Southern Tides January 2017 by Southern Tides Magazine

all about the water January 2017

Sea Creatures are Coming!

Happy New Year!

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I n the T ides

05 Editor’s Note 06 Community Updates 08 Ebb & Flow 09 Taste of the Tides - Crawfish Etouffee

10 Jekyll Island Treasure Hunt 11 Did You Know? 12

Virtual Field Trip with Coastal Kingdom

18 Gray’s Reef Film Festival 2017

22 The Bitter End

Happy New Year From all of us at Southern Tides Magazine!

Top: Hunting for treasure on Jekyll Island. Photo provided by JIA Center: Examining a corn snake with Tony Mills. Photo by Amy Thurman Bottom: A nudibranch from the movie A Love Affair. Photo provided by Spindrift Images

About Our Cover:

January 2017 SouthernTidesMagazine.com

A marine iguana feeds on green sea algae in a scene from the movie Galapagos 3D: Nature’s Wonderland. The film will air on Friday, February 3, at 7:00 p.m., as part of the Gray’s Reef Film Festival. For more information and a complete list of show times, see the article beginning on page 18. Photo © 2013 Colossus Productions for Colossus Productions-nWave Pictures

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Staff Publisher/Editor – Amy Thurman amy@southerntidesmagazine.com The Bitter End Columnist - Captain J. Gary “Gator” Hill jgaryhill@gmail.com Gray’s Reef Contributor - Michelle Riley michelle.riley@noaa.gov

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Ebb & Flow Columnist - Trey Leggett info@southerntidesmagazine.com Taste of the Tides Chef - Forrest Westendorf info@southerntidesmagazine.com Contributing Writer - Dorothy Ingram doryingram@gmail.com Writing & Photography Contributors - John and Lisa Holden jpholden56@gmail.com

Copyright © 2015-2017 All content herein is copyright protected and may not be reproduced in whole or part without express written permission. Southern Tides is a free magazine published monthly and can be found at multiple locations from St. Marys, GA, to Beaufort, SC.

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SouthernTidesMagazine.com January 2017

E ditor’s N ote

generator. Subscriptions help, too. We already have a growing subscription list with readers all over the country and need a plan to grow that further. We also need a website, which would allow online advertising, mobile app sales, and a store to offer Southern Tides gear and other products. A website could be a huge revenue generator but it also requires a significant outlay of funds to get it designed, so how can I make that happen? The “amazing feature articles” thing is easy. The articles y’all seem to enjoy the most also seem to be the ones we enjoy writing most. Like last month’s LowCountry Institute article by John and Lisa Holden. And check out this month’s Coastal Kingdom feature. Getting out there and going on these adventures leads to the best content, so that needs to be a focus as well. As to giving back to the community, we have plans in the works in that area as well. Like helping to promote Abilities Unlimited’s clay shoot fundraiser – look for something on that in the next issue but if you want more info before then, email me. When it comes down to making things work, the big picture view helps you to see the end goal, but what happens when you put your feet on the floor at the beginning of each new day is what gets the job done. I hope y’all are able to make it happen in your own lives and I’m grateful for the role each of you play in helping the magazine, and me, make it happen here. Bring on 2017!

hile I understand the whole “new year, new beginning” concept of setting resolutions, it’s always struck me as somewhat amusing how vast numbers of people have a notion that between going to bed on New Year’s Eve and waking up the next morning, you’re going to somehow transform yourself into the perfect person. Never late, nonsmoker, regular gym routine, healthy eater, caffeine-free, library books returned on time, and an all-around better parent/spouse/friend/sibling/offspring. Yeah, good luck with that! I get it – we all want a better quality of life. But why wait for the start of a new year to make that happen? You have a new beginning each morning when you get out of bed and put your feet on the floor. That’s when resolutions are either made or broken. A resolution is nothing more than a goal, and the thing with goals is that we sometimes tend to look at them from the big picture, 50,000 feet up, rather than what’s right in front of us. We all want to be in better shape and the view from above is a vision of ourselves looking and feeling awesome with a vague awareness of puffy little clouds of hard work and discipline. But the up-close view is setting a workout schedule and sticking to it each day even if it’s cold, even if you’re tired, even if you have a crazy day of work ahead of you. It’s setting a diet plan that works for you and not overdoing it on the sweets or carbs or fats or whatever your personal nemesis is, even on girl’s (or guy’s) night out, even if you’ve had a crappy day, even if that whole tub of Christmas cookies is sitting there taunting you. You have to have a plan that takes you step by step to your goal, and the discipline to stick to it. I want this magazine to be the best publication in the coastal empire and lowcountry. From 50,000 feet, I can see a beautiful glossy cover, amazing feature articles, the perfect ratio of ads to content, and profitable enough to support itself, support me, and to give back to the community in significant ways. Those are my goals. But from 50,000 feet, the details of how that’s going to happen are invisible to the naked eye beyond those vague, puffy cloud thoughts of sell more ads. So I have to break it down. Each aspect of those goals require revenue. So how can I sell more ads? Schedule time each week for sales calls, hire a sales person (look for our ads on Facebook!), rethink my ad options and make space available for smaller businesses, better utilize social media to grow our followers and promote existing advertisers. There are countless ways to make it happen – many of which are already in the works and some we’ll be starting soon. But print advertising isn’t the only potential revenue January 2017 SouthernTidesMagazine.com

