In the same fat, quickly sauté the shrimp just until they turn opaque. Salt and pepper to taste.  Remove and reserve.

Add onion and green pepper.  Cook vegetables until soft and begin to brown.  Gradually add flour while stirring.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until a medium brown roux (the color of peanut butter) is formed-about 30 minutes.  Add garlic, stir to mix, and add the rest of the ingredients, breaking the tomatoes with the back of a spoon.  Bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add a little chicken broth or hot water if too thick.  Add reserved bacon, sausage and shrimp, and simmer for one or two minutes to heat through.  Serve over rice.

Reed Hellman is a freelance writer living in Alberton, Maryland.  For more of his signature culinary escapades, read his articles in Recreation News, in print or online.  Visit his Recipe for Adventure Website at www.reedhellmanwordsmith.com.  You can find more recipes in The Recipe Box on his Website.

 

Blackbeards Seafood Restaurant Now Open for Lunch!

Monday, April 5th, 2010

We are happy to announce that Blackbeard’s Seafood Restaurant is now serving lunch 7 days a week (effective Monday 4/5/10). Our focus over the last half of March was to make sure the product and service being delivered at dinner exceeded the guest’s expectations.  We are very pleased with the positive comments from locals and visitors to the island.  While we will continue to refine our evening service we feel confident that now is the time to extend our reach to lunch and provide the same attention to detail as we have for evening service.

 

Island field trip fun, educational for Loganville students, chaperones | jacksonville.com

Monday, April 5th, 2010

IMG_1174Island field trip fun, educational for Loganville students, chaperones | jacksonville.com.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND — Between bites of their sandwiches, fifth-grade classmates Drew Chunn  and Billy Brandenburg  talked excitedly Friday with Billy’s mom, Donna Brandenburg,  about what they’d enjoyed most so far on their school field trip to Coastal Georgia.

The boys and Brandenburg, who is chaperoning, took time out for a picnic lunch in the shade of the palm trees at Neptune Park near the St. Simons Island Pier on Friday. They were among about 100 gifted fourth- and fifth-grade students, teachers and parents on the field trip from Youth Elementary School in Loganville, which is east of Atlanta.
Arriving Wednesday,  the group has toured the Okefenokee Swamp, Cumberland Island and Jekyll Island, including the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, before coming to St. Simons, which was their last stop Friday before heading home.
“I understand from talking to people here, we’re lucky because schools here aren’t allowed to take out-of-town field trips,” said Brandenburg, noting Coastal Georgia school systems are limiting field trips because of state budget cuts.
Drew said Cumberland Island and the Okefenokee were at the top of his list of favorite places they had explored on the trip.
The sea turtle center was Billy’s favorite. He bought a toy stuffed turtle he named Flippers  from the center as a souvenir.
While they’ve had fun, the boys said they also have learned a lot about history and nature from the places they’ve visited on the trip.
“We’ve probably learned things,” Drew said, “that we haven’t realized yet that we learned.”

 

Students take alternative Jekyll spring break | jacksonville.com

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Students take alternative Jekyll spring break | jacksonville.com.

Terry Dickson’s blog

JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. — Florida’s sandy beaches are the typical places for college spring breaks.

Not so much the grassy sides of the Jekyll Island causeway, or the bricks of its walkways, or its golf cart barn.
Maybe that’s why they call what a few University of West Georgia students did last week an alternative spring break.
They worked every day and endured the electronic taunts — texts, e-mails, Facebook updates — of their friends having fun in the sun.

Asked what she was missing, Rebecca Fondren of Covington said, “Laying out on the beach, going out to dinner, staying up late, sleeping late. I’ll get over it.”

She says this while watering wax myrtles as cars whistle past.

Her friends are getting it on; she’s spraying down with Off.

Thursday, the West Georgia students were planting the myrtles to shield the nesting mounds of diamondback terrapins that get flattened trying to cross the causeway in May and early June. The mounds give the terrapins a place to nest without playing causeway roulette.

The terrapins probably won’t appreciate what the dirty half-dozen are doing. They swapped the white beach sand for black compost.

As Sarah Khorramzadeh of Gwinnett County and Lauren Denmon of Rome scooped up buckets of compost, a stiff wind kicked some up into Denmon’s face.

What’s that saying? Here’s mulch in your eye?

