Celebrate Spring on Jekyll Island with the first annual Jekyll Island Mother Nature Festival on Saturday, April 18, 2009. The festival boasts numerous activities for families to enjoy the outdoors and explore Jekyll Island while being green-conscious. Be sure to check out the activities below:
  
Festival Highlights
 
Friday, April 17
 
Pre-Fest Beachsweep, 10 AM–12 Noon, Beachdeck
Join the Jekyll Island Authority as they clean the beach in preparation for Earth Day. Gloves and trash bags provided. Just bring some helpful hands!
 
 
Saturday, April 18
Eco-Friendly Craft Zone & Exhibitor Area, 10 AM – 4 PM, Georgia Sea Turtle Center
Make eco-friendly crafts and peruse the numerous arts and crafts vendors, local ecology groups, and green friendly businesses displaying their items and information. Also, step inside the Georgia Sea Turtle Center to learn about sea turtles and their habitat.
 
 
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle- Regift Auction,
10 AM – 4 PM, Georgia Sea Turtle Center
Bid on a variety of items “re-gifted” to the Center in honor of the Mother Nature Festival. The Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Re-gift Auction puts a spin on the typical silent auction. Proceeds go to the continuing operation of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. We still need donated items.
 
 
Family Fishing Day 10 AM – 2 PM,
Rixen Pond behind Tidelands Nature Center
Join the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division for an afternoon of fishing at Rixen Pond. Free fishing poles provided as well as tips and advice.
 
 
Helicopter Tours 10AM – 4PM,
Jekyll Island Airport
Take a helicopter tour above Jekyll Island with Dragonfly Helicopters. $25 per person.
 
 

Kite Flying Demonstration
11 AM – 1PM, Beach at Blackbeard’s Restaurant
Watch as Coastal Windsports demonstrates their kite flying skills on the beach. Free.
 
 

Herpetology Session
2:00 PM, Tidelands Nature Center
Join the staff at Tidelands in a hands-on demonstration of amphibians and reptiles that make their home on Jekyll Island.
 
 
Outdoor Excursions
Make reservations for a variety of outdoor adventures in Dolphin Tours, Off-Shore Fishing Trips, Horseback Rides on the Beach, Kayak Excursions, a Bird Ramble, or a Beach Ecology Walk.

For more information on all of the Mother Nature festival activities and outdoor excursions, visit: www.jekyllisland.com/mothernaturefestival

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Posted in April 2009, Beachscape | No Comments »

Celebrate Spring on Jekyll Island with the first annual Jekyll Island Mother Nature Festival on Saturday, April 18, 2009. The festival boasts numerous activities for families to enjoy the outdoors and explore Jekyll Island while being green-conscious.

“Jekyll Island is an environmentally rich vacation destination with numerous amenities that allow our guests to get an up-close, non-invasive look at the eco-systems that make our island unique,” said Beth Burnsed, Event Marketing Coordinator for the Jekyll Island Authority. “The Mother Nature Festival showcases those amenities while educating children and their parents on how to be more eco-friendly.”

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is the main hub of event festivities. From 10 AM - 4 PM, the Center will host an eco-friendly exhibitor area, eco-craft zone, outdoor entertainment and silent 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 while learning about Sea Turtles and their habitat.

Other activities include a Family Fishing Day sponsored by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, an Eco-Book Fair at Jekyll Books, a kite buggy demonstration on the beach, and a herpetology session at Tidelands Nature Center. All of these events are free and open to the public.

For added adventure, families can choose from a variety guided excursions. Tours include Helicopter Rides, Dolphin Tours, Eco-Tours, Off-Shore Fishing, Kayaking, Bird Rambles, Beach Ecology Walks and Horseback Riding. Advanced registration for the above excursions is highly recommended.

As an eco-friendly incentive, the Jekyll Island parking fee will be waived on April 18 for all guests driving a hybrid vehicle to the festival. For more information on all Mother Nature Festival activities and excursions visit www.jekyllisland.com/mothernaturefestival or call 1-877-4JEKYLL. Get regular updates on the festival by being a fan of the Jekyll Island Mother Nature Festival on Facebook.com

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Posted in Festivalgoer, Press Releases | No Comments »

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.

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Posted in Beachscape, March 2009 | No Comments »