There is a debate in our family about whether or not to use the same first word when playing WORDLE or switch off every day to a new word the way my husband keeps switching to different putters (and how's that working?!). I'm of the first variety (having only one old loyal putter in my golf bag), and my first word is always TRAIL. It was therefore a joy to hike the trails of the southern Appalachian Mountains this month when we visited friends in Highlands, NC.

In May the mountain laurel and rhododendron are heavy with rosy white blooms. These understory shrubs grow to the height of trees and form such thickets that it's difficult to imagine anyone ever being able to cut trails -- much less roads -- through the tangle of branches. There is something about the massive outcroppings of stone, the moss-blanketed rocks of these ancient mountains that tug at my heart. On one rolling piece of land between Highlands and Ashville, we hiked for hours without seeing another soul or hearing even an airplane fly overhead.

While in NC, I was able to meet with the Executive Director of the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust. Although the HCLT is a much older organization (founded in 1909) and their elevation is much higher (4,117 ft above sea level as compared to our vulnerable ten!), there are many similarities in both trusts' missions, donor support, historic importance, enduring impact, and ongoing challenges. Like the Golden Isles, the Highlands-Cashiers area has tremendous wealth juxtaposed against longtime pockets of poverty and issues of very limited affordable housing for those who work in the hospitality, construction, and other service industries. Like here, its tremendous beauty has ratcheted skyward the price of real estate and filled its roads with high-end automobiles and out of town visitors. Unlike here, internet and phone reception can be sketchy, we never turn on a TV, and it's easy to feel at times that you're floating through the days in a verdant bubble.

But life there is real, and generations of Appalachian families have walked the switch-backs of those mountains daily, carving out existences and futures for themselves and their descendants. Their Land Trust has protected 3,400 acres, starting in the early 1900s when they collected $500 to purchase their first property -- 56 acres on Satulah Mountain where a hilltop hotel was scheduled to be built.

We have been running a "What If?" social media campaign recently, reminding ourselves what if this community had not come together to save properties like Old Stables Corner and Cannon's Point Preserve. Lord knows the same is true for Highlands and Cashiers, where a small group decided more than 100 years ago that they needed to "protect, preserve, and promote the natural beauty" of their homeland. It causes one to ponder what if land conservation had been started on St. Simons in 1909? How much more habitat and maritime forests might have been protected?

All of us who live and play in paradise, no matter the elevation, have a responsibility to be long-sighted and forward-thinking stewards of the hills and sands beneath our feet, to remind ourselves that land once paved over is almost impossible to give back to nature. National Trails Day is coming up soon, and Hurricane Season starts tomorrow. It's time to lace on the boots while the weather remains fair, get out on a trail, and count our blessings.

Emily Ellison

Executive Director

In keeping with policies of good governance, Land Trust board members are eligible to serve two consecutive three-year terms before rotating off for at least twelve months. As much as we were saddened to say good bye last month to four "retiring" board members - Jay Buchert, Bill Jones, III, Tom Regan, and Scott Steilen - we are pleased to welcome four NEW board members - Brad Piazza, Shelley Renner, Vijay Singh, and Jonathan Weller - all extraordinary leaders and doers with long histories of supporting the community.

To more fully understand the Land Trust's mission and goals, Brad, Shelley, Vijay, and Jon spent a morning exploring Cannon's Point Preserve. They received a two-hour guided tour with the Land Trust's Stewardship Director, Stephanie Knox, and Land Steward Technician, Rebecca Cushing, where they learned about the ecology and history of the Preserve. This included meeting Purdue University Graduate Student, Brianne Innusa and other researchers who were on-site collecting data from Phase 5 of the Preserve's Maritime Forest Restoration project.

See a full list of the Board of Directors HERE.

After more than a decade of public use and impact from storms, the John Gilbert Nature Trail BOARDWALK is in need of repairs! Therefore, the boardwalk is currently CLOSED until those repairs can be safely completed. Visitors can still enjoy a short walk to John's Oak, but the wooden section leading to the marsh can not be accessed. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your patience and understanding!

During this time, we hope you'll enjoy other publicly accessible Land Trust properties such as Cannon's Point Preserve (Sat-Mon, 9am-3pm) and Guale Preserve (7am-5pm, daily), and partner properties such as Frederica Park and Harrington Community Park.

Take a virtual tour of the John Gilbert Nature Trail by clicking below.

Tour by Harlan Hambright

WHAT IF . . . HARRINGTON SCHOOL HOUSE

WHAT IF . . . Isadora Hunter, who attended the Historic Harrington School in 1928, had not donated her portion of the Harrington community to the St. Simons Land Trust in 2004?

IF the Land Trust had not been given this important piece of land:

Land Trust properties are filled with beautiful and interesting plants and wildlife. This month, our staff encountered lush pickerelweed growing in wetlands along the Georgia Power Trail at Guale Preserve. They also found evidence of a yellow-bellied sapsucker when they noticed sap seeping out of drilled holes in a cedar tree at the Guale waterfront. And they came across blooming oleander (a non-native, toxic "heritage" plant) at Cannon's Point Preserve.

If you find interesting plants or wildlife while visiting Land Trust properties, share your photos with us! Photos can be emailed to Raleigh Kitchen at rkitchen@sslt.org.