As she said, “I’d rather be doing something useful than partying all night until 3 a.m.”

She and her classmates don’t want it to end with them.

“We want to make it a tradition,” she said.

If so, it will be one that students started.

Adviser Shari Crandall  said she called Khorramzadeh and Fondren into her office in mid-February and told them she had an idea. Why not find a good community service project, ask the Association of Residents Hall Councils for a little money, kick in some of their own and take an alternative spring break? The university’s recreation department does two trips called Operation Breakaway each year, but this one was squarely on the students’ shoulders.

Khorramzadeh and Fondren arranged it all in an amazingly short time, with the students paying $90 each for the privilege of working a week on Jekyll, Crandall said.

Denmon, Rachel Hudson of Newnan and Hannah Perkins of Griffin joined in.
For all the students partying in Florida, there are just as many stuck at home because they can’t afford a week of beach accommodations and the meals.

“Some students can’t afford spring break,” Crandall said. “This will give them a way to have one.”

And don’t think they didn’t have fun. They had a great dinner at Blackbeard’s overlooking the ocean one night, cooked in their rented beach house and managed to make some of the work fun.

They whispered conspiratorially about their Wednesday job of washing golf carts. Finally, they admitted to some water fights, even as Gov. Sonny Perdue promotes badly needed water conservation measures in the General Assembly. One imagines that in moving the carts, doughnuts were cut.

Although they’re not making a dime, it’s not exactly a thankless job.

“People on the island have been very hospitable. They thank us every time they see us,” Hudson said.

Beaches come and go with the tide. What the West Georgia students did will last.

“Their spring break at the beach is going to blend in with all the others,” Fondren said of her partying classmates. “I’ll remember mine the rest of my life.”

And as Jekyll Island residents watch the wax myrtles grow, they’ll remember the dirty half-dozen.

 

Eric Garvey speaks on “Georgia Focus” on GNN

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Georgia_News_Network_LOGO
Listen as Eric Garvey, Jekyll Island’s, Chief Communications Officer, gives an interesting overview, a brief history, and an update on the revitalization of Jekyll Island on the “Georgia Focus” program on the Georgia News Network with interviewer, John Clark.

Click here to listen.

 

Discover the Gold Standard by Yasmin Smith

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
Discover the Gold Standard by Yasmin Smith

Jekyll Island, one of Georgia’s Golden Isles, delights travelers with its rich history and natural beauty. Whether you’re seeking a weekend away with your honey or a family-friendly vacation, this place has it all and is a mere stone’s throw from Atlanta. Read the full article here.

discover_gold_standard

 

“Essie” was unleashed at the Jekyll Island Arts Festival

Monday, March 15th, 2010

The Jekyll Island Authority is a proud participant in the Humane Society of South Coastal Georgia’s “Coastal Dawgs Unleashed” art fundraiser. The goal is to raise $200,000 to support the shelter’s daily operational expenses and the capital campaign to build a new shelter by recruiting thirty-area business to sponsor Dawgs. Local artist and member of the Jekyll Island Arts Association, David Millman, meticulously painted Jekyll Island’s, a 4-foot-tall fiberglass bulldog named “Essence of Jekyll Island”. Essie, as she is known to her friends, is adorned to represent all things wonderful about Jekyll Island. She will be on display on Jekyll Island for one year and then, she will be raffled off to the highest bidder. Start saving up because you will want her in your house!

 

New Jekyll Island Hotel Takes Green Practices to the Next Level

Friday, March 5th, 2010

hamptoninnBuild an eco-friendly, beachside hotel using sustainable practices to help preserve one of the eastern seaboard’s few remaining true maritime forest and dune eco-systems. The developers of the new Hampton Inn & Suites on Georgia’s Jekyll Island did just that when building the barrier island’s first new hotel in 35 years.

