November/December 2014 Newsletter

Progress Report 2014

jekyllislandfoundation.org | 912.635.4100

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FromExecutiveDirectorDion Davis

Whether you prefer “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas,” “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” or “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” Christmas music is upon us. Malls are filling

with sparkly decorations and plans completed for reunited visits with loved ones. Like it or not, the constant barrage of music, media and retail has begun.

Were you asked to recall your most favorite holiday memory, food, friends or family (and not necessarily in that order) would spring up in every story. Good memories evoke emotions that we don’t think about as we go through our busy lives, taking kids to soccer, meeting deadlines or taking out the trash; however, when recalled, they bring hope and excitement and create lasting traditions.

Here on beautiful Jekyll Island we offer a holiday retreat where you can relax, enjoy the season and make memories. On Nov. 29, Jekyll Island hosts the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Festival, complete with Santa, crafts, jingle bell tours, fireworks, food and entertainment, beginning at 4 p.m. Interested in seeing how the millionaires celebrated Christmas? Venture inside the “cottages” for a trip back in time. If shopping is your bag, the island offers gifts of all sorts and varieties. Ride a bike? Play golf? Walk on the beach? We have something for everyone.

For more information on all holiday offerings, visit jekyllisland.com or www.jekyllclub.com/events.

I hope to see you soon!

Renewed concentration, focused deliberationand strong leadership!

Calendarof

Events

HOLIDAYS IN HISTORY

The cottages of the historic district

are decorated for the season! Enjoy

the history of Jekyll Island enriched

in seasonal splendor as you venture

inside the cottages of Jekyll Island’s

National Historic Landmark District.

Adults $16, children 7-15 $7, children 6

and under free. Nov. 29-Dec. 31 (except

the 24th & 25th) at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and

3 p.m. daily. Special Twilight Tours

are available Saturdays in December,

4pm. Reservations are required for the

twilight offering. Jekyll Island Museum,

912-635-4036.

The magic of the holiday season

arrives with the Island’s annual Tree

Lighting Festival. Bring the family to

welcome Santa, enjoy crafts, jingle

bell tours, food and entertainment.

Don’t forget about the evenings

fireworks! The festival begins at

4 p.m., in the Historic District lawn

area with tree lighting and fireworks

at dark. Free.

CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING FESTIVALNov. 29

Nov. 29 – Dec. 31Jekyll Island MuseumAdults $16, Children 7-15 $7, Children 6 and under free

Meet OurBoard

With zest and clarity, Mahi Majanovic recalls the

vacations his family would take to Jekyll Island

when he was a tyke. Hours were spent playing in

the state park’s crisp sands, roaming its seemingly magical

forests and exploring the long-lived history that make the

island so unique.

“It has always been a special place for me, for my family.

I know I hold it dear to my heart, the same way so many

Georgia families do,” Majanovic said. “There aren’t many

places like Jekyll, where you can just forget the worries of

the world for a few days. Some of my favorite childhood

- and grown up, for that matter - memories took place on

Jekyll Island.”

Fast forward a few decades, and Majanovic is making all

new memories with his own family on the Georgia coast.

Every year, Majanovic, his wife and their family make a four

or so hour drive from their home in Augusta to escape the

hectic schedules of daily life. They trade their business

meetings and emails for time to kick back and relax along

the waterfront. Specifically, Majanovic and crew come to

Jekyll every November to start their holiday season, with

the gourmet Thanksgiving buffet lunch offered at the Jekyll

Island Club Hotel.

It was, coincidently, just such a turkey-laced Club Hotel meal

that led Majanovic to the Jekyll Island Foundation, where he

now serves on the Board of Directors.

“I was standing at the dessert bar, making small talk with

a fellow diner, when we discovered we had been fraternity

brothers at UGA,” said Majanovic, who has worked in human

resources for Georgia Power for more than 16 years. “About

a year after that, the man I had met at the dessert bar,

Joe Wilkinson, contacted me and asked if I would join the

Foundation Board of Directors. I have always had such a

love for the island; I wouldn’t even think of passing on this

opportunity.”

