Eco-A features the South River for our Where the Water Goes Series in 2017! 

Sapelo beach, photo by Virginie Kippelen, Eco-A trip 2014.

This trip is full, now taking wait list!

This year we partner with the South River Watershed Alliance, highlighting the South River, which is born from Atlanta’s southern and eastern springs and streams, from East Point and Perkerson Park east along the south side of Decatur. When the South River joins the Yellow River at Jackson Lake, it becomes Georgia’s signature Ocmulgee River, which drops down through Macon and then bends east to join the Oconee River, becoming the mighty Altamaha. The Altamaha drains nearly a quarter of the state of Georgia and is one of the largest freshwater systems reaching the eastern coast of North America.

Our series features five outings, including walks and canoe trips, along the South River, from its headwaters in Atlanta neighborhoods to its outfall at the Atlantic Ocean.

Nov 1, 2, 3 – Trip 5: Sapelo Island weekend

in partnership with the South River Watershed Alliance

From its humble beginnings, to a long run through Georgia, the South River finally reaches the Atlantic Ocean at Darien, GA, brushing past the south end of Sapelo Island, one of Georgia’s most natural barrier islands. Live oak, Sabal palm and Slash pines dominate the island forest which hosts many birds, including rare species, and a rich array of wildlife species, who find special ecosystem niches in salt marsh, maritime forest, dune and beach environments. White and glossy ibis, Wood storks and painted buntings are commonly seen.

Hog Hammock sign on Sapelo Island, photo by Virginie Kippelen, 2014

Sapelo Island has a rich cultural as well as natural history. God, Dr. Buzzard and the Bolito Man, written by island matriarch Cornelia Bailey, gives an informative and soulful introduction to the history of her family, tracing roots back to the early 19th century, to a talented and learned African man named Bilali, who, though enslaved, was also the trusted head manager of the island estate in an unusual arrangement with plantation owner Thomas Spalding. 

Sapelo’s history also includes ancient Native Americans, who left behind some of the earliest pottery shards yet found in North America, the failed forts of Spanish missionaries, aristocrats who fled the French Revolution, and tobacco heir R.J. Reynolds, Jr., who consolidated the island as its last owner before it was sold to the State of Georgia. With professors from University of Georgia, including pioneering ecologist Eugene Odum, Reynolds founded the UGA Marine Institute, which is today an important center of coastal ecology research including studies on the affects of global warming.

Pool at Reynolds Mansion, Sapelo Island, photo Virginie Kippelen, 2014

We’ll spend the weekend enjoying and learning about this rich island, where waters from our Atlanta creeks and springs reach the sea.

Cost – $175 per person, plus food – for questions call 404-862-0118.

To register, click HERE.  Details and directions sent to registered participants.

A donation of $15 or more helps sustain our programs.

Recommended reading:

God, Dr. Buzzard and the Bolito Man: A Saltwater Geechee Talks About Life on Sapelo Island, Georgia, by Cornelia Bailey

The Edge of the Sea, by Rachel Carson

For info about the new real estate tax-plight of the island residents see:

www.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/us/on-an-island-in-georgia-geechees-fear-losing-land.html

Jessica Muhammad and Linda Best, Eco-A Sapelo Island trip, 2014, photo KKolb