HUMAN RESOURCES

2.3- Accomplishments since the Approval of the Conservation Plan in 2011

A dedicated Conservation Department, which did not exist at the time of the approval of the Conservation Plan in 2011, is now integral to JIA’s day-to-day decision-making, operational capacity, and Jekyll Island visitor experience. The Department now includes a staff of 4 full-time and up to 6 seasonal, part-time, or temporary personnel focused on achieving the objectives in the Conservation Plan. Below are some of the accomplishments made by Department in the last 9 years through the leadership of the JIA Board and support of the JIA Executive Team:

1. The Conservation Department, with support from AmeriCorps and other institutional partners through the Coastal Georgia Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CG-CISMA), have made substantial progress in controlling the most damaging invasive plant species affecting the Park.

2. The Department performs independent wildlife inventory and monitoring concentrating on keystone predators and priority species that are rare or particularly influential in the ecosystem.

3. In addition to the independent research conducted by the Department, the JIA supports novel ecological research through a diverse and strategic array of external research agreements. 4. Since mandated by the Conservation Plan in 2012, Conservation staff have led the stakeholder-informed Environmental Assessment Procedure (EAP) for all projects that have the potential to affect natural systems.

5. Three of the Conservation Department’s full-time staff have training in wildland firefighting and two are certified in prescribed fire management to address the issue of accumulated fuel loads in some of the Island’s forests.

6. Conservation personnel operate a 24/7 hotline for wildlife concerns within Jekyll Island State Park.

7. The Department established a Park Ranger program to: • Provide trained ambassadors to interface with Island guests and intervene when visitors or residents mistreat wildlife or ignore rules designed to protect the community’s environmental assets and values.

• Manage new educational nature-based programs that are revenue generating and coordinated the development of a Junior Ranger Field Guide.

8. The Department has catalyzed efforts to: • Install electric car charging infrastructure throughout the Island, • Lease land for a 4-acre, 1-megawatt solar array on the Island’s old landfill, and • Conduct baseline analyses of the Island’s material waste streams and recycling efforts.

9. In addition to their assignments specifically tied to natural resources conservation, staff also: • Implement the Watershed Protection Plan (Appendix I) in coordination with the JIA Water/Wastewater Department as mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division.

• Oversee the management and water-quality monitoring of all freshwater ponds on the Island.

• Collaborate with the Marketing Department to provide content direction and fact-checking for JIA’s promotional materials, and to support the scouting and review process for film and photoshoot requests on the Island.

• Participate in the RFP review process for selection of major project partners.

• Oversee the development and management of coastal engineering and resiliency efforts.

• Created and now manage the GIS database for the Island.

• Collaborated on the concept development and exhibit design of the renovated and reimagined museum of Jekyll Island, Mosaic.

• Managed the expansion of certification, through Audubon International’s Cooperative Sanctuary program, of all of Jekyll Island’s golf courses.

2.4- DATA SOURCES

Work conducted by JIA personnel since 2011 has built upon information compiled by GADNR and others and has established an extensive body of knowledge about the ecological systems of Jekyll Island. This Plan does not repeat that wealth of information, but instead provides a brief summary of relevant natural resource data and a description of the environmental setting of the Island in order to summarize the context of the Plan. Documentation of source data and information is provided through written text, appendices, and references to websites. The Plan uses vegetative communities as the framework for identifying beneficial management actions and outlines Threats, Key Attributes, and Desired Future Conditions for natural communities as a way of defining priorities for management.

The Management section of the report defines comprehensive management actions and divides the Island into distinct Units for implementing actions in the short- and long-term. Many of the proposed actions can be implemented as soon as staff and funding are available to be dedicated to the task. Others require the formation of a committee to collect more data, discuss options, and then decide on a course. These include the development of a comprehensive beach management plan, and a plan for managing nuisance and invasive wildlife populations.

An updated section on the Environmental Assessment Procedure defines the current process for evaluating natural resource impacts associated with proposed projects with the potential to affect natural resources and defines Conservation Priority Areas that warrant particular attention.

The JIA Board provides final approval for updates to the Conservation Plan that is then implemented through the leadership of the JIA Conservation Department. The expectation is that there should be a formal review and update of this Plan every five to eight years. Updates will continue to call upon both external and internal JIA technical expertise, as well as institutional and citizen stakeholder involvement through a public review process.

2.5 Public Involvement

As was the case for the 2011 Conservation Plan, Dr. Jay Exum, president of Exum Associates, Inc. (http://www.exumassoc.com/about/) facilitated public input through a review with technical experts, non-governmental organizations and representatives of the general public. A group of 10 individuals with technical expertise in barrier island and coastal ecology, sustainability and management of ecosystems similar to Jekyll Island comprised the Technical Stakeholder Group. In addition, eight individuals comprised the Advisory Stakeholder Group, including representatives of local and statewide environmental and community organizations. The technical group was primarily a collection of active and retired biologists, foresters, and scientists with expertise in the ecology of barrier islands, and most had specific expertise on Jekyll or a nearby island. The advisory group consisted of representatives of local and regional environmental non-governmental organizations and representatives of local community groups, some of whom are also Jekyll Island residents. These stakeholder groups gave invaluable input on the context of conservation on Jekyll Island, provided specific comments on the Plan and commented on its potential effects on Jekyll Island residents.

This Plan was updated at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, which resulted in drastic changes in all aspects of everyday life, including the intended approach to public involvement. Expectations for face-to-face meetings and an open house format for public input were modified. The Technical Stakeholder Group was able to meet on March 12, 2020, for a review of the major elements of the Plan. The Advisory Stakeholder Group provided comparable input during a Zoom conference meeting on April 28, 2020. Subsequently, each group reviewed drafts of the revised Conservation Plan and improved the quality of the Update. Internal guidance from JIA senior staff and Conservation Department staff was solicited at points throughout the process.

Representatives of the stakeholder groups and their affiliations are referenced below, and their efforts were much appreciated.

TECHNICAL STAKEHOLDER GROUP

• Scott Coleman, Little Saint Simons Island, Ecological Manager • Ashby Worley, The Nature Conservancy, Coastal Climate Adaptation Director • Abby Sterling, Shorebird Biologist, Manomet Inc., Vice President, Coastal Georgia Audubon • Clay Montague, University of Florida, Associate Professor Emeritus • Eamonn Leonard, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Biologist

• Katy Smith, University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, Water Quality Program Coordinator • Bill Wikoff, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Coastal GA Sub Office, Fish and Wildlife Biologist • Mark McClellan, Georgia Forestry Commission, Stewardship Coordinator • Steve Newell, Marine Institute at Sapelo Island, retired Director • Doug Samson, Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve, Reserve Manager

ADVISORY STAKEHOLDER GROUP

• Mindy and David Egan, Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island, Co-Directors • Alice Keyes, One Hundred Miles, Vice President of Coastal Conservation • Ame Ivanov, Jekyll Island Citizens Assoc., President • Bonnie Newell, Jekyll Goes Green, Founder • Laura Early, Satilla Riverkeeper, Executive Director • Rachael Thompson, Glynn Environmental Coalition, Executive Director • Charles McMillan, Georgia Conservancy, Coastal Director

The Plan was made available for general public review and comment in November and December 2020 before final consideration by the JIA Board in January 2021.