Jekyll Island

Turtle Crawl Races- Results

annahall — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:21:00 +0000

The finish line has been crossed and the annual Turtle Crawl races are now complete! Congratulations to all of our participants and of course, many thanks to all of our dedicated volunteers and sponsors. Here, we present to you the final race results for each category. We hope to see you all out here next year!

Result- Long_All_AGrp

Result- Run_All_AGrp

Result- Short_All_AGrp

Result- Long- Athena

Result- Long- Clydesdale

Result- Long- Relays

Result- Short- Athena

Result- Short- Clydesdale

Result- Short- Relays

Season First Sea Turtle Nest Found on Wassaw Island

annahall — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:44:17 +0000

A nest has been found! Sea turtle nesting season officially began this month, but until earlier this week, no nests had been detected. All that changed Monday night when researchers and nest patrollers found their first sea turtle nest, on Wassaw Island. Below, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Nongame Conservation Section reports on the finding. Be sure to stay tuned to hear about nests found along Jekyll Island shorelines thanks to the watchful eyes of researchers and volunteers at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center!

SEA TURTLE NESTING SEASON STARTS: FIRST LOGGERHEAD NEST FOUND ON WASSAW

The sea turtle nesting season in Georgia has begun.

Kris Williams of the Caretta Research Project and a group of volunteers were patrolling the beach on Wassaw Island at 11 Monday night when they discovered the year’s first loggerhead sea turtle nest.

Other Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative members found loggerhead nests on St. Catherines and Ossabaw islands Wednesday morning, confirmation that the state’s primary sea turtle species is beach-bound.

These massive reptiles federally listed as threatened crawl ashore on Georgia’s barrier island beaches, dig a hole at the base of the dunes and lay their eggs – usually at night.

They did that a lot last year. Georgia had 2,241 loggerhead nests in 2012, the most in the 24 years the state’s coastline has been closely surveyed for sea turtle nesting. The new high capped three consecutive summers of record totals, including 1,760 nests in 2010 and 1,992 in 2011.

Analysis by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has also shown that those highs aren’t an anomaly. Statistically, loggerhead nesting is increasing in the state.

Nesting is off to a slower start this year. The first loggerhead nest in 2012 was almost three weeks earlier – April 25 on Cumberland Island. The average arrival is May 5.

But DNR Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Mark Dodd cautioned that nesting onset is no predictor of how the season will go. “There’s not a correlation between when nesting starts and how high nesting numbers will be,” said Dodd, who works with DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section.

As an example, he points to 2010, when seven nests had been documented as of May 15 and 1,760 by the end of the season, a total that is significantly more than the 24-year average of 1,156 nests a year.

In Dodd’s words: “No need to panic.”

Sea turtle nests are found, marked, monitored and protected by the Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative. Coordinated by the DNR, the cooperative is made up of volunteers, researchers and agency employees who patrol barrier island beaches daily during the nesting season.

The health of loggerheads effects coastal environments and economies, particularly in a state where more than 30 percent of residents 16 and older take part in wildlife-watching activities.

DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section works to conserve sea turtles and other rare wildlife not legally fished for or hunted in the state, as well as rare plants and natural habitats. The agency does this without using state appropriations, depending instead on fundraisers, grants and direct contributions. Fundraisers include the eagle and hummingbird license plates. A portion of each sale and renewal of the wildlife plates helps restore species such as loggerheads.

Learn more here. Details on the Nongame Conservation Section’s work are in the agency’s annual report, click here.

Online:

Georgia nesting updates by beach
Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative
Loggerhead profile – (click “Reptiles”)

Turtle Crawl Races, Nest Fest & Turtle Release Planned for Saturday

annahall — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:15:28 +0000

Lace up those sneakers and get ready to run– it’s time again for the Jekyll Island Turtle Crawl races and Nest Fest! This annual, fun family event on Jekyll Island’s signature beachfront begins with a filling pasta dinner on Friday, is then followed on Saturday by a morning of races and is then rounded out with the eco-educational Nest Fest and a recently scheduled turtle release.