Amy Thurman

Editor-In-Chief

amy@southerntidesmagazine.com

I got to hold a baby gator when I visited LCI for the Coastal Kingdom feature. More great adventures to come this year. Have ideas? Let us know! Photo by Tony Mills

Community Updates

UGA MAREX to Host Coastal Steward and Youth Ocean Summit Programs

UGA Marine Extension presents Introduction to the Georgia Coast. This two-day workshop is designed to improve knowledge of coastal ecosystems, enhance understanding of current issues impacting coastal communities, and inspire stewardship of coastal resources. Workshop activities will include a trawl aboard the R/V Sea Dawg, salt marsh and maritime forest exploration, phytoplankton identification in a lab setting, and biological and water quality sampling using scientific equipment in the field. Friday, January 20, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. and Saturday, January 21, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island. This workshop is offered to anyone over the age of 18. Registration is required. Please contact Kayla Clark at kayla270@uga.edu or (912) 598-3345. Workshop Fee: $100

Participants take part in a birding activity as part of the Coastal Stewards program. Photo provided by UGA MAREX

UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant will host the third annual Youth Ocean Conservation Summit (YOCS) on Saturday, January 28, at the Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island. The summit, one of several taking place across the country, empowers middle and high school students with the knowledge and skills necessary to implement ocean conservation projects in their communities. It will comprise skill-building exercises, brainstorming sessions and citizen science presentations. At the end of the day, students will work together to develop and present ideas for conservation efforts that they could lead in their local communities. “I am excited to see our youth take on roles and responsibilities as future leaders,” says Mark Risse, director of Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. “Rather than waiting for others to step up, these young adults are creating the future they want. It is empowering and something I am glad we are helping to nurture.” The workshop is being organized by the 2016-2017 Georgia Middle and high school students participate in YOCS and learn what it takes Sea Grant Marine Education Interns Kira Krall, Hannah Kittler, to be leaders in environmental conservation. Photos provided by UGA MAREX Hannah Edwards and McKenna Lyons. To register, complete the online registration form and payment, available on the Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant website http://marex.uga.edu/yocs/. Online registration closes January 18, 2017. Cost is $10.

UGA Skidaway Institute Develops Cutting-Edge Microbial Imaging Laboratory A team of researchers from the University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography has received a $226,557 grant from the National Science Foundation to acquire stateof-the-art imaging equipment to investigate microorganisms, from the tiniest viruses to larger zooplankton. The equipment will improve the Institute’s capability to conduct field and laboratory experiments by automating many viewing methods. It will be housed in UGA Skidaway Institute’s new Laboratory for Imaging Microbial Ecology, or LIME. Researcher Elizabeth Harvey leads the research team that also includes UGA Skidaway Institute scientists Julia Diaz, Marc Frischer, James Nelson and James Sanders. “Anyone who uses a microscope will tell you that it is both tedious and time consuming,” Harvey said. “This equipment will allow us to enumerate and analyze microbes and other planktonic organisms much faster, and will allow us to do more large-scale projects than we could in the past.” Much of the equipment will also have imaging capability UGA Skidaway Institute researchers Tina Walters, Marc Frischer and Karrie so researchers will be able to do more detailed measurements Bulski practice running zooplankton samples on the FlowCam, a new on the size and shape of the tiny organisms and how that instrument that is part of LIME. Photo provided by UGA SkIO might relate to the health of an ecosystem. The benefits of LIME will be shared beyond Skidaway Institute’s science team. Harvey envisions it as a regional center for microbial imaging, available to any other researchers who need the capability. “Anyone is welcome to come here and get trained to use them,” she said. “They just need to contact me and we can make arrangements.” Researchers may contact her via email at elizabeth.harvey@skio.uga.edu.