Mahi MajanovicHuman Resources for Georgia Power

By Anna Hall

Since coming onto the Board, Majanovic has remained

excited about the changes he sees underway on the island.

As each renovation effort is checked off the to-do list, and

with new hotels, restaurants and businesses setting up shop,

the energy floating in the air there has remained palpable.

“We, as a Board, all bring our own perspectives and our

own backgrounds. It has created a very unique and diverse

range of people who are producing an interesting, fresh new

wave of good ideas,” Majanovic said. “We have created a

Board where everyone is excited to see these new changes

and bring to life an improved, special Jekyll Island. It’s an

exciting time.”

Majanovic isn’t alone in his excitement about the work

underway to remodel and further improve the historic state

park. “The entire Board,” he said, “is united in their vigor

to revamp Jekyll.” While each Board member brings his

or her own perspective and background to the table, they

remain cohesive on their common ground of island-wide

improvements as well as preservation.

For Majanovic specifically, his eyes are set on education,

historic preservation and environmental stewardship, noting

the recent attention placed on revitalizing Horton Pond.

“Education, history and the environment are three elements

of this island that go hand-in-hand and give the island that

special sense of character,” he said. “From the Georgia Sea

Turtle Center and the work being done there, to the history

museum and efforts being made island-wide to resurrect

and showcase that unique history, so much is going on,

both out in front and behind the scenes.”

Moving forward, Majanovic is eyeing his calendar and

planning out his next trip to Jekyll. Every time he comes

back to the island, he sees a new improvement, a new detail

that further sparks his passion. And, with any luck, that next

trip island-side will not only highlight the efforts the Board

is working to make on Jekyll, it too will bring him that famed

holiday meal he looks forward to every season.

“Jones Hooks (Executive Director of the Jekyll Island

Authority) and his team are doing great things, and with

the additional help of the Foundation and Board, we know

a great revitalization is planned and underway on Jekyll,”

Majanovic said. “Every day, a new step of progress is taken.

The plans in place are working, and I can’t wait to see how

brightly Jekyll Island shines in five, ten years. I’m thrilled to

be even a small part of it all. And I’m really ready for that

Thanksgiving buffet.”

Over a century ago, a small party headed by Senator Nelson W. Aldrich first envisioned America’s modern banking system from Jekyll Island, Georgia.

The Panic of 1907 made the need for banking reform abundantly clear. Banks failed, and worried depositors withdrew millions from savings. In those hard times, there was no central bank in America. Jekyll Island Club Member J. Pierpont Morgan personally led the mission to stabilize the economy.

Senator Aldrich declared, “Something has got to be done. We may not always have Pierpont Morgan with us to meet a banking crisis.”

In November of 1910, the “strangest, most secret expedition in the history of American finance” was therefore arranged to develop a plan away from public scrutiny. Using the excuse of

a “duck hunting trip,” an influential group of politicians, financiers, and economists retreated to Jekyll Island for a full week.

In this place of seclusion, they drafted a bill for Congress without interruptions from reporters and daily life. Arriving on Jekyll Island, they “worked morning noon and night.”

Finally, they left Jekyll Island with a bank reform bill in hand. The Aldrich Plan called for the creation of a central bank with regional branches, able to make emergency loans to member banks and print money.

Aldrich believed his bank reform legislation would assist all members of society, not just the businesses and bankers, “but even more so the farmers . . . . [and] the wage earners . . . who, under our present monetary

system, have absolutely no means of safeguarding themselves against loss.”

The Aldrich Plan served as a foundation for the Federal Reserve Act, which established America’s present-day banking system and was signed into law on December 23, 1913.

To discover how the many influential Jekyll Island Club Members have shaped our nation, visit the Jekyll Island Museum on Stable Road, or call 912-635-4036. Tours and exhibits are available daily.

