The Jekyll Island Authority is celebrating the two year anniversary of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and the 2009 sea turtle nesting season with a week-long series of family-fun activities. Advanced registration is required for some of the events and can be found at www.jekyllisland.com/nestfest.

Monday, June 8

Georgia Sea Turtle Center - Two Years Later and Beyond

5:30-7:00, Georgia Sea Turtle Center

Meet the staff at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center for a private tour of the Center and a discussion with Dr. Terry Norton, Director of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, on success stories and accomplishments from the past two years plus their vision for the future.

FREE with paid admission to the Center. Reservations Required.

Tuesday, June 9

Turtles Are Not the Only Animals that Nest on Jekyll Island  - A discussion with Jim Gertis, Beekeeper, and Lydia Thompson, Birding Enthusiast.

5:30 - 7:00, Georgia Sea Turtle Center

Learn from Jim Gertis and Lydia Thompson about other animals that nest on Jekyll Island. Jim will give information on bee keeping and the natural benefits of honey. Lydia will speak on Wilson’s Plovers, savvy little birds that nest on Jekyll Island’s beaches and have a unique social structure.

FREE with paid admission to the Center. Reservations Required

Wednesday, June 10

Movie Night, Finding Nemo

7:00 PM  - 9:00 PM, Georgia Sea Turtle Center

Join staff from the Georgia Sea Turtle Center for a movie night at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Bring you favorite sea life stuffed animal, blanket or sleeping bag, and watch this classic under-the-seas movie.

FREE. Reservations Required

Thursday, June 11

Beach Sweep

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Jekyll Island Beachdeck

Help us clean the Jekyll Island beach so that the sea turtles have pristine nesting grounds.

FREE

Friday, June 12

Breakfast with Scute and Pajama Tour

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM, Georgia Sea Turtle Center

Join the staff from the Georgia Sea Turtle Center along with Scute the Sea Turtle for a delicious breakfast and tour of the Center - in your pajamas! All kids are invited to wear their pajamas as they watch the turtles rise and shine for their day.

$11 per person. Includes admission to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Reservations Required.

Saturday, June 13

Nest Fest Party at the Beachdeck

12:00 Noon - 4:00 PM, Jekyll Island Beachdeck

Join the staff at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center for an afternoon of interactive educational activities, arts and crafts, and fun on the beach. Vendors and exhibitors from various organizations in the Brunswick-Golden Isles region will also be present with hands-on exhibits. Kids can test their skills in the always popular Turtle Crawl obstacle course. Plus, one or more of the rehabilitated patients from the Georgia Sea Turtle Center will be released.

FREE

In addition to all these great activities, kids can visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and have their picture taken with Scute or vote on their favorite sea turtle patient to win Patient of the Year. Votes are accepted throughout the month of June. The winner will be announced online on July 2. For more information on any of these activities contact the Georgia Sea Turtle Center at 912-635-4444 or visit www.jekyllisland.com/nestfest. Be a fan of Nest Fest on Facebook.com.

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Thanks to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, the University of Georgia, and the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, diamondback terrapins now have safe havens along the Jekyll Island Causeway. Artificial nest mounds with raccoon proof cages have been placed at strategic points to hopefully reduce the number of terrapins crossing the road.

“Every year 200-300 terrapins are hit by cars while trying to cross the causeway,” said Dr. Terry Norton, Director and Veterinarian for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center “The turtles are looking for elevated ground to nest. Since the roadways are elevated above the marshlands around them, terrapins often believe them to be suitable nesting areas.”

The mounds were built to be safe elevated nesting areas approximately 30 ft back from the edge of the causeway to thereby decrease the number of times the terrapins try to cross the road. In addition, cages on top of the mounds will reduce the threat of predation. Terrapins can get in and out of the cages through small spaces at the bottom, but predators such as raccoons can not.

The work, although in its preliminary stages, is backed by similar projects in the Northeast for wood turtles. The concept is still in a research stage, and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and its collaborators will examine the results at the end of the nesting season to see how much of difference the project made. “We are basically testing it out,” said Norton. “So it is a research project with conservation implications.”

Tags: conservation efforts, diamondback terrapins, georgia beaches, Georgia Sea Turtle Center, georgia terrapins, georgia turtles, georgia vacations, jekyll island, jekyll island causeway, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, sea turtles, terrapin turtles, turtle nesting
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