New Castle Hotels & Resorts, a leading hotel ownership and development company and third-party manager, and co-developers Jekyll Ocean Oaks, LLC, an affiliate of the ownership group of the island’s existing Jekyll Island Club Hotel, followed an extensive set of guidelines, adopted by the Jekyll Island Authority, that require development respect and preserve the unique natural environment and historic character of the island. Developers applied a range of conservation practices throughout the building process, and incorporated sustainability practices into the hotel’s operation, including:

  • Building the new hotel on the existing footprint of an older motel in order to avoid cutting old growth trees on the 5-acre site.
  • Detailed mapping of tree locations and evaluation of their health and relative importance by a certified arborist.
  • Planting of new live oak trees to replace a dozen trees removed to accommodate redevelopment of the site, and more than two dozen trees that were in poor health.
  • Recycling materials like steel, copper, concrete and aluminum from the demolition of the older motel.
  • Mounting elevated exterior downlighting on existing trees to avoid the cost and energy use related to manufacturing and installing aluminum poles for parking areas.
  • To provide hotel guests with beach access and still preserve the forest and dune area, developers built an elevated wooden walkway. Hotel operations employ a host of sustainable practices, including:
  • Rainwater is collected from the 25,000-square-foot roof and stored in a cistern for irrigating landscaping.
  • The hotel’s laundry system recaptures final rinse water moisture from the dryers for reuse as wash water, conserving both water and energy. The system also scavenges waste heat from the dryers and reuses it to preheat water for the washing machines, recovering up to 90 percent of the waste heat and reducing overall energy consumption in the laundry by more than 50 percent.
  • Use of solar thermal panels on the south-facing roof to preheat water for hot water systems that service guestrooms, restrooms and kitchens. The system reduces the burning of propane, a fossil fuel, to produce heat, thus reducing the total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced by the property.
  • Thorough insulation and cladding with cement board, as well as the four-story design, require less energy for HVAC systems. Motion sensors control bathroom ventilation fans, and ENERGY STAR rated appliances and equipment further reduce overall energy consumption.

The 138-room Hampton Inn & Suites Jekyll Island opened in January 2010, the first new hotel to be built on the island in 35 years. Among Georgia’s 14 barrier islands, Jekyll Island is one of just four accessible by causeway.

 

Jekyll Island Authority Appreciates Its Winter Guests at Party

Friday, February 26th, 2010

The Jekyll Island Authority threw a party to show its Winter Guests how much we appreciate them, and how much we want them to keep coming back. They responded by telling how much they love wintering on Jekyll Island in this video!

The prizes and photos will be posted at www.jekyllisland.com/winterguestparty10. If they are not posted yet, keep trying. They will be up as soon as possible.

 

Field study exposes how sea turtle hatchlings use their flippers to move quickly on sand

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Field study exposes how sea turtle hatchlings use their flippers to move quickly on sand.

VIDEO: This is a video showing a loggerhead sea turtle hatchling on the beach running from its nest to the water.

Click here for more information.

Life can be scary for endangered loggerhead sea turtles immediately after they hatch. After climbing out of their underground nest, the baby turtles must quickly traverse a variety of terrains for several hundred feet to reach the ocean.

While these turtles’ limbs are adapted for a life at sea, their flippers enable excellent mobility over dune grass, rigid obstacles and sand of varying compaction and moisture content. A new field study conducted by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology is the first to show how these hatchlings use their limbs to move quickly on loose sand and hard ground to reach the ocean. This research may help engineers build robots that can travel across complex environments.

“Locomotion on sand is challenging because sand surfaces can flow during limb interaction and slipping can result, causing both instability and decreased locomotor performance, but these turtles are able to adapt,” said Daniel Goldman, an assistant professor in the Georgia Tech School of Physics. “On hard-packed sand at the water’s edge, these turtles push forward by digging a claw on their flipper into the ground so that they don’t slip, and on loose sand they advance by pushing off against a solid region of sand that forms behind their flippers.”

Details of the study were published online on February 10, 2010 in the journal Biology Letters. This research was supported by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, National Science Foundation, and the Army Research Laboratory.

VIDEO: This is a video showing loggerhead sea turtle hatchling locomotion on granular media.

Click here for more information.

In collaboration with the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, biology graduate student Nicole Mazouchova studied the movement of sea turtle hatchlings of the species Caretta caretta at Jekyll Island on the coast of Georgia. She and research technician Andrei Savu worked from a mobile laboratory that contained a nearly three-foot-long trackway filled with dry Jekyll Island sand.

The trackway contained tiny holes in the bottom through which air could be blown. The air pulses elevated the granules and caused them to settle into a loosely packed solid state, allowing the researchers to closely control the density of the sand.