A SECRET EXPEDITION

Jekyll Island has a long tradition as a holiday resort. The island was purchased by the Jekyll Island Club in 1886, and became renowned as a winter resort for the wealthy. By 1904, Munsey’s Magazine could report that each winter the Jekyll Island Club opened in time for its members to enjoy Christmas dinner.

Now you, too, can explore the memorable holiday activities once shared by the members of the Jekyll Island Club. To create festive memories in the present day, take a “Holidays in History” tour of the Jekyll Island historic district and explore Christmas through the ages.

From a homespun Victorian Christmas, through the Gilded Era and into the Jazz Age, the Jekyll Island Museum’s “Holidays in History” tour provides historical snapshots of Christmas celebrations enjoyed on Jekyll Island throughout the time of the Jekyll Island Club.

Throughout the season, the Jekyll Island historic district is a showcase of holidays past. The cottages of the Club era are elegantly decorated to reflect the vibrant mood of the season during different moments in Jekyll Island’s eventful history.

Guides shepherd guests throughout the entire historic district and inside two cottages, richly decorated for the season. Enjoy unique seasonal stories from the time of the Jekyll Island Club and discover how cherished Christmas customs originally came to be.

Experience the sights, sounds, customs and pleasures of holidays past! “Holidays in History” is offered daily, from Nov. 29 - Dec. 31 (except Dec 24 & 25) at 11a.m., 1p.m. and 3 p.m. Special Twilight Tours are also available Saturdays in Dec. at 4 p.m.

Reservations are required for the twilight offering. Reserve online at jekyllisland.com or call the Jekyll Island Museum at 912-635-4036.

HOLIDAYS IN HISTORYBy Andrea Marroquin

Event InfoNov. 29 – Dec. 31

Jekyll Island Museum

Adults $16, Children 7-15 $7, Children 6 and under free

Disney GivesFoundationRecognition

On behalf of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC), the Jekyll Island Foundation (JIF) has

been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF). The conservation grant recognizes the GSTC’s efforts to be involved with sea turtle and wildlife conservation in Costa Rica since 2010. In 2013, our team received a DWCF award for $25,000 for a project entitled Capacity Building for Marine Turtles. The project’s focus has been in the Pacific coast of Costa Rica in the Osa Region. Our primary goal has been to build local capacity for sea turtles in Costa Rica using an integrated conservation approach of education, rehabilitation, and research. We train our Costa Rican partners in ways that have proven successful for GSTC, and we transfer those

practices and knowledge for sea turtle conservation to other countries. Sea turtles are international and so are our conservation efforts.

“The ultimate goal is to have Costa Rican specialists trained and then doing the ground work. A special thanks to DWCF and the Jekyll Island Foundation for financial assistance and continuing this project,” said Terry Norton, DVM, Diplomate ACZM, Director and Veterinarian, Jekyll Island Authority’s GSTC.

We are excited to have recently received a second year of funding for this project from DWCF, also in the amount of $25,000. Our focus remains to integrate the three disciplines-education, rehabilitation, and research to promote and enhance sea turtle conservation in Costa Rica.

The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund focuses on protecting wildlife and connecting kids and families with nature. Since its founding in 1995, DWCF has provided more than $25 million to support conservation programs in 114 countries. Projects were selected to receive awards based upon their efforts to study wildlife, protect habitats and develop community conservation and education programs in critical ecosystems.

For more information on Disney’s commitment to conserve nature and a complete list of 2014 grant recipients, visit ww.disney.com/conservation.

Grant due to work done internationally for sea turtlesin Costa Rica by GSTC staff

TURTLES ABROAD

By Sonja Kebless

This September marks my one year anniversary of serving as an

AmeriCorps Education member at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center

(GSTC). When I arrived a year ago, I had guessed that my experience

working here would be interesting and enjoyable. I did not expect

that my task of educating people about sea turtles and their

conservation would take me to the Caribbean island of St. Kitts.

