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Community Updates Sign Stolen on St. Simons Island
The theft of a St. Simons Island sign explaining the importance of Gould’s Inlet and Georgia barrier islands for shorebirds has spurred calls for tips and hopefully the sign’s return. The sign, installed on the walkway at 15th Street was purchased several years ago with the support of grants and donations from the GADNR Wildlife Viewing Grants Program and Coastal Georgia Audubon. Built to withstand the harsh conditions of the beach, it cost nearly $950.00 and there are Photo by Abby Sterling no funds available to replace it. Manomet biologist Abby Sterling notes that Gould's Inlet is part of the Georgia Barrier Islands Site of Hemispheric Importance for shorebirds, as designated by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve network. Donations for the purchase of a new sign can be made at bit.ly/new_birding_sign
Shells added to Glynn Oyster Reefs
Contractors working for GADNR’s Coastal Resources Division (CRD) in June placed approximately 140 tons of loose oyster shell in Jointer Creek, west of Jekyll Island. This brings the total oyster shell put back into Georgia’s estuaries in the last 14 months to 213 tons. “Oysters, in particular, are very important, as they are ecosystem engineers providing vital services in addition to being a harvest species,” said Cameron Brinton, a marine biologist with CRD. “Oysters help stabilize banks, improve water quality and create essential fish habitat for commercially and recreationally important fish.” Over the past several months, CRD has focused on three specific projects in Glynn County: a new artificial reef on the Back River near the Torras Causeway containing 68 tons of oyster shell in 7,200 bags; 140 tons of loose shell on the Glynn County public shellfish harvest area on Jointer Creek; and five tons of loose shell in the South Brunswick River near Blythe Island Regional Park. “The goal of this year’s projects was not only to create new reefs, but also to test new deployment methods,” said Brinton. “In the Back River, we’ve been using bagged oyster shell, which is a method that we’ve successfully used in a number of sites, and at Jointer Creek and Blythe Island, we used loose shell, which requires less manpower and has been very successfully used in other states.” Although to date the Blythe Island site has only five tons, marine biologists from CRD will return to the site and see how effective the deployment of loose shell was. If the reef is stable, CRD plans to add more shell in the future. All the oyster deployment sites will be monitored for the next several years looking at several biological and physical metrics to ensure the reefs are stable and self-sustaining. A healthy reef should have a footprint that does not shrink. In established reefs, this is not usually a problem, Brinton said, but can be a challenge in newly established reefs due to sedimentation caused by Georgia’s eight-foot tidal cycle. “With over 3,400 miles of tidal creeks and rivers in Georgia, we have a lot of work ahead of us,” Brinton said. “If you want to help us out, support restaurants that partner with us for shell recycling, donate the shell from your own oyster roast, and consider getting a Marine Habitat Conservation license plate for your vehicle or trailer.”
If your organization or business has news to share, please send it to: amy@southerntidesmagazine.com 28
Southern Tides Magazine
September 2021
