With Spring still a few months away,  wouldn’t it be nice to have a piece of Jekyll Island around to remind you of all the fun and exciting things you did while visiting here.  We have an array of decorative sculptures handcrafted by a local artist by the name of Tyler Dominey.  Look below to read all about him, his story is amazing and fascinating.

These are just a few samples of some of the sculptures we have in our Gift Shop.  Stop by to see our complete collection!

**(Prices starting at $14.95, selection subject to change)**

Sincerely,
Peggy Van Buren
Gift Shop Coordinator

We LOVE our teachers!

As a thank you to coastal Georgia educators and administrators, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center would like to invite you and a guest to enjoy a FREE night with the sea turtles! Come ‘sea’ what it’s all about! Enjoy this after hours visit with educational exhibits and recovering sea turtle patients. Educators will be on hand to share information about school field trip, outreach opportunities and you’ll have the chance to preview exceptional GPS correlated programming.

Registration and school identification is required.

Click here to reserve your spot now!

Free teacher materials and 10% off classroom resources will be

available in our Gift Shop.

Help spread the word to colleagues in your line of work! Lend us a flipper by printing and posting this flier in your school or office.

Make a night of it! Visit the new

Red Bug Motors Pizza and Pub

located right here on Jekyll Island!

(A $5 entrance fee to Jekyll Island State Park is required)

We’ll ’sea’ you there!

~ The GSTC Education Staff

Looking for a unique holiday gift idea? Looking to give something that gives back?  Well you’ve come to the right place!  Here are a few suggestions from your friends at the GSTC:

ADOPT-A-SEA TURTLE ($50)

The recipient of a sea turtle adoption will surely enjoy their gift!  They will receive a letter from ‘their’ turtle, a 5×7 photo, a certificate of adoption and access to ‘their’ turtle’s password protected webpage!  If their turtle receives a satellite transmitter, or you choose a turtle that has already been released with a transmitter, they’ll be able to follow their turtle’s journey!

GSTC MEMBERSHIP ($35-5,000)

Did your friends of family LOVE their visit to the GSTC?  Why not by them a GSTC Membership!  We offer 6 levels from Individual to Lifetime. The various levels come with a variety of benefits, however all Memberships including FREE admission to the GSTC for 1 whole year, 10% discount off merchandise in the GSTC Gift Shop, 50% discount on Turtle and Nest Walks, and access the password protected Member’s ONLY page on our website which includes a Member’s ONLY edition of the GSTC’s quarterly newsletter Caretta Chronicles! How can you beat that?!

PERSONALIZED BRICK on our Walkway to Wonder! ($100 or $500)

What could be more special than a personalized brick on the GSTC Walkway to Wonder?  Either surprise them with a personalized message for them or let them create their own message..either way you can’t beat this gift!  And the best part is, you can visit it over and over and over!

All three of these options can be purchased at the Center, by calling 912-635-4444, visiting out website, downloading the correct forms and mailing or faxing them to us, or through our online store!  But hurry, processing and deliver can take 2-4 weeks!

We also have a variety of merchandise available in our gift shop (and we are currently running a 10% off holiday discount on merchandise (in store only-see previous BLOG)) and on our online store!

So whether you are buying a gift for someone else or treating yourself, please know that for all purchases made, whether it’s an adoption, membership, brick or merchandise, ALL proceeds go towards offsetting the operation costs of the GSTC, includeing the rehabilitation of sea turtles, equipment, research, and educational programming to promote conservation and awareness.

On behalf of the entire GSTC staff, I would like to wish you all a happy and safe holiday season!

Sincerely,
Stefanie Ouellette
Marine Field Programs Coordinator

We would like to share some exciting news regarding the Georgia Sea Turtle Center Gift Shop!  Mark your calendar for November 26th, 2009… We are having a 10% discount* on all merchandise in the Gift Shop.  This discount will end on January 15, 2010.

Come by and make your selection and we will take care of the rest!  We offer a wide variety of gifts including, jewelry, hats & visors, travel mugs, assorted sweatshirts, and t-shirts.

We also have educational books for children and adults that will make a great gift.

And don’t forget those decorative pieces of art and pottery!

So come spend the day with us and, for a low admission price, visit our interactive Exhibit Gallery, listen to educational programs and see our patients in our Rehabilitation Pavilion, then stop by the Gift Shop and shop til you drop!  To make things even better, all proceeds help to offset operational costs of the GSTC including patient care, educational programming and research.

Thank you for supporting The Georgia Sea Turtle Center!
Peggy Van Buren
Gift Shop Coordinator
*This offer does not include online sales, admissions, adoptions, memberships or brick purchases.

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22^nd each calendar year, but The Georgia Sea Turtle Center celebrated a little early at the Jekyll Island Mother Nature Festival this past Saturday! Over 550 guests visited the Center and children of all ages participated in earth-friendly games and recycled crafts on the front lawn. Many popular crafts and activities from 2008 made repeat appearances including the Recycle Toss, Handmade paper, the Styrofoam Plate Press, Wearable Paper Bag Carapaces and a Recycled Journal decorating station.    

So what’s new? The Jekyll Island Garden Club gave seedlings a head start at the Sunflower Seed Planting Station and the more adventurous at heart created an edible cup filled with dirt, worms and top soil!