Ride to the Capitol to Protect the Coast

Your voice can make the difference in protecting our wetlands, wildlife, and coastal communities. Join One Hundred Miles, Satilla Riverkeeper, Georgia Water Coalition, and your fellow coastal advocates on February 17, as we travel to the Statehouse in Atlanta. Our Georgia legislators are back in session and they need to hear from you! During the bus ride to Atlanta, we will provide training and talking points to help you become an effective advocate. Once there, you will have the opportunity to meet our state legislators and ask them to protect the coast we love. Bring a friend with you to support environmental and conservation efforts. 2016 Ride to the Capitol. Wednesday, February 17, 5:30 a.m. Bus departs at 6:00 a.m. and will Photo by Erik Voss return to Savannah by 7:30 p.m. Meet at the Walmart Supercenter, 6000 Ogeechee Rd., Savannah, GA 31419. Register by Friday, February 12. Contact Kelly Patton at (912) 580-6939 or kelly@onehundredmiles.org. Registration is free and seating is limited.

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here have been many a day when I’ve fished for hours with little or nothing to show for it. Sometimes it has to do with moon phases, atmospheric pressures, not holding your mouth right, or not knowing what the heck you’re doing. More times than not, the problem is the tides and not knowing what to do and where to be during each phase of the tide. As many of you know, our coastal tides have anywhere from a 6 1/2- to 8-foot swing in depth change in a 6-hour period. One minute you can be sitting in a few feet of water and a few hours later that same spot is nothing but a mud flat. Having large tidal swings adds a degree of difficulty to fishing the inshore waters of our pristine coastline. Whatever your targeted species, you have to know how that species acts, eats and hunts for their prey. Fish move in and out with the tides, chasing bait and seeking cover from other predators. Imagine it’s high tide and the water is well into the grass flats. The shrimp and baitfish are in that area both for protection, and searching the grass for food. As the tide goes out, the shrimp and baitfish are funneled into smaller sources of water until they eventually have to exit the grass shelter, usually through a small feeder creek or finger. Many inshore species set up ambush spots at these outflows and around structure like oysters, points, and crab pots, where baitfish congregate. These areas can be as shallow as a couple inches or as deep as a few Trey’s son Austin, fishing at sunrise. feet. As the water flows back Photo by Trey Leggett on an incoming tide, the bait follows, moving back into the flooding marsh grass for protection and food. When fishing through the tides, I like to target specific areas. At high tide, fish the grass lines for trout or in the grass (provided there is enough water) for redfish. At midtide, around structure (oysters, points, or depressions) for trout and flounder. At low tide also around structure (if there’s at least a foot of water) for flounder or in deeper water troughs for trout. Once you fish an area a few times and throughout several tide cycles, you’ll see patterns in where the baitfish and fish are going to be in relation to the tide level. There are typically two larger tide cycles each month, at the full moon and new moon, which create much lower low tides and much higher high tides. Always be mindful of where you’re going to fish and what the tide cycle is for that area. Being stuck in the mud is not fun when you could still be fishing. There are numerous tide charts on the Internet and apps for your smart phone that will give you tide information on your location. Many folks say that if you can successfully catch fish inshore in the coastal empire and lowcountry, you can catch fish anywhere. Tight lines and stay safe. Trey fishes for Hobie Kayak Fishing, Hobie Polarized Sunglasses, SouthEast Adventure Outfitters, and Coastal Georgia Kayak Fishing. Email: info@southerntidesmagazine.com 8

SouthernTidesMagazine.com January 2017

Taste of the Tides

Crawfish Etouffee By Forrest Westendorf Kitchen Supervisor

This month’s dish is perfect for chilly winter evenings! Fresh local shrimp can be substituted if you don’t care for, or can’t find, fresh crawfish. INGREDIENTS 2 lbs crawfish tails or shrimp, peeled 1 stick butter 8 tbsp. all-purpose flour 1 medium onion, diced 1 medium green bell pepper, diced 3-5 cloves garlic, minced 1-2 bay leaves 2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning 1-2 tsp. Gumbo Filè powder 1 tbsp. onion powder 1 tbsp. chopped thyme 1 tsp. cayenne pepper 1 tsp. chili powder 2 tbsp. Worcestershire 6 cups shrimp stock

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Crawfish Etouffee with rice. Photo by Jeffrey W. via Creative Commons

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• Melt butter in a medium sauce pan, then add onion, green pepper and garlic; cook until onion is translucent. • Whisk in flour until smooth to make a roux. Reduce heat to as low as possible and stir roux frequently until it has a nice brown complexion. • Whisk in stock (fish or chicken stock can be used if shrimp stock isn’t available) a bit at a time until desired thickness is reached and bring to a simmer, then whisk in seasonings. • Stir in crawfish or shrimp, simmer until meat is brightly colored and cooked through. • Remove bay leaves, add salt and pepper to taste and serve with a scoop of rice. I recommend Jasmine rice (cooked according to package instructions). • Serve with a side of corn bread or your favorite hot roll.

