FUNDING & PARTNERS

HUMAN RESOURCES, FUNDING & PARTNERS

9.1- HUMAN RESOURCES

The objectives of the Conservation Plan are ambitious and will continue to require sustained effort with dedicated staff. The addition of institutional sustainability to the mission in the 2020 Plan Update will likewise call for investments of time and money. The JIA Conservation Department, established in 2012 with the creation of the Director of Conservation position reporting to the Executive Director, will continue to be accountable for leading the overall implementation of this plan. However, its successful implementation will not be possible without strong support from Authority leadership and across the JIA organization and its affiliates including: veterinary expertise provided by the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC); logistical support from the Operations Department; communications support from the Marketing team; cultural and historical information provided by the Historic Resources staff; and funding support for special projects from the Jekyll Island Foundation. The Director of Conservation’s continued active engagement with the JIA’s executive leadership and with the JIA Design Review Group will be essential to ensure that conservation of natural resources is considered in all significant administrative actions, operational decisions, and projects.

Jekyll Island Authority’s Conservation Department

The Director of Conservation serves as the voice for the conservation mission in JIA senior- leadership and executive team decision making. With guidance from the JIA Executive Director, the Director of Conservation is the spokesperson for conservation issues in communications with the JIA Board, other natural resource agencies and organizations, and the general public. The Director leads the Environmental Assessment Procedure (EAP) review team and prepares EAP reports. He or she oversees all other personnel within the Department and is accountable for the quality, productivity, and growth of the program.

The Conservation Land Manager is primarily responsible for systems-level monitoring and management of Jekyll Island’s natural areas. This position also serves as watershed manager for the Island, including monitoring water quality, pond/lake management, wetland restoration and enhancement, monitoring the population trends of wetland and water-dependent species, and invasive plant control efforts.

The Wildlife Biologist is primarily responsible for monitoring terrestrial wildlife population trends, mitigating human-wildlife conflict, terrestrial habitat restoration and enhancement, managing the Wildlife Response Hotline, managing external research interests, and promoting academic engagement. The Wildlife Biologist and the Conservation Land Manager work together to advance implementation of the Comprehensive Fire Management Program.

The Park Ranger Program, led by the Lead Park Ranger and supported by part-time Park Rangers (currently three), is the day-to -day public face of the Jekyll Island Conservation program, serving as a visible ambassador of JIA stewardship on beaches and park spaces around the Island to communicate information, rules, and regulations that support conservation goals. The Lead Park Ranger also coordinates development and implementation of public programs, currently including Ranger Walks and Gatorology, which provide entertaining outdoor education opportunities promoting awareness and responsible enjoyment of nature.

The JIA AmeriCorps program is grant-funded and coordinated by the GSTC, which created the program for Jekyll Island and oversees its implementation. Currently the Conservation Department hosts three AmeriCorps Member positions at any given time of the year with one position serving for a year and two positions rotating every six months. The six-month positions focus on wildlife monitoring in the spring and summer and invasive plant control in the fall and winter.

Two other departments of JIA are primarily focused on the stewardship functions of conservation, preservation, and education. These are the GSTC and the Historic Resources Department, which houses Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum. Within the JIA administrative staff, the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Director of Marketing and Communications, Director of Human Resources, and General Counsel, are key figures along with the JIA Executive Director, in assisting and empowering the Director of Conservation to advance this Plan.

The Jekyll Island Foundation (JIF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization affiliated with the JIA and dedicated to supporting conservation, preservation, and education on Jekyll Island. The JIF has its own governing Board. The JIA also has close working relationships guided by contracts and agreements with the operators of the Convention Center and Camp Jekyll. The Convention Center is operated by a commercial venue management and services company. Camp Jekyll is operated by Georgia 4-H, the youth development program for University of Georgia Extension.

Contracts will continue to be needed to meet the objectives of this Plan when funds are available and the technical or time demands of a project are not optimal for accomplishment with staff only.

Future directions called for in this plan update, particularly the addition of Institutional Sustainability to the Plan Mission, as outlined in Chapter 6, will require funding. The Georgia Sea Grant State Fellowship program will be considered as a potential avenue to support program development by providing early career professionals from Georgia graduate degree programs to serve as Fellows. Transitioning from Fellowship driven progress to a dedicated sustainability staff position, will be an important step as soon as funds can be identified.

The initial phase of Conservation Plan implementation and program growth on Jekyll Island, 2012 – 2020, required building a program, with the bulk of growth allocated towards staffing and equipping the program. Maintaining a strong staff, supporting their professional growth, and ensuring they are well equipped with the necessary tools to do high quality conservation work safely, will continue to be important. As the Conservation Department takes on more project management and maintenance responsibilities associated with restoration opportunities outlined in this Plan and the Comprehensive Fire Management Program, attention will be given to additional staffing needs.

9.2- FUNDING

The JIA embraces the idea that the successful conservation of natural resources on the Island is fundamental to promoting, marketing, and showcasing the Island to bring in more people and more revenue for Park operations. One of the primary objectives of this Conservation Plan is to identify the actions needed to sustain or improve the natural resources that draw guests to the Island while balancing the needs of humans and protecting the environment.