Start the race weekend with the signature Pre-Race Pasta Dinner, a hearty meal filled with several pasta dishes, salads and garlic rolls. The Pasta Dinner will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 17 at the Jekyll Island Convention Center. Meals are $10 per person, and children ages 4-years-old and under eat for free. Please note, reservations are required and no meal tickets will be sold at the door.

The next day, burn off those carbs at a morning of races and activity. On May 18, the Turtle Crawl Triathlon and Nest Fest will be held, celebrating athleticism and ecology on Jekyll Island. Known as one of the most scenic triathlons on the East Coast, this USAT-sanctioned event includes an Olympic Triathlon, Sprint Triathlon, and 5K Run. With so many race options, there is something for athletes of any skill level!

The Olympic Triathlon features a 1.5-mile swim, 28-mile bike ride and 10K race. Athletes in the Sprint Triathlon will tackle a 750-meter swim, 14.5-mile bike race and 5K race. Not up for biking and swimming? Then opt-in for the 5K race, which winds through island bike paths for a relaxed, scenic run. Any age can participate in the 5K race, but no strollers or pets please.

This triathlon is more than a morning of races, though. It’s also a chance to help a worthy cause, as $2 for every 5K entry and $5 for every triathlon entry goes to support the ongoing operations of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.

After the races have been run, stick around at the finish line for the annual Nest Fest celebration and turtle release. Hosted by the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, this yearly festival showcases our coastal ecosystem through a variety of educational exhibits and hands-on activities. Of course, the Center’s mascot, Scute, will be on hand to snap pictures and pose with runners to capture their big race day.

Also during the festival, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center will host a turtle release, sending patient Sandy Hook back to her ocean home. The sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle, which was named in honor of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy that took place in the community of Newtown, Conn., was found stranded this March in Florida, covered with a heavy load of barnacles, leeches, and other micro marine organisms.

Sandy Hook has recovered remarkably well and will be the 100^th loggerhead sea turtle released by the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. The release will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday between Great Dunes Park and the Convention Center on Jekyll Island as the culmination of the annual Turtle Crawl Triathlon & Nest Fest event. Please note, conditions for all releases are subject to change at any time prior to the event and may be cancelled with little advanced notice.

Races begin at 7 a.m. with the Olympic Triathlon, followed by the Sprint Triathlon, which starts at 7:30 a.m. The 5K race begins at 8:15 a.m., with Nest Fest to follow immediately at the finish line.

To register for the races, please visit gamultisports.com. Online registration for the triathlons has closed, but registration for the 5K race remains open. For more information about Turtle Crawl races and Nest Fest, visit www.jekyllisland.com. For more information about the sea turtle release, visit www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org.

Hands Across the Sands Set for Saturday

annahall — Tue, 14 May 2013 21:08:39 +0000

This Saturday, after the annual Turtle Crawl races have been run, a group of environmentalist will gather on Jekyll Island for a peaceful demonstration. The Hands Across the Sands organization will host an event at Great Dunes Park. Here, the group offers their message. Please note: This is a public event and is not sanctioned or sponsored by the Jekyll Island Authority. The views expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Jekyll Island Authority.

On May 18, 2013, Georgians will once again join hands to express support for clean energy and clean oceans. Hands Across the Sand is a movement made up of people from all walks of life. We are parents, friends, neighbors, small business owners, and sportsmen. We span political lines, geographic boundaries, and socio-economic groups. We are united by the desire to protect our coastal economies, oceans, wildlife, fisheries, our environment and our way of life.

We will be joining hands to show our support for the right whale, dolphins, turtles, and all marine life that could be affected by seismic testing off the coast of Georgia. We do not believe that thousands of marine species should be impacted in continuing to search for unclean energy sources. We do not want to see an event similar to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Atlantic Ocean or the Georgia coast.

