Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Flip the Bird? Only in Georgia…

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When I was reading my twitter stream today, @dizzygirl pointed out a story about the state bird that I found interesting.

The state bird in Georgia is the brown thrasher. But now, there is a movement trying to change the state bird from the Brown Thrasher to the chicken.

Their argument – the chicken makes more of an economic impact.
Here are a few of the interesting facts from the website:

  • Georgia broiler production accounts for 16% of the nation’s total.
  • By the beginning of World War II, chickens had replaced cotton as Georgia’s leading agricultural moneymaker.
  • More than 47,000 Georgians are employed by the poultry industry directly.

    • Take a look at the video below – and make sure to post your comments below – I’m interested to hear what you think!

    It makes you wonder about the other state birds. Do they contribute to the economy? And what about the plants? What do they do?

    For more information, visit www.flipthebirds.com

    Southeastern Wildlife Exposition 2010

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    Every year in February, the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition takes over Charleston. This year SEWE is returning for its 28th year. It is the largest wildlife art and nature event in the nation, so this is an event you don’t want to miss.

    The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition is traditionally held in the weekend before President’s Day. The popular event attracts over 35,000 attendees to Charleston, South Carolina. During the event attendees get the opportunity to enjoy world-class original art, a wide variety exhibits and presentations.

    For more information, tickets and detailed schedule, visit www.sewe.com or call 843-723-1748.

    From Monroe to Ocean, Architecture and Jazz. Explore in Jacksonville, Fl

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    The Beaches Museum & History Center present the work of award-winning architect, William Morgan, Jan. 16 through Feb. 13, 2010. Maintaining that there is no such thing as primitive architecture but only primitive means, Morgan relates buildings and human activity to the ecological context, thus revealing the universality of phenomena while also advocating creative freedom. An Evening at the Museum with William Morgan will be held Feb. 11, 2010, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

    The Beaches Museum and History Center
    413 Beach Boulevard, Jacksonville Bch, FL 32250
    (904) 241-5657

    Jazz it Up

    Beginning Jan. 20, the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens will unveil a new must-see exhibit for jazz fans of all ages. Jazz ABZ: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits by Paul Rogers highlights jazz greats through poetry, from A (Louis Armstrong) to Z (Dizzy Gillespie). Each portrait and poem is evocative of the particular musician’s sound, and each work of art alludes to song titles, artifacts, and other markers of the time, including artistic references to well-known artists who were particularly inspired by jazz music.

    The Cummer Museum of Arts & Gardens
    829 Riverside Avenue, Jacksonville, Florida 32204
    904.356.6857


    Life as a Legend: Marily Monroe
    Marilyn Monroe is once again in the limelight at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville this season. The feature exhibition, Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe, will debut on Jan. 22 and run through April 4, 2010. Forever Blonde, a captivating one-woman live performance celebrating the life and glamour of Marilyn Monroe will take the stage Thursdays through Sundays Feb. 11 to March 7, 2010. On March 13, MOCA will host the Mad About Marilyn Soirée, a Hollywood-style party featuring diamond-laced cocktails, live music, dancing and late-night tours of the Marilyn exhibition.

    MOCA Museum of Contemporary Art
    333 North Laura Street,Jacksonville, FL, 32202 USA
    (904) 366-6911

    Virtual Ocean Trip
    A fully immersive maze-based exhibit starts on January 30 at The Museum of Science and History (MOSH) in Jacksonville. A-Mazing Sea is a virtual trip into the ocean with surprises around every corner – from role play games and puzzles to problem-solving and deep-sea sleuthing.

    A-Mazing Sea compels visitors to climb into sea turtle shells, crawl through a whale’s mouth and reach into an octopus cave while discovering simple solutions for challenges that face inhabitants of the deep blue and beyond.

    MOSH Museum of Science and History
    1025 Museum Circle, Jacksonville, Florida 32207
    904-396-6674

    Sharks create major waves – St Augustine, Florida

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    “SHARKS” Creates Major Waves at the World Golf Hall of Fame
    IMAX® Theater Beginning on January 15, 2010

    New IMAX Film Presented by Jean-Michel Cousteau; Opening Weekend to Feature Live Presentations by Gavin McKinney, “SHARKS” Director of Photography

    The 2D World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theater, Jean-Michel Cousteau and 3D Entertainment, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, invite audiences to a stunning, immersive diving experience with SHARKS, premiering Friday, Jan. 15, 2010. Additionally, the film’s Director of Photography, Gavin McKinney, will be on-hand opening weekend to share his expertise and experience in bringing SHARKS to IMAX audiences. For film schedules, presentation times and ticket information, visit the IMAX Theater section on www.wgv.com.