Over the fiscal period from 2013 – 2019, the JIA experienced a 58% growth of operating funds from $19 million to $30 million.. Over the same period, the JIA Conservation Department budget was increased 339%, from $110,000 to $483,000. This targeted investment in conservation was accomplished strategically with a sustained focus on programmatic growth through allocation from the Island’s parking fee – the entry toll to access the Island. Since 2014, a 28.6% annual increase in visitation to the Island has directly supported the growth of the Conservation Program. Allocating a significant proportion of gate revenues to advance goals outlined in the original iteration of this Plan has been a sustained priority of JIA leadership. The Conservation Department budget has been positioned to fulfill a core responsibility of the Authority along the lines of public safety, maintenance or administration – a systemic need, inherent to the operation and stewardship of Jekyll Island State Park. Nonetheless, all parts of the Authority are encouraged to generate revenue when strategic opportunities to do so are identified. The Conservation Department has been successful in generating revenue or leveraging JIA funding by: acquiring Federal and State grant and bond funding; attracting private donations in partnership with the Jekyll Island Foundation; leveraging the resources of other organizations in collaborative partnerships; creating a 30-year lease agreement for the solar farm; developing two types of ticketed Ranger programs for guests; and contributing substantially to the management of film/TV location scouting, review, and selection, which often leads to site use fees paid to the JIA.

While the core JIA funding of the Conservation Department has become elemental to the institution, supplemental grant funding and partnerships will continue to be important to accomplish discretionary projects. The JIA strategically plans for future capital investments but deciding when to move forward on any particular project is subject to competing demands from across the Authority’s diverse facilities. A conservation project, such as an ecological restoration effort, may be a desirable goal that justifies a line item on a capital planning list. However, the urgency of other projects that have direct and immediate maintenance, safety, or business-enterprise implications will often be prioritized for limited capital funds. Due to this logical dynamic, external resources help balance the scales, facilitating the advancement of conservation projects. Most grant programs come with match requirements and partnerships are reciprocal. Provided the required JIA commitment is achievable, and the funding is significant, externally supported conservation efforts, especially those that have already been identified in capital planning, will have an easier path to approval and will therefore happen more frequently.

9.3- PARTNERSHIPS

An extensive array of existing relationships contributes to natural resource protection within the Park. Leveraging this naturally evolving list will add to the effectiveness of the Plan. Organizations listed here include: partners that have overlapping jurisdictional responsibilities with the JIA, partners that actively allocate resources to projects that directly support the objectives of this Plan, partners that organize steering committees or advisory groups on which JIA conservation staff serve, partners that have recently been involved in a formal agreement with the JIA pertaining to conservation work, and institutions that host professional colleagues who have recently engaged with the JIA in specific collaborative projects pertaining to the objectives of this Plan. Below is a list of current partners and prospective partnerships: • Georgia Southern – Cooperative Marine Turtle Tagging Program

Jekyll Island-based

• Georgia 4-H at Camp Jekyll and Tidelands Nature Center, and • Jekyll Island Banding Station (JIBS) • Jekyll Island Foundation

Local and Regional

• Butterflies of the Atlantic Flyway Alliance • Coastal Georgia Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area • Coastal Regional Commission • Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative • Georgia Shorebird Alliance • Glynn County

State and Federal

• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission • Georgia Department of Natural Resources • Georgia Department of Transportation • Georgia Forestry Commission • Georgia Public Service Commission • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant • US Army Corps of Engineers • US Fish and Wildlife Service • US Geologic Survey

Non-Governmental Organizations

• Audubon International • Georgia Audubon Society, including Coastal Chapter • Georgia Conservancy • Keep Golden Isles Beautiful • Loggerhead Marinelife Center • Manomet, Inc. • Rattlesnake Conservancy

Academic Institutions

• College of Coastal Georgia • Duke University • Florida Atlantic University • Loma Linda University • Penn State Beaver • Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study • University of California, Davis • University of Exeter • University of Florida, including: - Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research • Georgia Chapter of The Nature Conservancy

• University of Georgia, including: - Integrative Conservation Ph.D. Program (ICON) - Skidaway Institute of Oceanography - New Materials Institute • University of North Florida

Private Sector

• Cherry Street Energy • Filtrexx • Georgia Power Company • Little Saint Simons Island

Professional Development Programs

• Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders • Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership

Prospective partnerships to create or renew

• Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Georgia • Coastal Wildscapes • Georgia Climate Project • Georgia Environmental Finance Authority • Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center at Ichauway • The Coca-Cola Foundation • University of Central Florida • US Green Building Council

9.4- CONTRIBUTING STAKEHOLDER ORGANIZATIONS

Coastal Georgia benefits from the efforts a strong contingent of advocacy groups that work tirelessly to engage and inform the public on conservation and sustainability issues. The goals of these organizations intersect with the interests with the JIA in their active commitment to the preservation and protection of Jekyll Island’s unique character and environment.

• Altamaha Riverkeeper • Center for a Sustainable Coast • Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island • One Hundred Miles • Glynn Environmental Coalition • GreenLaw • Jekyll Goes Green • Satilla Riverkeeper • Southern Environmental Law Center • Surfrider Foundation, Georgia Chapter

9.5- TECHNICAL AND STAKEHOLDER ADVISEMENT

The JIA Conservation Department values and relies upon external professional knowledge and perspectives as an indispensable supplement its internal expertise. The outcomes envisioned by this plan will be better achieved and more deftly realized with the support and advisement of a diverse array of leaders and professionals. While some organizations are well suited to benefit from a standing advisory body, the JIA is in a different and fortunate position.

Due to Jekyll Island’s high profile, ease of access, and attractive Convention Center, most conservation and sustainability leaders across Georgia and beyond are quite familiar with Jekyll Island. This creates a large pool of prospective advisors, that is primed to understand the issues the island is facing and are pre-oriented to the local context of conservation decisions.

Standing, broadly tasked advisory groups are necessarily limited by the expertise of their selected composition, however astute, and can often face challenges associated with burnout and clarity of purpose. The JIAs strategic approach to soliciting technical and stakeholder council is better served through the liberal utilization of topical, ad hoc advisory groups custom tailored to maximize value in support of this Plan. This practice is favored in consideration of the abundance of high-quality participants available and the wide-ranging nature of issues and projects associated with conservation at Jekyll Island State Park.