In addition to challenging hatchlings to traverse loosely packed sand in the trackway, the researchers also studied the turtles’ movement on hard surfaces — a sandpaper-covered board placed on top of the sand. Two high-speed cameras recorded the movements of the hatchlings along the trackway, and showed how the turtles altered their locomotion to move on different surfaces.

“We assumed that the turtles would perform best on rigid ground because it would not give way under their flippers, but our experiments showed that while the turtles’ average speed on sand was reduced by 28 percent relative to hard ground, their maximal speeds were the same for both surfaces,” noted Goldman.

The researchers’ investigations showed that on the rigid sandpaper surface, the turtles anchored a claw located on their wrists into the sandpaper and propelled themselves forward. During the thrusting process, one of the turtle’s shoulders rotated toward its body and its wrist did not bend, keeping the limb fully extended.

IMAGE: Georgia Tech researchers conducted the first field study showing how endangered loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings use their limbs to move quickly on a variety of terrains in order to reach…

Click here for more information.

In contrast, on loosely packed sand, pressure from the thin edge of one of the turtle’s flippers caused the limb to penetrate into the sand. The turtle’s shoulder then rotated as the flipper penetrated until the flipper was perpendicular to the surface and the turtle’s body lifted from the surface.

“The turtles dug into the loosely packed sand, lifted their bellies off the ground, lurched forward, stopped, and did it again,” explained Goldman.

To extend their biological observations, Goldman and physics graduate student Nick Gravish designed an artificial flipper system in the laboratory. The flipper consisted of a thin aluminum plate that was inserted into and dragged along the trackway filled with Jekyll Island sand. Calibrated strain gauges mounted on the flipper provided force measurements during the dragging procedure.

“Our model revealed that a major challenge for rapid locomotion of hatchling sea turtles on sand is the balance between high speed, which requires large inertial forces, and the potential for failure through fluidization of the sand,” explained Goldman. “We believe that the turtles modulate the amount of force they use to push into the sand so that it remains below the force required for the ground to break apart and become fluidlike.”

Goldman and his team plan to conduct further field studies and laboratory experiments to determine if and how the turtles control their limb movements on granular media to avoid sand fluidization. They are also developing robots that move along granular media like the sea turtle hatchings.

“These research results are valuable for roboticists who want to know the minimum number of appendage features necessary to move effectively on land and whether they can just design a robot with a flat mitt and a claw like these turtles have,” noted Goldman.

This material is based on work supported by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface. Work related to physics was supported by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) MAST CTA under Cooperative Agreement Number W911NF-08-2-0004 and the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Award Number CMMI-0825480. Any opinions, views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this document are those of the researcher and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of ARL, NSF, or the U.S. Government.

 

New radar system is located at the Villas by the Sea to study currents.

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

Skidaway Institute expands coastal radar system

By oceanscience

The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography is expanding its coastal radar system with the addition of a new send-receive station on Jekyll Island. The radar system, called WERA, is used to study surface ocean currents on Georgia’s continental shelf and out as far as the Gulf Stream.

Research technician Trent Moore works on a radar antenna in the dunes on Jekyll Island.

The Jekyll Island unit is the third station in the system. Two original stations were installed on Pritchard Island, S.C. and on a coastal island south of Savannah. The three systems work together to create a detailed map of surface ocean currents across an area stretching more than 125 miles off shore from South Carolina to North Florida. The map consists of hundreds of data points on the ocean surface which are updated twice an hour. The map shows the speed and direction of the surface current at each of those points.

The equipment was purchased with a grant from the Georgia Research Alliance, combined with funding allocated by South East Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System.

“Measurement of surface currents and waves has a broad range of economic, societal, research and educational applications,” said Skidaway Institute professor Dana Savidge.

Those include search and rescue operations; tracking and predicting the trajectories of oil spills and pollutants; maritime operations; commercial and recreational fishing and boating; ecosystem assessment; and improving our understanding of the response of the coastal ocean circulation to major winter storms or hurricanes.

Aside from the practical applications, Savidge says the primary purpose of the system is to improve researchers’ understanding of what is happening on Georgia’s continental shelf.

“The ocean continues to be very poorly observed,” she said. “For example, we do not know how material from the land crosses the shelf. It may be organic. It may be manmade. It may be pollutants. Where does it go and how does it get there? These measurements will help us find out.”

