Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Treehill Nature Center Video – Jacksonville, Florida

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Have you ever visited beautiful Treehill Nature Center in Jacksonville? This place is located right in the middle of the city, yet it feels like a visit to undisturbed nature. Treehill is probably most known for its annual Butterfly festival, and the Butterfly garden. Here you can learn about what plants you need to attract butterflies and a lot more. But there’s more to Treehill than butterflies. It’s an educational center, a perfect place for the young ones to visit to learn more about our environment.

For more information about Treehill Nature Center, For more info call Treehill Nature Center at (904) 724-4646 or for directions, click here.

Skidaway Marine Science Day – Savannah, GA

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On Saturday October 10, University of Georgia Marine Extension Service Aquarium, the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, and Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary invites you and your family to visit for a the Skidaway Marine Science Day.

This is a great opportunity for you to learn more about the coast and its inhabitants including   turtles, gators, and snakes. There will also be tours, classes, lectures, and experiments.

This is a free event.


Click here to visit the post about The Skidaway Marine Science Day Savannah in our events calendar for directions and more details.

Check out this video from Savannah Mid-morning Show with an interesting interview talking about the event.


ocean

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CoastFest 2009 – Brunswick, Georgia

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CoastFest is a family-oriented environmental festival where participants learn about Georgia’s coastal resources and have some fun at the same time. CoastFest 2009 takes place on Saturday October 3, 2009 from 10.00 am – 4.00 pm in Brunswick, GA. Admission is free, so it’s perfect for the family!

Each year more than 7,000 visitors come to the festival to learn about our nature and the coastal environment. This year you’ll find exibits from over 85 area coastal, environmental, educational and resource organizations.

coastfest Brunswick Georgia

Since 1995, Coastal Resources Division in support of the three-week national ‘CoastWeeks’ event held in all 50 states to celebrate the nation’s waters and shorelines has hosted CoastFest on the first Saturday in October.

Art Activities for Kids, Cannon firing demonstrations, Creek Indian encampement, face painting, Living history demonstrations, Touch tanks and much more.

Program Schedule:
10.30 Magician
11.00 Birds of Prey
12.00 Creek Indian Heritage
12.30 Magician
1.00 Creek Indian Heritage
1.45 Magician
2.30 Snakes
3.15 Creek Indian Heritage

Where is CoastFest?
Department of Natural Resources HeadQuarters, Conservation Way at US 17 South, Brunwick
Near Sidney Lanier bridge

For more information call 912-264-7218
www.coastalGaDNR.org

Experience the Okefenokee Swamp by Kayak

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Okefenokee Swamp near Waycross, Georgia, is just fascinating. The landscape itself is fascinating with the black water and the reflections of the trees in the surface. You can see  birds everywhere; herons, egrets, ibis, and more depending on the time of year.

You can  paddled through the canals, and there are trails meandering through prairies filled with aquatic plants and bordered by islands of grasses, shrubs and trees. The swamp is basically a large basin filled almost entirely by rainwater. The still water retards

Okeefenokee Swamp
Tom Monahan, Up The Creek Trips

organic decay and creates a peat layer on the bottom supposedly several feet thick. This peat layer has accumulated over thousands of years. When the peat dislodges, rises to the surface and forms floating islands. Grasses come  first , then shrubs and then eventually trees such as the Cypress. “Okefenokee” is an indian word that means “Land of the Trembling Earth”.

Suwanee canal
Long canals in the swamp

Periodic fires rage the landscape and return areas to prairies, but the swamp always bounces back. It’s the never-ending circle of life for the swamp.
It’s very still, and very quiet, except for the occasional splash in the water from a fish, turtle or maybe alligator, or the birds. This landscape has looked the same for a very long time. You can’t hear traffic, it’s just peaceful and quiet. But then of course, a plane will fly by and remind you that you’re actually living in the 21th century after all.

Our favorite outfitter is Up the Creek Xpeditions from St Marys. They run a guided kayak tour through the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, and sometimes they even go out at night. For more information visit www.upthecreektrips.com or call 912.882.0911

Alligator babies are hatching in August, and fall migration starts in September. So make your plans to visit this beautiful area!









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Click here to view the brochure for the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge, it has some beautiful photos in it!

Photo: Georgia Department of Economic Development
Photo: Georgia Department of Economic Development

Wild Amelia Nature Festival 2009

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This year’s festival is highlighting the Right Whale. Every year the festival chooses a focal point, last year it was the gopher tortoise and the year before the painted bunting.

There are only about 350 Northern Right Whales left, which is why the festival is highlighting them this time around.

There are lots of different activities during the festival. You can learn about nature photography in several different workshops. There are also lots of eco-tours; from segway tours, to paddles in Okefenokee swamp at night, to stargazing at Fort Clinch.

There’s also early morning yoga followed by birdwatching on the porch, nature bike hike,  sunset boat tour and owl prowl.

There is just such a variety of things to do during the festival, the best thing to do is to visit the website and study the program.

For contact information and phone number, visit or post Wild Amelia Festival May 15 – 17, 2009

Wild Amelia Nature Festival
Photo by: Roger Graw