Enjoy! January 2017 SouthernTidesMagazine.com

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T reasure Hunt!

double the number of floats hidden on weekends in 2017. Now, friends from nearby places like Jacksonville, Savannah, Charleston, Orlando, and Atlanta, can drive to the island for a weekend of treasure hunting fun. Each float is marked with a special tag and instructions

Annual “Island Treasures Glass Float Hunt” on Jekyll Article and Photos submitted by Jekyll Island Authority

n the Golden Isles, the sea has always been full of treasure. Whether delicious shrimp and fish caught for the table, or beautiful shells and shark teeth used in home and personal décor, the water provides many treasures to locals and visitors alike. On Jekyll Island, the tradition continues with the annual Island Treasures glass float hunt. “In the early 1900s, fishermen used glass floats on their nets as markers,” said Jerod Myers, Jekyll Island Guest Information Center manager. “Occasionally, the floats would break loose and wash ashore for lucky beachcombers to find and keep. Collecting these rare, highly sought after glass floats became a hobby in the 1950s.” Today, Jekyll Island hand-picks artists from across the country to create one-of-a-kind glass floats for its annual Island Treasures event. The glass floats are part of a hide-and-seek style game played on Jekyll Island every day throughout January and February. Each day, volunteers called Beach Buddies hide two to five glass floats around the island for lucky guests to find and keep. As in the 2016 treasure hunts, the Beach Buddies will

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for treasure finders to register their Island Treasures at the Jekyll Island Guest Information Center where they will receive a certificate of authenticity and artist biography for their one-of-a-kind float. The Center is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., and Sunday 1 - 5 p.m. Island Treasures are always hidden in plain view, in public spaces. Beach Buddies will never place a treasure in the dunes, marshes, animal habitats or on private property. A map highlighting the best hunting areas on Jekyll has been created to help first-time treasure hunters. Jekyll Island, a small barrier island on Georgia’s coast, is dedicated to maintaining the delicate balance between nature and humankind through conservation, education, and preservation. Surrounded by salt marshes, expansive oceanfront, and one of the last in-tact ancient maritime forests, it is a peaceful coastal habitat situated within the Golden Isles. From 20 miles of bike paths to historic cottages, the island is a place of discovery and exploration for the people of Georgia and beyond.

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D id Y ou Know? There are approximately 2000 species of sea stars in the world’s oceans. Scientists are attempting to change the common name “starfish” because it isn’t a fish! • Sea stars are closely related to sea urchins, sea cucumbers and sand dollars.

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• Most common species have five arms but some species can have as many as 40 arms. • Sea stars don’t swim, but instead propel themselves with tube feet that extend from the undersides of their bodies. • Sea stars are carnivores; they feed on mussels, clams and oysters by prying open the shell with their feet and launching their stomach into the shell to swallow the mollusk. When the food has been digested, they withdraw the stomach back into their endoskeleton. • Broken limbs can regenerate to form completely new limbs.

Date compiled by Amy Thurman. Photo above: Echinaster spinulosis resting in tunicates at Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary. Photo below: Luidia clathrata, also at Gray’s Reef. Both photos by Greg McFall

January 2017 SouthernTidesMagazine.com

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Ride A long on a Virtual Field Trip Remember how exciting it was in grade school when you got to go on field trips with your class? Watching episodes of Coastal Kingdom, a half-hour program that delves into the wonders of our coastal environment, is a lot like getting to go on a class field trip. Naturalist Tony Mills and cameraman Rob Lewis, co-producers of the program, take you along, virtually, as they explore wetlands and maritime forests, seeking out and sharing with us the plants and animals that make our coast so unique and interesting. They agreed to allow Southern Tides to tag along on an outing and learn more!

By Amy Thurman

Photo Above: Rob Lews (left) and Tony Mills in the field filming diamondback terrapins. OppositeTop: Tony holds up a snake as Rob films. Opposite Bottom: Rob gets a closeup shot of an armadillo while Tony talks about the unique animal. Photo by Beth Lewis.

SouthernTidesMagazine.com January 2017

fter driving over the causeway onto Spring Island, in Beaufort County, on a warm, sunny, December morning, one of the first things I encountered was a flock of wild turkeys foraging in the woods alongside the road. The 3,000acre island is a low-impact, carefully developed residential community with large nature preserves, and covenants to ensure it coexists with nature. This expanse of marshlands, maritime forests, open fields, creeks, and ponds provides the setting for many episodes of Coastal Kingdom, as well as the LowCountry Institute (LCI) offices and nature center. I arrived at LCI and met Tony, who is also the Institute’s education director, and after a tour of the nature center we headed out to explore the island and talk about the program. With episodes that span a wide range of topics, including titles such as A Day at the Beach, Lowcountry Predators, Backyard Wildlife, Survival Strategies, and The Salt Marsh, among others, you’re reminded while watching the shows that there’s an endless source of material for program content. We’d barely set out when Tony stopped the truck so we could watch a juvenile bald eagle, flying low in search of prey. Seeing it glide over a pond and perch in a pine tree, it was easy to understand why Tony loves hosting the show. “I think back on all the nature experiences I’ve had and try