This past April, I left Jekyll Island to volunteer with the St. Kitts

Sea Turtle Monitoring Network. Run by Dr. Kimberly Stewart, the

network monitors nesting Leatherback sea turtles and other sea

turtle species. My job was to assist Dr. Stewart with the night patrol.

Every night, we would head out to the beach at 8:00 p.m. and stay

until the following morning around 4:00 a.m. Walking up and down

the beach, we would look for signs of nesting Leatherback sea

turtles.

During the day, I spent my time enjoying the natural beauty

and culture of St. Kitts. The crystal clear water of the Caribbean

encourages the growth of many beautiful species of coral. Hiding

amidst the coral gardens was the elusive Hawksbill sea turtle. This

critically endangered sea turtle feeds on sponges that live in the

coral reef. It was an incredible privilege to see it moving about in its

natural environment.

Perhaps the most memorable experience I brought home from

St. Kitts was not found on the beach or in the tropical rainforest

but within the walls of a classroom. The students of St. Kitts Island

(SKI) Academy approached Dr. Stewart wanting to know how they

could design a project that would help sea turtles. Dr. Stewart and I

visited the school and met with the students to discuss their ideas.

Afterwards, we visited a small facility where Dr. Stewart rehabilitates

sea turtle hatchlings. We showed the students how to clean the

turtles’ shells and shared their species information. What a treat it

was to connect with students outside my home country about sea

turtles and their conservation!

Here at the GSTC, we place an emphasis on education, rehabilitation,

and research. During my year at the GSTC, I have seen these

principles applied locally on Jekyll Island and in various counties

in Georgia. Traveling to St. Kitts gave me an appreciation about

the role the GSTC plays globally. Not only does the GSTC provide

volunteers to the St. Kitts project, but we found a partner in sea

turtle conservation. The students I met during my stay are working

to protect sea turtles, just like the students I teach at the GSTC.

Everyone can do something to help conserve sea turtles; and when

we partner with friends in other countries, we become a powerful

force that may have an impact on the future.

Interior Focus of Phase 2 of Important Project

This article summarizes some of the

collaborative research underway by

Brian Crawford who is a Ph.D. candidate

in the Integrative Conservation Program

at the University of Georgia. Brian’s

research is helping form comprehensive

decision making and management

planning for the conservation of the

Diamondback Terrapin species on

barrier islands.

This past week, AmeriCorps

Diamondback Terrapin Member

Becca Cozad and I tracked a pair of

Diamondback terrapins in the marsh

on the south side of the Jekyll Island

Causeway. This research, which is

supported by the AGL Resources

Foundation through the Jekyll Island

Foundation, aims to provide new insight

into Diamondback terrapin movements

and habitat use.

Through the use of an antenna

and receiver system, we are able

to determine the exact location of

our study animals. This technology,

known as radio telemetry, is used by

nearly every member of the Research

Department here on Jekyll to assist

with various reptile movement and

habitat use studies.

While attempting to get a visual

sighting of our intended terrapin, we

noticed a sub-adult female terrapin

half-submerged in the mud. As

part of our ongoing “capture-mark-

recapture” efforts, which are used to

draw inferences on population size,

we collected this new terrapin to bring

back to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center

(GSTC) to give it a unique identification

marking. When we arrived back at the

GSTC, we scanned the young female

with a Passive Integrated Transponder

(PIT) scanner that locates the presence

of a small microchip that is placed under

an animal’s skin. These PIT tags are the

same microchips which veterinarians

commonly insert into dogs and cats so

that they can be identified if an animal

is lost and recaptured. We do the same

with many of our rehabilitation and

research animals. The scanner let out an

audible “beep,” and we were rewarded

with an 18-digit code, indicating that

this terrapin had previously marked.

