Dear Friends,

At the bottom of one of our supporter's emails, there is always a line that reads: "Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book." 

No doubt that was a prevailing sentiment among so many families during the year of COVID. There are likely to be day camps offering manners classes for the young this summer and a plethora of pandemic-written books published in the coming months.

Even post-pandemic, people have lingering effects from being cloistered with family for so many months while social distancing from the rest of the world. A recent article in The New York Times by Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at Wharton and host of the TED podcast WorkLife, labeled the feel as languishing -- not really depression or burnout, but more of a low-grade global grief.

There is a positive, flip-side, however. According to Dr. Tyler VanderWeele, an epidemiology/biostatistics professor and director of Harvard University's Human Flourishing Program, the counterpoint to languishing is flourishing. It's "living in a state in which all aspects of a person’s life are good."
Most of us, I suspect, have been experiencing something between the sad stagnation of languishing and the robust thriving of flourishing. So how do we travel from the dark realities of the year of COVID to that place where we and our loved ones can actually flourish?

The path recommended by the experts is straight, simple, and well known to Land Trust supporters: volunteer, create human connections, be part of community, walk along a canopied trail, be a respectful partner to the planet's other species. Maybe now, as we begin to see and hug friends again, discard face coverings, and reenter society, we can follow this advice and give such things their due.

Oh, and the quote above, about times being bad and the kids being disobedient? It was penned by Marcus Tullius Cicero -- a Roman statesman, scholar, and orator who lived between 106 and 43 BC.
Emily Ellison
Executive Director
LAND TRUST WELCOMES
NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Land Trust board chairman, Susan Shipman, with new board members Valerie Hepburn
and Dialo Cartwright at our board and staff's spring Gathering in the Garden
Pictured below: New board member Georgia Golden
At the Land Trust's Annual Meeting this month, our Board of Directors welcomed three new members whose first three-year terms of service began May 1.
Dialo Cartwright, Georgia Golden, and Valerie Hepburn
are all dedicated community leaders who have a love of the Georgia coast
and a passion for conserving land on St. Simons.

  • Dialo Cartwright is Area Manager for Georgia Power Company with a focus on external effectiveness for Camden, McIntosh, and Glynn counties. He serves as company liaison with key leaders, elected officials, and decision makers, and he and his family are actively engaged in the St. Simons and Brunswick communities. 
  • Georgia Golden (pictured here) was born and raised on St. Simons, and her family has lived on the island for generations. She worked for many years with the state of Georgia’s Department of Family and Children’s Services, both in Atlanta and in Glynn County, and she has been a loyal member of the Land Trust for more than 15 years.
  • Valerie Hepburn was president and CEO of the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation from 2014 through 2016. Prior to that, she served for more than 30 years in senior public policy and educational leadership positions across Georgia. From 2003 until 2014, Valerie was president of the College of Coastal Georgia.

Sincerest thanks to Dialo, Georgia, and Valerie
for their commitment to community and land conservation.
To read more about these and other Land Trust board members, click HERE.

Photo by Chris Moncus Photography
LET'S GET ON THE TRAILS!
Examples of interpretive signs at Guale Preserve
If you're thinking about hiking, biking, or walking one of the many trails on St. Simons this weekend or on National Trails Day (June 5), you'll find a special treat in store for you at Guale Preserve. Recently, seven stunning and fact-filled interpretive signs were installed along Polly's Trail and near the waterfront at the Preserve. Sincerest thanks to the Terry Thomas Foundation and other generous donors who made the research, design, and installation of these signs possible. Read more about their creation HERE.
If you're interested in using National Trails Day as a way to kick off your summer activities, below is a suggested schedule that will help you pack in the most in one day and take advantage of local offerings.




*Guale Preserve is open daily from 7:00AM - 5:00PM. Polly's Trail is accessible from the Main Entrance (at Middle Road, off Lawrence Road).
**Cannon's Point Preserve is open Saturday - Monday from 9:00AM - 3:00PM.
***John Gilbert Nature Trail is open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Polly's Trail
at Guale Preserve
Rescued horses at The Farm at Oatland North
TIME & TALENTS ARE TREASURES
Cannon's Point Preserve Docents
Note: Masks are no longer required for Volunteers at the Preserve
If you're looking for a way to give back to the community this summer, we hope you'll consider becoming a trained Land Trust Volunteer! The simple truth is that WE NEED YOU. Many of our longtime docents are "snow birds" who are headed north for the season, just like the coastal migratory birds at CPP. And because we are a fulltime staff of only three, we rely heavily on docents to help us keep Cannon's Point Preserve open to the public.

In addition to being a huge help to us, here are a few of the BENEFITS we hope that you'll receive if you become a Land Trust Volunteer:
  • You will enjoy meaningful work that directly benefits our island community and helps to protect invaluable natural resources.
  • You will learn about the region's biodiversity and rare and threatened species from experienced naturalists.
  • You will make social and professional connections that will last a lifetime.
  • You will have the opportunity to attend various volunteer events throughout the year and receive special acknowledgments from the Land Trust team.

To become a member of the dedicated family of SSLT Volunteers, please sign up HERE or email Marty Moody at mmoody@sslt.org. Thank you!
LOCAL CLUBS SUPPORT SSLT
Golden Isles Track Club check presentation by
Track Club President Connie Chancey with
Land Trust Executive Director Emily Ellison
The Golden Isles Track Club's generous support of the Land Trust began more than a decade ago when it contributed to the creation of Frederica Park.
Almost every year since, this group of active residents and runners donates a portion of the proceeds from their annual July 4th Sunshine Festival of Races for running and walking trails on
Land Trust properties.