January 2017 SouthernTidesMagazine.com

Left: Fox squirrels are prevelant on Spring Island - look for an upcoming segment on this unique creature. Photo by Tom Mills. Below: Tony showing off a corn snake. Photo by Lloyd Wainscott Opposite top: Rob filming while perched on the gunwale.

to recreate those for our viewers,” he said. “It’s great! It’s like getting to experience it all a second time through the eyes of other people.” Working together as a team, Tony, who serves as writer and host, Rob Lewis, who films the segments, and Rachel Walman, also a naturalist at Spring Island, who is integral to planning, logistics and promotion, make the program happen. But where does it start? “We’ve come up with a pretty good formula for putting a show together,” Rob said (in a later interview as he was unable to join us that day). “It usually starts with a concept. A broad idea like ‘reptiles and amphibians.’ Then the three of us come up with a few segment ideas like ‘salamanders’ or ‘tree frogs.’ We try to think of how we can use the topic, or these animals, to tell a story. Then the tough part is up to Tony. He sets traps, scouts locations, looks for animal species in particular habitats, things like that. Then we set aside a few weeks for shooting.” “We’re a great team,” Tony said. “The different skills we each bring, we compliment each other really well. And the support we get is what makes it possible. The Spring Island residents have been so supportive of the show and give us this great place to film. My boss, Dr. Chris Marsh, is the executive director for the Spring Island Trust and the LowCountry Institute. He’s an amazing naturalist and gifted teacher and has been so supportive of Coastal Kingdom. He’s even been on the show several times as an expert guest.” The team gets great support from family members as well. Tony’s wife, Kathryn Madden, an instructor at University of South Carolina, Beaufort, took her environmental biology students on a field trip with the Coastal Kingdom crew to film a segment for the episode Nature’s Classroom. In addition, Tony’s son, Ben, recorded the music for the series. Rob’s wife, Beth, also contributes, recently suggesting an episode on the topic of the metamorphosis of various lowcountry creatures. It’s truly a group effort.

Of the 22 Coastal Kingdom episodes they’ve filmed so far, it’s hard to choose a favorite. Tony is partial to Sharks and Rays, and my top picks were Creatures of the Night and Alligators. Rob’s favorite segment, from a filming aspect, was from The Salt Marsh episode. “It’s the extreme low angle of a fiddler crab in the marsh. The light was perfect and I was on my belly in pluff mud with the camera on a piece of plywood. Tony was off-camera wrangling fiddlers with the hope that one would crawl right through my frame. It took about 10 minutes or so, but we finally got this big male to cooperate.” The shot he refers to is now part of the opening sequence of every program. Tony stresses that great care is taken to ensure that the filming of animal behaviors is accurate and that habitats are treated with caution and respect. The animals they capture to give viewers up-close looks are caught and held safely, and quickly released without harm. I saw examples of this on our field trip that day as Tony and I made our way through a grassy field in search of snakes or any other creatures we might encounter. We used snake sticks with L-shaped ends to move aside logs and other objects under which things might be hiding. With his understanding of animal behavior, Tony was able to locate a corn snake shortly after we began our trek. He gently grasped it behind the head and held it up to show me the beautiful orange coloring on the

“This isn’t something I do to make a TV show. This is a TV show about what I love doing.” ~Tony Mills

SouthernTidesMagazine.com January 2017

snake’s back, and the black and white checkerboard pattern on its belly. After assuring me that it was unlikely to bite (or if it did, it wouldn’t hurt much), and that the snake was non-venomous, he handed it to me. It quickly coiled around my hand and seemed as intent on studying me as I was on studying it. After we snapped a few photos, Tony returned the snake to its resting place and carefully repositioned the cover material back into place. You can see and learn more about corn snakes and other local snake species in the Coastal Kingdom episode Lowcountry Snakes. We were also able to observe several fox squirrels as they scavenged for food. These unusual looking squirrels are roughly twice the size of the grey squirrels common in most back yards. They have large ears and fluffy tails (similar to a fox, hence the name), unique grey and black, black, or brown and tan coloring, and can weigh up to two and a half pounds. I’d never seen one prior to that afternoon and was completely enthralled with the little critters! You can learn more about them in the Winter in the Lowcountry episode. We also took a few minutes to fish for spotted sea trout off the front dock in Chechessee Creek. These shimmering silver and black fish were lifted out of the cool water and carefully returned unharmed. In fact, Tony had crimped down the barbs on the hooks so they could be removed easily without harming the fish. You can learn about local fish species in the episode Lowcountry Fishes. The weeks spent filming each episode are only part of the process. After filming is complete, Rob takes the footage into the studio and begins editing to create the final program. Filming is, and always has been, his favorite part of the operation; he enjoys trying to shoot artistic and creative shots and pushing the cameras to their limit. But he concedes that although editing the footage to put together the finished program can be challenging, he also finds it cathartic. In his role as Producer/Director with Beaufort County, where he works for Broadcast Manager Scott Grooms, under County Administrator Gary Kubic, Rob covers county government meetings and activities, but is also allowed to produce Coastal Kingdom. The program serves as a sort of natural billboard promoting the beauty of the lowcountry and of Beaufort County. “We’ve been very lucky to get the chance to work on this