 (Actually chocolate pudding, gummy worms and oreo crumbles) 

Live animals wowed the crowd, including  Diamondback Terrapin hatchlings from the GSTC’s Conservation Project and a box turtle, corn snake and young alligator from the Jekyll 4-H Center! 

Of course, not all the fun was had by the younger crowd. A number of vendors and exhibitors showcased their eco-friendly products, services and crafts along the surrounding sidewalks.  A silent auction of nature-themed items donated by vendors and supporters gave the adults something to peruse. The 23 items helped raise nearly $1000 dollars for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. We really appreciate your sea-port!

 And what would a festival be without food? Food for all was served consciously on biodegradable cups and plates including a vegetarian  grilled pineapple sandwich with cream cheese!

For the first time, Scute’s Scribblers made their debut among many earth inspiring feature items in the GSTC gift shop. At Shell-e-brate Earth Day 2008, the GSTC Education staff began collecting used and broken crayons donations from surrounding schools and restaurants.  One year later, 80 pounds of petroleum based unusable crayons have been given a second go-round as recycled sea turtle shaped crayons! Crayons are sold individually in eight different colors or in a 5 pack box that any child would love. Proceeds from this project go to support Scute’s Scholarship Fund, a program providing Georgia Sea Turtle Center field trip experiences for local schools.

And who is Scute, you ask? Why he’s the Georgia Sea Turtle Center’s Loggerhead Mascot! This was Scute’s first Earth Day festival and what a great time he had visiting with the young and young at heart. 

If you missed this year’s event, mark your calendar for April 2010. Keep checking our blog for upcoming event details for our next big event - Nest Fest 2009!

~Kelly O’Keefe, Educator

 of the press…The GSTC will be changing it’s hours of operation, effective April 1, 2009.  Please make note of these changes when making your plans for visiting the Center!

March 2009
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-6pm

April 2009-November 2009
Monday: 10am-2pm
Tuesday-Sunday: 9am-5pm

December 2009-February 2010
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday-Sunday: 9am-5pm

HOLIDAY/SPECIAL CLOSINGS
Thanksgiving Day: 10am-2pm
Christmas Eve Day: CLOSED
Christmas Day: CLOSED
New Year’s Day: CLOSED

So as temperatures begin to heat up, remember the place to go…THE GEORGIA SEA TURTLE CENTER!

Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Sincerely,
Stefanie Ouellette
Marine Field Programs Coordinator

Last year, the GSTC put a call out for old and broken crayons to jump-start a recycling program. Crayons, you ask? How can you recycle crayons? We’ll show you what we’ve been up to! Crayons are petroleum-based, taking years to biodegrade like plastics and oils. Each year, thousands of broken, worn crayons are forgotten or thrown away when new crayons are purchased at the start of the school year. So where do they go?  We’ve been collecting cast-off crayons for over a year in an effort to reduce landfill and make a creatively unique crayon just for the GSTC!  Along the way, we’ve had help from several organizations and individuals that have set up crayon collection bins at their schools or businesses. What a response we’ve received!    Terry Aultman, a teacher at Savannah Christian Preparatory School is one such individual. Terry visited the Georgia Sea Turtle Center for the first time this past Saturday and brought along a car load of crayons.         This amount should keep us busy for a while!

 So what does our new creation look like? Check out a sneak peek at the photo below.

It will make its turtley-debut in the GSTC gift shop for the upcoming Jekyll Island Mother Nature Festival on April 18! Join the Jekyll Island Authority, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and many others for this day-long festival of earth-friendly fun! Check out www.jekyllisland.com/mothernaturefestival for more information of visit www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/specialevents/upcoming-events for photos from the 2008 pilot event, Shell-e-brate Earth Day. Be sure to stop by the GSTC Gift Shop to check out other eco-friendly goodies!

~Kelly O’Keefe, Green Crayon Queen

Come one, come all to purchase your GSTC gear and items at discount prices at the Jekyll Island Campground Flea Market and the GSTC sidewalk sale THIS SATURDAY (2/14)! (*Discounts only apply at these two locations)

We’ll have a wide variety of items, something fore everyone….puzzles beach towels, adult and children sized shirts, bags, jewelry and more!

ALL WILL BE MARKED DOWN!

Locations and times are as follows:

Campground: 9am - 1pm

In front of the GSTC (Sidewalk Sale): 12pm - 3pm

Didn’t find what you’re looking for?  We have more items inside our gift shop at the GSTC (*discounts may not apply)!  While you’re there, why not tour our facility (admission fee applies), see our patients and attend some of our education programs?!  You may even get lucky enough to see a treatment being done on one of our patients!

As always, thanks again for your support!

Sincerely,

Stefanie Ouellette

Marine Field Programs Coordinator

SEA-son’s Greetings from the GSTC Gift Shop!  For those who don’t know, we have recently re-designed our Gift Shop!  There’s more space, new items and an overall more pleasing, visual and practical appeal!  Take a look at the photos below, and if you haven’t been by recently…what are you waiting for?!

We also have some other very exciting things currently going on in the Gift Shop including:

So come on by today and pick up your holiday gifts all in one place!

Happy Holidays!

Stefanie Ouellette

Marine Field Programs Coordinator