    An expert international team of ocean explorers that brought audiences “OCEAN WONDERLAND” have embarked on a unique round-the-globe expedition documenting the life of the ultimate predator in “SHARKS.” The World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theater brings “SHARKS” to life in grand fashion, offering a unique experience from each of its 300 stadium-style seats with high-definition images projected onto the huge, six-story tall screen and 12,000 watts of pure digital surround sound.
    Swimming with Sharks
    “I am very pleased that Jacksonville- and St. Augustine-area residents will now get the chance to share in this truly memorable encounter with the world’s great shark species, such as the Great White, Whale Shark and Hammerhead,” said Jean-Michel Cousteau, President of Ocean Futures Society. “Watching ‘SHARKS’ is like pulling on a diving suit and swimming weightlessly with sharks all around. If you’ve ever wanted to know what it’s really like to dive with sharks, this film is certainly a must-see. You can witness them as they truly are in their natural habitat — not wicked man-eating creatures, as they are far too frequently depicted in modern feature films, but wild, fascinating and highly endangered animals that have been in existence since a million years before the dinosaurs.”

    Principal photography on “SHARKS” required an extensive nine-month shoot totaling 500 dive hours. The film was shot on location in Guadalupe Island, Socorro Island, Revillagigedos and the Sea of Cortez (Mexico), Malpelo Island (Colombia), the Red Sea (Egypt), Sodwana Bay (South Africa), Inhambane (Mozambique), San Diego (USA) and Rangiroa Atoll (French Polynesia).

    SHARKS is recommended for general audiences and is produced by 3D Entertainment and McKinney Underwater Productions Inc. Directed by Jean-Jacques Mantello, filmed by Gavin McKinney and executive produced by Francois Mantello. SHARKS features an original score composed by Christophe Jacquelin and performed by the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra. “SHARKS” is distributed worldwide by 3D Entertainment in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (http://www.unep.org) and is endorsed and supported by Ocean Futures Society (http://www.oceanfutures.org), Reef Check (http://www.reefcheck.org) and PADI’s Project Aware (http://www.projectaware.org).

    Official website: http://www.SharksFilm.com

    Evenings at Whitney – Sea Level Rise – St. Augustine, Fl

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    The challenges of climate change and sea-level rise for humans are nothing new to Florida. Evenings at Whitney lecture explores how ancient Floridians dealt with sea level rise. ridians. Since the end of the Ice Age, rising water has shaped culture change for hundreds of generations of Native American ancestors. As water levels rose, dwellings were inundated and ancient Floridians were forced to find new places to settle and new ways to subsist. But what became of their belief systems and the ritual practices that rationalized their place in the world? Archaeological evidence for the ceremonial practices of ancient Floridians suggests that the ritual practices of native people, like the practices of everyday living, were responsive to changes in ecology and geography. At the same time, sacred beliefs about water and watery creatures seem to have remained intact. This pattern of “persistence through change” is illustrated in the archaeological record of the pond cemeteries and shell mounds of northeast Florida. Encased in this record of ancient ritual experience are lessons that may help us cope with our own environmental challenges.

    This unique way of looking at sea level rise will be presented by Kenneth E. Sassaman, Ph.D., the Hyatt and Cici Brown Professor of Florida Archaeology in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Florida. His Evenings at Whitney lecture will be December 10 at 7:00 p.m. in the Center for Marine Studies at the Whitney Lab. Dr. Sassaman’s research in Florida has centered on the mid-Holocene hunter-gatherers of the middle St. Johns River Valley, notably on the circumstances surrounding the construction of some of the oldest shell mounds in North America. In 2009, Sassaman launched the Lower Suwannee Archaeological Survey to develop data on coastal living pertinent to the challenges of sea-level rise today. He is the author or editor of eight books and over 90 articles, chapters, and monographs.

    The Evenings at Whitney lectures usually occur on the first or second Thursday of each month depending on the speaker and are always held at 7:00 p.m. in the Whitney Lab’s Center for Marine Studies. Monthly presentations include current science topics, plus subjects from on-going research programs at the Whitney Lab. Speakers are recognized experts in their fields who welcome questions and discussion. All lectures are free and open to the public. There is no charge for parking and reservations are not necessary.

    Please visit www.whitney.ufl.edu for lecture schedules or contact the Whitney Lab at (904) 461-4000.
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