On May 13, Cannon’s Point Preserve History Task Force member Myrna Crook presented at Fort Frederica National Monument’s Archaeology Symposium to celebrate Archaeology month. Her presentation was titled, One Shell of a Life and covered the dynamic use of oyster shells along the Georgia coast. Humans have utilized oyster shells for thousands of years for stabilization and construction. In her presentation, Myrna highlighted Cannon’s Point Preserve’s living shoreline as an example of a beneficial use of oyster shells today. 

Thank you, Myrna, for representing the Land Trust at this information-rich symposium!

Land Steward Technician Rebecca Cushing offered two guided hikes this month to show appreciation for our dedicated volunteers. Volunteers hiked the Ancient Dune Trail at Guale Preserve, which immerses visitors in the maritime forest, winds through thickets of saw palmettos and pine trees, and follows an ancient dune ridge. Rebecca taught the volunteers about the native plants and wildlife along the way.

Pictured here are volunteers Ken Johnson, Evelyn Ting, and Scott Baynes.

Administrative Assistant!

The ideal candidate is someone who enjoys interacting with lots of different people in a fast-paced environment where no day is the same and where he/she/they will be assisting other staff members on items as diverse as event planning, bulk mailings, answering the phone, maintaining supplies, and greeting the many volunteers, donors, board members and others who visit our office regularly. If you’re detail oriented, organized, have a sense of humor, and care deeply about the environment and the island, this could be the place for you!

The 220th Igbo Landing Commemoration took place last weekend from Friday, May 26, to Sunday, May 28. The three-day event included site visits to Igbo Landing, documentary screenings, performances, a symposium, and public presentations.

The Land Trust was proud to co-sponsor the event alongside the St. Simons African American Heritage Coalition, Center for Igbo Studies (Dominican University), Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, Coastal Georgia Historical Society, and the Morehouse Mellon Public History and Digital Humanities Projects.

Pictured here are attendees gathered for reflection, prayer and offerings at Igbo Landing. Photo by Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.

We are pleased to share that the Land Trust has been selected as a beneficiary of the Winn-Dixie Community Bag Program for the month of June!

The initiative encourages shoppers to stop the one-time use of plastic and paper bags and take advantage of low-cost reusable grocery bags instead.

This is the second time SSLT has been selected by store leadership at the Winn-Dixie in Retreat Village on St. Simons. For each $2.99 reusable Community Bag that is purchased during the month of June at the SSI store,

Since the Community Bag Program began in February of 2019, more than $450,000 has been donated to over 8,300 local nonprofits. Learn more HERE.

Congratulations to Land Trust members John and Cheryl Bishop for winning the Day Trip to Little St. Simons Island and two Land Trust hats!

The Bishops have been members since 2020 and contributed to the Canopy Campaign Phase II in 2021. We are grateful for their support and can't wait to see photos from their trip!

--John and Cheryl Bishop

Join us in welcoming our NEWEST Pennies for Preservation partner, Ironside Café!

It’s with excitement that we welcome our newest Pennies for Preservation partner, Ironside Café! The Land Trust first partnered with Ironside’s owner and St. Simons native, Justin Henshaw, in 2018 when his SSI Fuse Frozen Co. locations became among the first participants in our P4P voluntary giving program. Over the years, Fuse has generously provided refreshments and support at events like our Movie Night and Trail Runs. But this newest partnership has a particularly home-grown pride, one steeped in mutual love for the area’s majestic live oaks.

The Café’s name is in honor of the U.S.S. Constitution, or “Old Ironsides,” a battleship built in the late 1700’s from live oak trees harvested on St. Simons. The “tough-as-iron” timber from those mighty oaks was shipped from Gascoigne Bluff and hewn into an invincible hull that withstood cannon fire and won every battle against the enemy.

“Old Ironsides” still floats today in the Boston Harbor, inspiring Justin Henshaw to create a local eatery that celebrates the island’s rich heritage and coastal cuisine with dishes like shrimp and grits, buttermilk biscuits and gravy, pimento cheese, greens, and brisket. The food is time-honored and wholesome while also fast, convenient, and casual, and available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The 'A Penny for Your Thoughts' conversation series with our Pennies for Preservation partners continues! This Q&A initiative individually highlights each partner so the community can connect with and get to know each business and business owners a little better.

Please see below the Pennies for Preservation partners who were featured on social media in MAY.

and the Land Trust's dedicated Pennies for Preservation partners.

Pennies for Preservation businesses raise funds to preserve and protect St. Simons Island.

1) Collecting a voluntary 1% or specific dollar amount donation from

their customers' receipts/invoices.

2) Donating 1% of their companies' proceeds or services.

From the west coast of the United States to the west coast of Portugal, Land Trust hats saw some incredibly beautiful landscapes this month! We are grateful to our members and supporters who share their experiences with us. Keep the photos coming!

Don't have a hat? Let's fix that!

All four versions of SSLT hats can be purchased on our website below.

Now through June 21: Great American Cleanup

June 1-30: Purchase a reusable Winn-Dixie Community Bag at the St. Simons location during the month of June and the Land Trust will receive $1!

June 3: National Trails Day

June 3: Coastal WildScapes' Cathead Creek Paddle with Southeast Adventure Outfitters. 8:30am - 12:30pm.

June 3: GaDNR Kids Fishing Event. 8:30am-12pm, Liberty Ship Park.

September 23: Coastal WildScapes' Fall Native Plant Sale, Ashantilly Center, Darien

January 20, 2024: St. Simons Land Trust's annual OYSTER ROAST, Gascoigne Bluff Park, SSI