“…We live in a rich and diverse area with plants and animals that live their entire lives hidden from view. We just need to stop and look around if we want to enjoy them.” ~Rob Lewis

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show,” Rob said. “Our administration and our County Council have been so supportive of the show and the partnership with LCI. We’ve really been given the creative freedom to make the show great.” When each episode is ready for release, it can be viewed on The County Channel, on South Carolina ETV, and on the Coastal Kingdom website (see sidebar at end of article for links). The program is also available to teachers and special interest groups as a learning tool. The final step in the process is promoting the show. In addition to assisting with research, helping in the planning

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process, and being the team’s tech guru, Rachel Walman is also responsible for getting the show noticed in the community, in part using social media and keeping the website up-to-date. Rob hopes to shoot some 360-degree videos in the near future to post on Facebook and generate interest for the program. So what do we viewers have to look forward to next? The crew is looking forward to filming on topics such as hidden biodiversity, fox squirrels, eagles, terrapins, manatees, and shore birds, among others. We look forward to watching!

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Opposite: Rob, Rachel Walman, and Tony showing a large Indigo snake. Photo by D. Stevenson, Orianne Society Right: Tony and Rob filming a segment for Reptiles and Amphibians. Photo by Beth Lewis

Coastal Kingdom Cast and Crew:

Hosted and Written By: Tony Mills Produced/Directed By: Rob Lewis Produced By: Tony Mills, Scott Grooms Executive Producer: Gary Kubic Camera: Rob Lewis Post Production: Rob Lewis Original Music: Ben Mills Technical Coordinator: Rachel Walman Except where noted otherwise, photos were provided by Coastal Kingdom.

How can you watch Coastal Kingdom? SCETV – for show times visit: www.scetv.org and click TV Schedule Beaufort County Channel – for show times visit: http://www.bcgov.net/departments/community-services/county-channel Or visit the Coastal Kingdom website: www.coastalkingdom.com

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2017 Gray’s Reef Film Festival Our Community, Our Ocean 14th Annual Festival Expands to Tybee Island and Adds Second 3D Night By Michelle Riley

Communications and Public Outreach Coordinator Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary

• High-speed Wi-Fi and TV available at every slip • Laundry facilities on premises, bicycles, Wall Street Journal, and more! • 4000 feet of concrete floating docks (including 600 feet of deep-water face docks)

YACHTS UP TO 220 FEET AND TRANSIENT BOATS WELCOME! Blues & Oysters on the Bluff featuring the Tybee Blues Band Jan. 28, 1-5 p.m.

Pictured here, the winning image for the 2017 Gray’s Reef Film Festival Poster Competition, In Our Hands, by Brad Hook. Judges agreed that the watercolor captures the essense of the sanctuary and the theme of the festival “Our Community, Our Ocean.” Brad lives on Tybee Island and works in Savannah. The original painting will be on display at the festival and the Founder’s Party.

(912) 354-8187 50 Bluff Drive Savannah, GA VHF Channel 16

ost people say they feel a sense of happiness and well-being when they are near the ocean, a condition that is sometimes called “blue mind.” Highlighting our ingrained connection to water, the 2017 Gray’s Reef Film Festival features visually captivating movies that celebrate the colorful abundance of life in and around the ocean. “As a coastal community, most of us have a deep understanding that life in the ocean depends on us,” said Sarah Fangman, superintendent of Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary. “These beautiful films remind us of how important a healthy ocean is to preserving our way of life and they give us the festival’s theme: ‘Our 18