With the assistance of the veterinary

staff at the GSTC, we were able to

determine that not only had this terrapin

been given a PIT tag, it had actually

been hatched at the GSTC! As part

of the GSTC’s ongoing Diamondback

terrapin conservation efforts, viable

eggs from female terrapins that are

hit and killed along the Jekyll Island

Downing-Musgrove Causeway are

incubated and hatched at the GSTC.

Upon hatching, these terrapins are

raised in the safety of the GSTC as

part of a rear-and-release program

until they are large enough for release

into the wild. It is our hope that by

raising these terrapins in captivity for

a short period of time, we are able to

increase their chances of survival when

released, due to their increased size.

This individual terrapin hatched in 2012,

was released in May of 2013 and was

found nearly five miles from its release

location - quite a move for such a small

turtle! With its recapture, we have proof

that some of our released terrapins are

surviving in the wild and will, hopefully,

help combat population decline in the

area.

Keep an eye on our Facebook pages

(Jekyll Island Foundation and Applied

Wildlife Conservation Lab) for more

pictures and video of this terrapin’s

release back into the marsh where

it was found. Additionally, our video

documenting the conservation issue

of terrapins and roads is nearing

completion. We’ll have it online within

the next week, so keep your eyes

peeled!

TRACKING TERRAPINSIn the Marshes of Jekyll IslandBy David Zailo, UGA Graduate Student and GSTC Researcher

The recaptured terrapin, hatched in 2012 at the GSTC, was weighed and measured

before its release.

Interior Focus of Phase 2 of Important Project

Sea Turtle Nesting Season Update

BY THE NUMBERS

• First Nest: May 12, 2014

• Last Nest: August 15, 2014

• Total Number of Nests: 107

• Total Number of False Crawls: 163

• Estimated Number of Individual Female Turtles: 37

• First Nest to Hatch: Nest #3 on July 15, 2014

• Last Nest to Hatch: Nest #104 on September 25

• Total Number of Hatchlings: 5,942

• Average Hatch Success: 60.2%

Jekyll Island’s last hatchlings have made their way to

the sea. Our patrollers have hung up their headlamps,

and the 2014 Sea Turtle Nesting Season on Jekyll Island

has officially concluded! Below is a summary of how our

Loggerheads did this year:

Even though the total number of nests on the island

was lower than the past few years, it falls right around

our average of 112 nests per summer. This dip in total

nests is a trend seen in sea turtle nesting populations, as

Loggerhead sea turtles only return to nest on Jekyll Island

approximately once every 3 years. The state of Georgia

yielded a grand total of 1,205 sea turtle nests, with

Jekyll ranking 5th in the state with 107 nests. No Green

or Leatherback sea turtles stopped by Jekyll for a visit

this year, so all of the activity belonged to Loggerheads.

However, Leatherback and Green sea turtles did make an

appearance on some of the other islands in Georgia.

Even though we are into fall, the season’s highlights still

shine through for everyone who patrolled our beaches this

summer. Some of our favorite turtles include: “Teechee”

(tagged 1992, Jekyll Island), “Dos Equis” (tagged 1993,

Cumberland Island), “Angela” (tagged 1994, Jekyll Island),

and “Twizzler” (genetically detected 2010, Sea Island).

The most well-known turtle of all, however, was a turtle

called “Josie,” who had four nests and eight false crawls.

She became something of a turtle celebrity for our Ride

with Night Patrol and Turtle Walk programs, as a total of

248 individual people saw her on 10 of her 12 emergences!

Overall, everyone at the GSTC is very proud to have been

part of the successful 2014 Sea Turtle Nesting Season.

Between May and October, we spent more than 1,000

hours on the beach, covering over 5,300 miles! All of this

hard work would not have been possible without the help of

GSTC staff, AmeriCorps members, interns, volunteers, the

Jekyll Island Authority and the Jekyll Island Foundation.

The 2014 patrol team, Mark Dodd, and other GSTC staff during the inventory of nest number 3