Across the state, across the nation, and around the world, we join hands for future generations. We join hands so they will know the beauty of our shores, catching the perfect wave, or reeling in the big one. We join hands on May 18 to protect what we love.

We look forward to standing and joining hands with you in support for a clean ocean and coast.

WHAT: Join hands to form lines in the sand against oil drilling in your coastal waters. Yes to clean energy and NO to seismic testing.

WHO: This Hands Across The Sand event is hosted by Surfrider Foundation Atlanta Chapter. The event is open to the public.

WHEN: Noon, Saturday, May 18, 2013

WHERE: Jekyll Island beach adjacent to Great Dunes Park (North of the Jekyll Island Convention Center, 75 North Beachview Dr., Jekyll Island, GA 31527).

MORE INFO: Visit http://atlanta.surfrider.org and http://handsacrossthesand.org

Last Minute Deals For A Jekyll Island Getaway

annahall — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:39:53 +0000

School is almost out for the summer and now is the time to book your family getaway! Join us this season on Jekyll Island and enjoy great savings with these Last Minute Deals — but hurry, these specials end soon!

Beachview Club Hotel
721 North Beachview Drive
912.635.2256
www.beachviewclub.com
This beachfront hotel on Jekyll Island features 38 luxury rooms and suites. Most of our rooms have an ocean view with an efficiency kitchen. All the suites are oceanfront with private patios, with most featuring a full-sized kitchen. At this hotel, guests will note that special attention has been paid to give a warm, welcoming and casual beach stay.

* Special *
$119 per night for a king or double efficiency guest room

Oceanfront rooms with private balconies or patios are also available for an additional price, depending on room type. This rate special is available now through May 23, 2013, and is offered for Sunday through Thursday stays only. Call 912.635.2256 to book your getaway. Be sure to mention the “Spring Special” when booking your reservation.

Days Inn & Suites
60 South Beachview Drive
1.888.635.3003
www.daysinnjekyll.com
Jekyll Island’s Days Inn & Suites is an award-winning oceanfront hotel that offers tastefully decorated guest rooms and one-bedroom oceanside suites. Each suite is complete with a kitchenette, patio area or private balcony. Hotel amenities include a complimentary continental breakfast, free wireless internet, two pools- one heated in the winter- as well as a hot tub, kiddie pool, picnic and grilling areas, and bike rentals.

* Special *
Island-side guest rooms starting at $109.13
Oceanside guest rooms starting at $129.13
Oceanside one-bedroom suites starting at $209.13

All room rate specials include a complimentary deluxe continental breakfast. Due to limited availability, these room rate specials are only available June 2, 9, 16-19, 23-25, and 30, 2013. This offer is not available with any other discount or special. Call1.888.635.3003 or 912.635.9800 to book your getaway. Be sure to mention the “Jekyll Sizzler” when booking your stay.

Hampton Inn & Suites
200 South Beachview Drive
1.912.635.3733
www.jekyllislandhamptoninn.com
As Jekyll Island’s newest hotel, the Hampton Inn & Suites has everything you need for a relaxing, modern beach vacation. Our location offers a private, moss-draped boardwalk to a quiet beach, a heated outdoor swimming pool, a whirlpool and a snack bar. Hampton Inn suites are spacious and serene, with many available with a sitting area and balcony.

* Special *
10 percent off best rate available

Take 10 percent off our best rate! All room rate specials include a free House Hot Breakfast served daily from 6 to 10 a.m. This special offer is available through July 2013. Call 912.635.3733 to book your getaway. Be sure to mention the “Last Minute Special” when booking your stay to take advantage of this great deal!

Jekyll Island Club Hotel
371 Riverview Drive
888.974.8493
www.jekyllclub.com
Once an exclusive retreat for America’s most elite families, the Jekyll Island Club Hotel is now a National Historic Landmark and an affordable vacation resort. Enjoy turn-of-the-century charm with modern conveniences and an ideal location in the center of the Jekyll Island Historic District.