SouthernTidesMagazine.com January 2017

Community, Our Ocean.’” Presenting the marine world at its most vivid, the festival is offering back-to-back “3D Nights” at the Trustees Theater in historic Savannah. “Moviegoers gave rave reviews to the festival’s first-ever 3D Night last year, so we decided to double the fun this year,” said Chris Hines, the sanctuary’s deputy superintendent and festival organizer. This year’s headliner is Galapagos 3D: Nature’s Wonderland. The Galapagos archipelago is composed of 19 islands in the Pacific Ocean near the South American country of Ecuador, which were created from volcanoes millions of years ago. Strict restrictions are in place for touring the islands, so most Americans learn about January 2017 SouthernTidesMagazine.com

the Galapagos when reading about naturalist Charles Darwin. “Galapagos is full of dramas, and it’s also full of very, very charismatic animals, which because they are uniquely unafraid of humans, you can get extremely close to while filming. It’s a wonderful subject for the 3D medium,” explained the legendary naturalist and film’s writer David Attenborough in promotional materials. “Home to some 9,000 species, Galapagos is one of the wonders of the world, and the animals are absolutely riveting in 3D.” Galapagos 3D is directed by award winner Martin Williams, who is well known for his documentaries with Attenborough. Also on opening night, Gray’s Reef will screen The Last Reef 3D: Cities Beneath the Sea. Filmed in five different countries, The Last Reef 3D is the production of Academy Award® nominees Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, creators of the worldwide theater and movie sensation, Stomp. In The Last Reef, stunning imagery immerses viewers in communities beneath the sea. The film captures the behavior and relationships of wellknown ocean dwellers like dolphins, reef sharks and stingrays, and lesserknown but equally fascinating reef residents such as crocodile fish, colorful nudibranchs and delicate flatworms. Saturday’s 3D movie night kicks off with Wonders of the Arctic 3D, a sweeping film by David Lickley, who describes himself as a “wilderness environmental-themed filmmaker.” Wonders of the Arctic presents aweinspiring footage both above and below the water, and includes a storyline featuring the Inuit, the people of the Canadian Arctic who were part of the First Peoples of Canada. The 3D format captures images of narwhals and Arctic whales, and viewers will see some unexpected interactions with polar bears! Back by popular demand is JeanMichel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean 3D. Last year, the movie was such a hit that people who missed it clamored for a second viewing. Featuring huge 3D images of some of the tiniest sea creatures living their everyday lives, Cousteau expertly illustrates

From: Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean 3D Mating squids in Catalina Photo © 3D Entertainment Films

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SouthernTidesMagazine.com January 2017

Gray’s Reef Film Festival 2017 Schedule

the importance of these small but mighty ocean animals. Naturally, he also provides some eye-popping shots of sharks and other big swimmers that audiences love to see. The festival’s much-loved emerging filmmakers competition includes local filmmakers, all vying for the coveted Dr. Robert O. Levitt Emerging Filmmaker Award. Gray’s Reef gathers a panel of qualified judges and recognizes first, second and third place winners. The emerging filmmaker award is supported by Kathryn Levitt, widow of Dr. Robert O. Levitt, who was a pioneer in dive medicine and spent time diving with the Cousteau family. This year, the films are being screened at the Savannah College of Art and Design Museum of Art on Saturday afternoon, and Gray’s Reef will announce the winners during that night’s 3D movie session at the Trustees Theater, in front of a packed house! For the first time in the Gray’s Reef Film Festival’s 14-year history, the festival is adding a Tybee Island venue, the Tybee Post Theater. Movies on tap for February 5 include a delightful sampling of films from the San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival, one of the premier festivals in North America for ocean-related movies. “Our partnership with the Tybee Post Theater this summer exceeded our expectations, with more than 1,000 attendees expressing their interest in oceanthemed movies,” said Hines. “We are excited to expand the film festival and deepen our engagement with our beach communities.” Two Miles Deep is the headliner at the Tybee Post Theater. Featuring cartoonist Jim Toomey, the part-cartoon, partdocumentary film takes the viewer on his real-life adventure to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. The afternoon also includes several super-short films with some fun titles, such as You’re Not Hallucinating, That’s Just Squid Skin. The Gray’s Reef Film Festival is co-hosted by the Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, a registered 501 (c) (3) charity that supports the work of sanctuary staff. After Saturday’s movies, the foundation is hosting an afterparty at 45 Bistro in the Marshall House on Broughton Street in Savannah. Partygoers will enjoy delectable light bites and sweet treats and can purchase adult beverages at the cash bar. Tickets to the after-party are $25. Following Sunday’s screenings, the foundation is throwing a wrap party at North Beach Bar and Grill on Tybee Island. Tickets are $25 and include a delicious sandwich wrap, and a cash bar will be available. Like last year, the foundation will be accepting donations from interested festival attendees. Suggested donations are $10/day for adults and $5/day for kids, students and members of the military. Seats can be reserved and Wrap Party tickets found at http://bit.ly/2hCO202. The foundation is also hosting the Founders’ party at 24e on Broughton Street in Savannah on Thursday, February 2, 6 p.m. Tickets to the party are $60.