Sign up for this year's
July 4th Festival of Races HERE.
Live Oaks Garden Club member Juanita Hunke and Club President Sydney Pool with Land Trust Executive Director Emily Ellison
Members of the Land Trust since 2002, the Live Oaks Garden Club stopped by this month to hand-deliver their generous renewal check. In addition to years of membership contributions, the Garden Club has supported many Land Trust projects including the beautification of the Frederica Road/Demere Road roundabout and most recently the acquisition of Guale Preserve.

We are truly grateful for the long-time support of both the Live Oak Garden Club and the Golden Isles Track Club.
NEW LIFE ON GEORGIA BEACHES
Loggerhead sea turtle tracks
on Little Cumberland Island.
Photo courtesy of GA Sea Turtle Cooperative
Wilson's plovers at Gould's Inlet
on St. Simons Island
Photo by Abby Sterling
In coastal Georgia, the month of May means the end of the school year, the beginning of summer temperatures and activities, and a flourish of new life on the beach.

When you and your family take to the beaches this summer, please watch out for our feathered and shelled friends. The sand and dunes on St. Simons, and on other Georgia barrier islands, are a natural safe-haven for many nesting shorebirds and sea turtles. You can help preserve these critically important nests by staying water-side of any protective roping, by removing your beach chairs and tents at the end of the day, and by using "turtle safe" (orange or red) lights at night.

Click HERE to read more information about this year's loggerhead sea turtle and shorebird nesting season.
ADVENTURES OF SSLT HATS
Board member Jim Barger
on Kuiui Island, Alaska
Member Lauren Patterson
at Utah's Arches National Park
Members Phil Belt and Michael Nyenhuis at the Grand Canyon
Speaking of summer activities . . . make sure to pack along your adventurous Land Trust hat when you travel over the next few months. These hats have donned the heads of many Land Trust supporters as they fished for steelhead in the rivers of Alaska, hiked rim to rim inside the Grand Canyon, kayaked the estuaries of south Florida, experienced a safari in South Africa, and more!

If you don't have travel plans this summer and prefer to stay close to home, we hope you'll enjoy the great outdoors on Land Trust properties and still share the adventures of your SSLT hat. Send us an email or tag us on social media at @stsimonslandtrust to be featured!

Don't have a hat? Let's fix that!
Call our office at (912) 638-9109 to order yours today.
PENNIES FOR PRESERVATION
The Land Trust's eighth 1% Wednesday Industry Grouping highlighted our dedicated art gallery partners. Learn more about each locally owned business and ways to support them by clicking HERE.

Read more about the individual businesses
by clicking on the links or images below.
Click below to view our Partner Appreciation video.
Thanks again to Ryanne Carrier and Dulce Dough Bakery
for making these fun and delicious "Coin Cookies"
as a token of appreciation for our P4P partners.
Let's Keep it Local!

Please remember to continue supporting our Golden Isles businesses
and the Land Trust's dedicated Pennies for Preservation partners.
Pennies for Preservation businesses raise funds to preserve and protect St. Simons Island.
Participating businesses raise contributions by either:

1) Collecting a voluntary 1% or specific dollar amount donation from their
customers' receipts/invoices.
OR
2) Donating 1% of their companies' proceeds or services.
Thank you to all participating Pennies for Preservation businesses,
their teams, and their patrons!
GLYNN HAVEN PARK
Read more from
The Brunswick News HERE.
The Land Trust congratulates the Glynn Haven community, the Glynn County Commission, and the many others whose dedicated fundraising efforts led to the successful purchase on May 17 of the nearly one-acre mid-island lot that will become Glynn Haven Park.

The Glynn Haven neighborhood rose to the challenge of raising funds with the help of Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation and the
St. Simons Land Trust.
It was a total partnership effort and will provide a park that will serve many, many generations.”
--Cap Fendig
District 2 County Commissioner
SSLT BOOK NOOK - STAFF PICK
This month's "Staff Pick" came as a recommendation from Kim Campbell, historian at the World War II Home Front Museum on East Beach. Edited by sisters Thora Olsen Kimsey and Sonja Olsen Kinard, Memories from The Marshes of Glynn World War II is a series of oral histories that provide poignant recollections of when two oil tankers were torpedoed by a German U-boat about 15 miles off the coast of St. Simons Island. "Our father," writes Ms. Kinard, "Olaf Helmer Olsen, a civilian at the time, was asked to help rescue the survivors. Only with one crew member, he reached the survivors and brought them back to the dock. This was the inspiration for our idea of a 'walking/talking' history of Glynn County, Georgia, during World War II."
With the Liberty Ships that were built in Brunswick, and with so many from Glynn Count lost during the world wars, this seems a fitting series of memories to read over the Memorial Day weekend.
SAVE THESE DATES
May 31 -- Memorial Day -- Cannon's Point Preserve is closed Monday but open Saturday and Sunday.


June 4 -- Taste of Gullah & Re-Opening of the Historic Harrington School



July 4 -- Golden Isles Track Club Sunshine Festival of Races, St. Simons Island

August 12-13 --DNR Georgia Climate Conference, Jekyll Island Convention Center
THANK YOU TO OUR 2021 SPONSORS:
PREMIER SPONSOR
PRESENTING SPONSOR
LEAD SPONSORS
SUPPORTING SPONSORS
AND, AS ALWAYS,
FROM ALL OF US, TO ALL OF YOU,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT.
HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!
The St. Simons Land Trust Board and Staff
Photo by Chris Moncus Photography, April 2021