* Special *
25 percent off any room or suite

This special Spring rate is available Sunday through Thursday, from May 27 to August 1, 2013. Some restrictions may apply. This discount is based on availability and does not include room tax or resort fees. Discounts may not be combined with other specials or packages and are based on a normal daily rate. This offer is valid only on new reservations. Some blackout dates may apply. A three night, consecutive stay is required. Be sure to ask for the “Sensational Summer Special” when making reservations. Call 888.974.8493 or visit www.jekyllclub.com to book your getaway.
Oceanside Inn & Suites
711 North Beachview Drive
912.635.2211
www.oceansideinnandsuites.com
Guests seeking affordable accommodations will be right at home at the Oceanside Inn & Suites, located directly on Jekyll Island’s oceanfront. The hotel restaurant, The SandBar & Grill, features a well-stocked menu, seven flat screen HDTVs, pool tables and games.

* Special *
Summer upgrade special

Guests can enjoy an early summer getaway with a complimentary room upgrade. This offer is valid May 9 to June 15, 2013. This offer is not valid for holidays, groups or existing reservations. Be sure to ask for the “Summer Upgrade Special” when booking reservations. Call 912.635.2211 to take advantage of this deal.

Quality Inn & Suites
700 North Beachview Drive
912.635.2202
www.jekyllislandquality.com

Conveniently situated in the middle of the island, the Quality Inn & Suites offers ideal accommodations for families, golfers and vacationers. Our pet-friendly hotel is perfect for any kind of getaway, be it a week-long family vacation or a short weekend stay for you and a loved one. We offer an outdoor pool, putting green, bike rentals, laundry facilities and continental breakfast each morning.

* Special *
Rooms starting at $79 per night

A complimentary breakfast and free wireless internet are included in this special. This offer is valid weekdays through June 6, 2013 and is based on availability. Certain restrictions may apply. This rate does not include taxes and is not valid with other discounts. Call 912.635.2202 to book your getaway. Be sure to mention the “Pre-Season Special” when booking your stay to take advantage of this great deal!
Villas by the Sea
1175 North Beachview Drive
800.841.6262
www.VillasbytheSeaResort.com
Situated on 17 acres of lush natural foliage, Villas by the Sea is Jekyll Island’s premier beachfront resort. We offer 160 villas, with amenities including an oceanfront beach pavilion, heated pool, free wireless internet, Driftwood Bistro and Bar, Click Café, fitness center and prime ocean views.

* Special *
3-day, 3-night summer getaway package

With this special package, guests can enjoy an early summer getaway with three days and three nights in one of the Villa Condominiums. This package includes a bag of goodies upon arrival, as well as passes to Summer Waves Water Park. Taxes and resort fees are included in the price. Packages are $545 for a Mini-Villa or Studio Islandside for 1 to 2 people; $615 for a One-Bedroom Islandside Villa for 1 to 2 people; $885 for a Two-Bedroom Islandside Villa for 3 to 4 people; and $1,218 for a Three-Bedroom Islandside Villa for 5 to 6 people. Oceanside rooms are available for a slightly higher fee. Prices are based on availability and are not available during holidays. Certain blackout days may apply. Call 1.800.841.6262 to book your getaway. Be sure to mention the “Summer Getaway Special” when booking your stay.

Georgia Sea Turtle Center Plans Release

annahall — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:29:07 +0000

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center, in partnership with Wild Amelia, will send three rehabilitated sea turtles back to their ocean home this Friday, May 10, at 1p.m. at Main Beach in Fernandina. This previously unscheduled release is needed to relieve crowding at the Sea Turtle Center, due to strandings of sick turtles during the unusually cool spring weather.

There will also be a release on Friday, May 17, at 10:30 a.m. at the same location to kickoff the 7th annual Wild Amelia Nature Festival. Both releases are free and open to the public. Come early to get a good place on the ropeline to see this remarkable event and wish the turtles a safe journey home!