Our Community, Our Ocean

Suggested donation to benefit Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation $10/day adults $5/day for children, students and military To reserve seats, visit the foundation website page at: http://bit.ly/2hCO202 Thursday Night, February 2 6:00 – 8:00 PM Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Founder’s Party at 24e on Broughton Street in Historic Downtown Savannah. Tickets $60. Friday Night, February 3 7:00 PM 3D Night #1 at the Trustees Theater The Last Reef 3D: Cities Beneath the Sea Galapagos 3D: Nature’s Wonderland Saturday, February 4 Multiple Venues 3:00 PM – Emerging Filmmakers Competition at the SCAD Museum of Art, 601 Turner Blvd. 7:00 PM -- 3D Night #2 at the Trustees Theater Wonders of the Arctic 3D Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean 3D Winner of Emerging Filmmakers Competition Announced 9:00 PM – Presentation of the Gray’s Reef Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award to Underwater Filmmaker and SCAD Professor Kevin McCarey 9:30 PM – Foundation after-party 45 Bistro in the Marshall House on Broughton Street in Historic Downtown Savannah. Tickets $25; features lite bites and sweet treats! Cash bar Sunday, February 5 Tybee Island Day! 3:00 PM – Fun short films at the Tybee Post Theater A Love Affair How do Sharks and Rays Use Electricity to Find Hidden Prey? Whale Aware A Plastic Sea Connections You’re Not Hallucinating, That’s Just Squid Skin Two Miles Deep 4:30 PM – Foundation wrap party at North Beach Bar and Grill! Tickets $25, featuring delicious wraps! Cash bar.

For more information on Film Festival events, please view the Gray’s Reef website at http://go.usa.gov/x8h6U.

January 2017 SouthernTidesMagazine.com

T he Bitter End

a boat should know that you are responsible for the wake your vessel puts out. I have to wonder if people really don’t fully understand what that means and don’t understand where, or why, no-wake zones or situations occur. So, let’s start by defining a wake. The Coast Guard defines a wake as any “white” water that comes off the bow or stern of a boat. So, what is no-wake speed? To again use the Coast Guard guide line: the slowest speed at which you can maintain steerage, but not to exceed five miles-per-hour. Most no-wake zones are marked, but you have to remember the 100-foot rule as well. Depending on the size of your vessel and the amount of water it pushes, you need to slow down 100 feet from fixed structures, such as docks and bridges. Marinas fall into this category as well. What people seem to forget is that this rule also applies to boats that are anchored or on moorings, as well as vessels that are under tow. I’ve seen smaller boats fishing near the grass be swamped

Rules of (Un)Common Sense By Captain J. Gary “Gator” Hill

s we welcome in a new year, I’d like to offer my wish that this year be blessed with happy and safe boating for one and all. With that said, let’s look at a few things that will make it safer and more fun. First, bear in mind, I’m not out to offend anyone or point fingers, but if you’re boating like a jerk, “QUIT IT!” Sometimes we operate our boats like jerks because we’re uninformed or misinformed, but sometimes, well … ‘nough said about that. Personally, I think a few things that lead to bad boating practices go back to our early boating experiences. Perhaps some folks learned to operate a boat on bodies of water that weren’t very busy which lead to a failure to think about wakes, rules of the road and other things nautical. Sometimes we’re the product of those who taught us the basics. Many of us had that uncle with a bass boat or ski boat who felt boating revolved around how much alcohol could be consumed or how many times they could sling you off a set of skis. I’ve seen some crazy things since I’ve been running boats as a professional. I remember one trip (actually, several trips) while running a 40-foot pontoon dolphin tour boat with passengers aboard. I was idling no more than 20 feet from the marsh grass and an oncoming boat was approaching, running in the center of the channel. There was no way he could have failed to see us, but he decided he had to pass us port to port, and after cutting across the river, did just that. While technically oncoming boats should pass that way, several things are wrong with this scenario. First, that we weren’t making way, we were in neutral looking at dolphins. Second, he placed both boats (and the dolphins) in danger due to limited maneuvering space. And on top of that, he didn’t even slow down and waked the crap out of us. That should have been where the rule of common sense came in: you’re way over there, I’m way over here, how ‘bout we keep it that way. Another of my pet peeves is wake. And people who don’t seem to understand the meaning of the word. Anyone running 22

Although many no-wake or idle speed zones are marked, the 100-foot rule still applies to all stationary objects, which includes other boats. Photo by Captain J. Gary Hill

as big cabin cruisers came plowing through. It’s important to remember, you are responsible for your wake and it can cost you if you ignore the rules. In closing, if we all paid a little more attention to what’s going on around us and use a little common sense, we could make 2017 the safest boating year yet here in the lowcountry.

See ya’ll on the water! Email: jgaryhill@gmail.com

SouthernTidesMagazine.com January 2017

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Before you head out there ...

Happy New Year

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2017

Call now to set an appointment for your spring service! 912-224-8313