Tybee Vacation Rentals Concierge and Tybee Information Site

Recently I visited the UGA Marine Science Center on Skidaway Island. It’s a great little gem, worth a visit especially if children are with you. They have a wonderful set of aquariums, featuring over 200 animals that represent 50 species native to Georgia’s coastal waters, where you can see and study marine life up close and personal, and they have a touch tank where guests can pick up and touch marine animals.  Their displays include a nurse shark, a loggerhead sea turtle and seahorses. They are located on the Intercoastal Waterway, and you can bring a picnic lunch and sit at the picnic tables and lull away an afternoon watching the water. Birds land a take off there, so if you are a bird watcher, it’s great, for that as well. I sat under a pear tree, enjoying the breeze and reading a book while I waited for my group. They do special programs for groups using microscopes, marsh walks and films to illustrate marine life and to teach guests about environmental issues; I was the tour leader for one of those groups.

They have a myriad of posters that are FREE, some of which make wonderful works of art, if framed (Georgia’s Salt Marsh Official Habitat). Some are great for kids rooms (Marine Fishes of Georgia), and they have a great map of the Coast of Georgia. We framed the latter and have it hanging in our rental unit—it always gets interesting comments. We also have a framed copy hanging in the Concierge’s office at Tybee Vacation Rentals.

One particular poster caught my eye.  It was titled “Marine Debris from Land and Sea—In the Environment a Long, Long Time.” I was appalled at the information it provided. It featured a beach and shore, and the shore water had items one might commonly find in the ocean—that is, those things that people toss away–and how long it took for those things to break down.

Did you know that those plastic beverage holders take 400 years to “breakdown” to nothing? Four hundred years!!!!! And people toss these out all of the time. Disposable diapers? Continue Reading »

The Tybee Island Marine Science Center will offer some terrific Sea Camps for the 2010 summer, and all camps are taught by staff marine science educators or certified teachers. Class size is limited to 15.  Here is a list of what will be available. For more information, or to register for the camps contact Karen Rhodes at 912.786.5917 or go to KRhodes@TybeeMarineScience.org .

Pre-K and K

Mini Beach Explorers – June 14, 16, 18 from 10-11:30
Ocean Commotion – July 5, 7, 9 from 10-11:30
Coastal Critters – July 19, 21, 23 from 2:30-4:00
Sea Squirts – August 2, 4, 6 – from 10-11:30

Grades 1-2

A Hidden Universe – June 21-24 – from 10-12:30
Peanut Butter and Jellyfish – July 5-8 –  from 2-4:30
Sea-sational Science – July 19-22 –  from 10-12:30
Sea Camp Junior – July 26-29  – from 10-12:30

Grades 3-4

Wacky World of Invertebrates – June 21-24 – from 2-4:30
Water Wonders – June 28-July 1 – from 2-4:30
Coastal Adventure – July 12-15 – from 10-12:30

Grades 5-6

Marine Quest – June 28-July 1 – from 10-12:30
Sea Turtle Investigation – July 12-15 – from 2:00-4:30

Last December the Savannah Morning News reported that Audubon’s 110th annual Christmas Bird Count took place and among the birds spotted was an Eagle. There were also the usual birds, including red-tailed hawks, cardinals, blue jays, mockingbirds, a ruby crowned kinglet, a yellow-rumped warbler and a pileated woodpecker. But the crown jewel was the Eagle; three of them at that, with maybe three more immature Eagles in the group. They were all spotted around the Laurel Grove Cemetery on the west side of Savannah. Counters called it an “eagle-rama,” and said that a sight such as this would have been unthinkable earlier in their lifetimes.

Eagles were once on the brink of extinction, but their populations have recovered enough to merit removal from the Endangered Species List in 2007. Still, seeing three of more of them at once anywhere, let alone in urban Savannah is a treat.

Another jewel spotted by the bird watchers was the black and white warbler, which resembles a zebra, spotted in Forsyth Park. They spotted about 35 different species, including the blue-headed vireo, (which is slate gray above with a pale lemon throat and breast, white wing bars and a white eye ring), and a woodstork (the largest wading bird to breed in North America). It is an endangered species.

Savannah and the surrounding area makes for a great variety of birds because of our variety of habitats – wetlands, woods, shoreline, urban and marshes. And we have a lot of public areas where birds can be spotted.

Recently we had a question about the Tybee Island beach. “How much has the southend or point eroded over the years? Is it comparable now to the way it was fifty years ago?” Good question.

Mr. Erik Olsen our City Coastal Engineer, was kind enough to answer the question.

The condition of the South end of Tybee is now stabilized (via groins and beach fill), and has been at its most seaward location since at least the 70’s or 80’s. In 1995, prior to groinfield construction, there was literally no beach at high tide at that location. The water was back to the 1930s seawall. In the 1960’s, prior to the COE dredging sand from Tybee Inlet, it may have extended a little farther south as a sandy spit. At that time, however, there was no dry beach around the corner seaward of the parking lot near the pier until the initiation of large scale beach restoration by the COE in the 70’s. The “take away” here is that with a renourishment project every 7-8 years, the sandy beaches of Tybee are in their most robust condition.

Good news!!!!

Nesting turtles compete with tourists, businesses and coastal residents for use of sandy beaches. They need a quiet, dark beach to nest and produce babies, but it’s getting harder and harder for them to find them. The biggest problem may be the artificial light coming from those businesses and houses which confuse the turtles.

Artificial light discourages females from nesting. If a female fails to nest after multiple false crawls, she will resort to less-than-optimal nesting spots or deposit her eggs in the ocean. Hatchlings instinctively move toward the brightest illumination, which is normally moonlight reflecting off of the ocean. Artificial lighting causes hatchlings to become disoriented and wander in land, where they die of dehydration or predation.

Tybee does her part to help the turtles by reminding residents and businesses to keep their lights low, and/or to purchase turtle safe lighting and fixtures. From May 1 to October 31, we ask that you turn out the lights for the turtles or purchase special red lights that emit a very narrow portion of the visible light spectrum which is less intrusive to nesting sea turtles and hatchlings. Another option is to tint windows that face the beach; close opaque curtains or blinds after dark or install special fixtures to shield the lights from the beach. For these special lights you can go to Starry Night Lights’ website at: http://store.starrynightlights.com/trufrli.html.

Do your part and work with the environment to keep our turtles safe and producing.