Praise Given for Georgia Sea Turtle Center

annahall — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:10:43 +0000

A recent guest to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center in Jekyll Island saw a side to the facility not all guests have the opportunity to view. While staff at the center are focused on sea turtle education, research and rehabilitation, they also often work with animals not of a shelled nature. Here, a guest shared his story with The Brunswick News, in the comment section on Wednesday, May 8, 2013:

Recently, while visiting the Sea Turtle Center at Jekyll Island, I was amazed at the superb treatment that the staff there render to, not only sea turtles, but also to wildlife in general.

As I finished the tour of looking at the turtles, a man, dressed in military attire, came into the building with an injured owl perched on his hand.

The man said that he saw the owl on the side of the road, apparently struck by a car, stopped, got the owl, and brought the bird in for treatment at the turtle center.

I asked one of the attendants, “Do you work on owls, too?”

She replied that they try to help all injured and sick wildlife brought in to their facility.

Obviously, their primary goal is to help preserve and defend the sea turtle, an endangered species. It is heartwarming to know that they also try to help other wildlife as well.

Thanks to the staff and to the man who stopped to help the owl, another of God’s creatures in need of help.

Gary Roseman

St Simons Island

Southern C Summit on Jekyll Island Brings out the Scarlett in Guests

annahall — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:02:13 +0000

Last week, when Jekyll Island played host the the inaugural Southern C Summit, social media mavens from a vast expanse of experience levels and skill sets flocked to the event, eager to learn more, meet like-minded individuals and become part of the Wild West culture that is the online world.

Here, attendee Jessica Leigh Leboshll writes for Connect Savannah about her time at the conference and her time on Jekyll. From the sounds of it, she has just as good an experience as everyone else!

Confessions of a hapless – but not hopeless – Southern belle

by Jessica Leigh Lebosjll@connectsavannah.com@typeitloud

When I first met my husband in Northern California, I was fascinated by his Southernness.

The sexy drawl, the Low Country Boil he cooked up for my birthday, his refusal to wear a skirt like the other scruffily-bearded hippie boys … let’s just say he stood out.

He sugared me up with his “y’alls” and his “yes ma’ams,” and introduced me to his mama, who patted my cheek and called me “dahlin’”.

When we wed, I thought I might automatically become Southern, as if I could absorb by osmosis a dewy complexion, elegant gentility and the ability to make a tasty casserole out of nothing but some pencil shavings and a Vidalia onion.

I write thank you notes on heavy card stock. I wear lipstick to the grocery store. After much gagging, I developed a palate for boiled peanuts. I once tried to make a dress out of the curtains, but it looked less Scarlett O’Hara than Project Runway Reject.

But try as I might to be a true Southerner, it is clearly hopeless that I will ever get it right, bless my heart. Instead of rising pretty and fluffy as your grandma’s knitting, my breakfast biscuits resemble something knocked out of a granite quarry.

My Derby hat is a fedora. My children, no matter how many pointed looks of death are shot their way, cannot seem to remember to address their elders with “Yes, sir” instead of “Whatevs.”

So it was with some trepidation that I approached The Southern C Summit, a resplendent gathering of Southern tastemakers, bloggers and brandmakers held at Jekyll Island last week. Surely I would out myself as an imposter by lapsing into Valley Girl-speak or not knowing the difference between bourbon and whiskey.

It did not help that instead of booking a hotel room on the island like normal people, my husband and I stayed up the road at the Hostel in the Forest. This rustic respite is one of my favorite places in Georgia, where cells phones tend to freeze and the only streetlights are fireflies. I’ll take any excuse to escape into nature, even if it means the paradox of blow-drying my hair in a treehouse.

Hosted by the Southern Coterie, a vibrant online social network to “connect, congregate and converse” about all things below the Mason-Dixon line, the summit was far from a bunch of ladies chirping about china patterns.

Creators Whitney Long and Cheri Leavy brought a tremendous line-up to the glassed-in halls of the stunning new Jekyll Island Convention Center, where Southern media’s biggest brains (wearing its most fabulous shoes) shared strategies for entrepreneurs on how to capture the essence of the front porch aesthetic.