The new site will significantly increase Savidge’s ability to study eddies that develop at the juncture of the shelf edge and the Gulf Stream. These eddies may affect the supply of nutrients available to marine life in that area of the ocean.

The radar data can been seen as a map, with the color, length and direction of the arrows showing the velocity of the surface currents. The orange and yellow arrows on the bottom right indicate the Gulf Stream.

There are presently approximately 100 similar radars operating throughout United States. The installation on Jekyll Island will greatly increase coverage to include the entire Georgia shelf and northern Florida. It will add critical overlapping redundancy with existing installations, providing essential two-installation operation during periods when one installation of the three may go down due to lightening strikes, power outages or other problems.

The new radar system is located at the Villas by the Sea condominiums on the north end of Jekyll Island.

“We can’t say enough about how great the folks at Villas by the Sea have been to work with us on this and allow us to install our antennas there,” said Savidge. .

Data from the radar system can be seen at the Skidaway Institute Web site.


 

Jekyll Island Authority Celebrates Indian Mound Cottage Dedication with Ceremony and Open House

Monday, February 15th, 2010

Contact: Alexa Elsberry

The Butin Group

akelsberry@thebutingroup.com

(912) 638-9892


Jekyll Island Authority Celebrates Indian Mound Cottage Dedication with Ceremony and Open House

Indian Mound Open 010

Jekyll Island, GA, February 15, 2010 Today the Jekyll Island Authority celebrated the dedication and reopening of Indian Mound Cottage. Indian Mound Cottage, part of the Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District, had previously been under renovation for the past two years.


Careful attention was given to maintain the historical integrity of the Cottage while updating it with new carpet, fresh paint, and a new roof among other improvements. The dedication ceremonies marked the re-opening of Indian Mound Cottage for public tours.


Indian Mound Cottage was originally built in 1891 as a winter retreat for Gordon McKay but was purchased by the Rockefellers in 1905 to be used as their vacation home. William Rockefeller, brother to John D. Rockefeller and a partner in Standard Oil, was a charter member of the Jekyll Island Club beginning in 1886.  He was active in the island life of the Club for 36 years until his death in 1922. William and his wife Almira Rockefeller oversaw the additions and renovations that gave Indian Mound Cottage its present day appearance.


Tours of Indian Mound Cottage are given daily by the Jekyll Island Museum, (912) 635-4036. The cottage is also available for private function event rentals, (912) 635-4403.

 

Jekyll Island’s Weekend Window on Good Morning America

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

ABC re-ran Jekyll Island’s Weekend Window segment on their website Wednesday. We thought it was good enough to share again too! Maybe it will help make those snow storm blues go away with dreams of your Spring Vacation to Jekyll Island!

 

How to Visit Georgia’s Jekyll Island | eHow.com

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

via How to Visit Georgia’s Jekyll Island | eHow.com.

How to Visit Georgia’s Jekyll Island

Contributor

By eHow Contributing Writer


(1 Ratings)

Looking for a gorgeous, quiet island getaway for summer? Visit Georgia’s scenic Jekyll Island, a beautiful paradise with stunning beaches, opportunities for fishing and boating and tons of relaxing activities to be enjoyed by young and old.

Difficulty: Easy
Instructions

  1. Step 1

    Decide how you want to experience Jekyll Island. You can enjoy the island from a camp site under the stars or from within the comforts of your hotel room. Either way, you are sure to have an exceptional time. For nature-lovers, the island offers stunning sights. For luxury-seekers, the island offers world-class accommodations.

  2. Step 2

    Book a dolphin tour. You can see the ocean and the island this way and get a fantastic break on oceanfront rooms, including food and tickets for the dolphin tour.

  3. Step 3

    Become a beachcomber. Jekyll is a barrier island, so this means 10 miles of unique and constantly changing beaches. You can enjoy the array of seashells, wildlife and evolving changes brought about by time and tide.

  4. Step 4

    Kayak through the inland waterways. Georgia’s Jekyll Island has an extraordinary protected ecosystem just begging to be explored and a kayak ride through the marshes offers amazing opportunities to see the unique wildlife of this area.

  5. Step 5

    Look at the sea turtles. Unique to Jekyll Island are its female loggerhead sea turtles who come to lay their eggs in nests on the beautiful beaches between May and August of each year. They are almost extinct; so it is truly a wonder to see these rare beauties.