“The South is hot right now,” advised speaker Erin Shaw Street, the travel and web editor for Southern Living, an icon successfully forging the identity of the New South while preserving the unique heritage of the Old. While china patterns remain a charming mainstay in SL’s content, the classic magazine keeps a manicured finger on the pulse of new trends in culture and cuisine. It rolled out a sleek digital edition last year and commands Pinterest like a sweet-tempered colonel.

The South’s role as major player in the new economy was also a summit theme: Confounding the stereotypes that everyone around here is either Eudora Welty or Honey Boo Boo was CharlestonianStanfield Gray, the executive producer of the recent interactive techfest DigSouth.

Where it might have once been dismissed, Southern culture is now coveted in the mainstream conversation about innovation and the digital era.

“We are mentally, physically and spiritually mobile,” Gray entreated. “We no longer have to move to succeed here.”

Success in the contemporary South comes down to one simple adage: “Be authentic,” counseled Street.

Thing is, you just can’t fake Southern. The true belles have a gimlet eye for wannabes and liars, though they’ll still be as sweet as tea to your face while you wax on about your pimiento cheese dip recipe that you obviously purloined fromSouthern Living.

So I decided to stop trying. You don’t have to be Southern to live and love the South, and I’ve found that if you mind your manners and clean up after yourself, the South will welcome you in like family anyway.

I pulled the stray twigs out of my hair and settled in with a cadre of fabulous Savannah folk who know me well enough to forgive my endless repertoire of faux pas.

The Hostess City was well-represented in this well-coiffed coterie: Ruel Joyner set up a cozily chic24E living room in the lobby. Roberto and Lacie Leoci were rained out of their outdoor appetizer event, but they adapted by adding Leoci’s culinary goodies to the epic swag bags. Hunter Cattle Company sent their marketing mama Kristen Fretwell to the Southern C for tips on how to handle sudden massive success. (I made a quiche out of Leoci’s Hunter-supplied duck prosciutto last week, and let me tell y’all, it was dee-vine.)

It was a wonder to watch artist Katherine Sandoz dashing off delightful renderings of summitgoers that then flashed across the live Twitter feed wall. I shared a cocktail with public relations powerhouse Jennifer Abshire and marketing whiz Cari Clark Phelps, who has helped brand dozens of businesses and has recently turned her talents inward with her line of luxury bath products Salacia Salts (really, only a genius could tie together Roman mythology and Tybee lore.)

Photographer Jade McCully, stylist Liz Demos and event planner Andrea Gray Harper patted the chair next to them, just like in Steel Magnolias when Clairee tells Truvy, “If you can’t say anything nice about anybody, come sit by me.” They didn’t even flinch when I told them I showeredal fresco that morning.

The lines began to blur between hostel and the convention center, the fireflies and Twitter, the connection to nature and the networking with smart, forward-thinking people, between who I really am and who I still hope to become.

By the time bowtie designer and quintessential Southern gentleman K. Cooper Ray took the stage as keynote speaker, I felt right at home among so many genuine Southern belles and beaus. Even if I did forget my lipgloss in the woods.

A revelation came when Ray, an Alabama-born international stylemaker who strikes the perfect balance between the traditional and the eccentric, described his new Social Primer tuxedo line — a black tie collection without any black — thusly:

“Colorful and eclectic, just like we want our Southern women to be.”

Maybe there’s hope for me aftah all, dahlin’.

Conservation Film Features Georgia Sea Turtle Center

annahall — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:26:58 +0000

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center was recently given a nod of honor from documentary film students at Pace University, who are creating Pacebaja, a production and research journal for the University’s award winning documentary travel course. Students working on this excellent undertaking featured May, a Georgia Sea Turtle Center patient, with audio of the patient breathing “new life” into their film. They reported on the endeavor on their film blog, and below, we share that post:

Introducing May, a Sea Turtle Breathing Life Into a Film

Meet May, a green sea turtle rescued by the Georgia Sea Turtle Center from a Mayport, Fla., marina in December of 2012 and a featured “voice-over artist” in our soon to be released documentary.

When found, May had a fractured bottom shell, a laceration in its neck caused by a boat strike, and a hook in its mouth. Just a juvenile, it is hard to tell if May is a boy or a girl. This is a determination that is difficult to make before the turtle reaches 30 years of age. Suffering greatly from its injuries, May was kept on a feeding tube and out of any deep water. Having made a surprisingly full recovery, May is now eating on its own, can handle deep water again, and is described by the Center as “one of their most amazing cases.”

We were introduced to May recently when we reached out to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center for some audio of a green sea turtle breathing for our film, ¡Viva La Tortuga! Meshing Conservation and Culture in Magdalena Bay. During production down in Mag Bay, most of us had the privilege of encountering sea turtles for the first time up close. As communicators we are supposed to remain objective, but all of us couldn’t help but have an emotional experience when we heard a sea turtle breath. This is an experience we wanted to share with the audience of our film but due to a high level of background noise, we had no audio we could use. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center came to our rescue and supplied us with a recording of May breathing. This breathing can be heard in our film, making May a bona fide movie star!

May is currently in great health and ready to be adopted — symbolically, that is. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center adoption program allows people to symbolically adopt one or more of these magnificent creatures. For $50, someone could adopt May and ensure the longevity of the Center and help it pursue its mission. OurMay 7-8 premieres are within swimming distance and we are all excited that our sea turtle friend, May, has made such a remarkable recovery.

About the Film

Pacebaja is the production and research journal for Pace University’s award winning documentary travel course. In March, 2013, a dozen students along with seasoned media professional, Dr. Maria Luskay and New York Times blogger Professor Andrew Revkin, will spend a week in Mexico, exploring and recording the evolving balance between local communities and the surrounding ecosystem. The team will try to chronicle how communities that once depended on sea turtle poaching and other extractive activities depleting the region’s rich natural resources are now testing a new economic model – one built around conservation and sustainable tourism.

About the Georgia Sea Turtle Center

Established in 2007 on Jekyll Island and operated by the Jekyll Island Authority, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center was developed as an institution devoted to the rehabilitation of injured sea turtles and preservation of the delicate balance of the oceanic ecosystem. Through sea turtle rehabilitation, research and educational programs, Georgia Sea Turtle Center staff work to increase awareness of habitat and wildlife conservation challenges, promote responsibility for ecosystem health and empower individuals to act locally, regionally, and globally to protect the environment. For information, visit www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org.

Get Ready to Get Cool (AND SAVE BIG) At Summer Waves

annahall — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:42:54 +0000

Grab your swimsuits and sunscreen — Summer Waves opens tomorrow! Join us Saturday, May 4, at 10 a.m. for the opening of the 2013 Summer Waves season! Rain or shine, the Golden Isles’ favorite water park will open its’ doors, slides and wave pool to bring fun to the whole family.

At Summer Waves, you’ll find all your family’s favorite rides and attractions, from the ever-churning Frantic Atlantic to the thrilling Pirates Passage and twisting Force 3 inner tube rides. Of course, don’t forget the fun-loaded Splash Zone, and tyke-friendly Kid Pool.

You can also cool off and save big this season with the new Summer Waves Daily Deals! Buy your Summer Waves Water Park daily admission tickets on the Daily Deals site today for $12, and save 40 percent off the regular price. But hurry- this Daily Deal is only around until midnight TODAY!

This Daily Deal is valid for admission any day through September 21, 2013. If you miss this deal, stay tuned for more exclusive Summer Waves Daily Deals still to come this summer.

Summer Waves will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow for weekend play, with daily admission starting May 15. For schedules and more information, visitsummerwaves.com.

Click here to purchase Summer Waves Daily Deal tickets.