We spent a few days on Ossabaw Island learning about their Turtle program and the island's ecology. This is the largest barrier island on the Georgia coast. It has thousands of acres of salt marsh, fresh and salt marshes, and several miles of undeveloped beach. The island was designated as a heritage preserve in 1978, by Governor George Busbee.
There are several buildings on the north end of Ossabaw Island. The Boarding house and Club house are used for visiting groups. The historic tabby houses built in the early 1800's which have been carefully restored. This is also where the small herd of Sicilian donkeys are often seen.
Five species of sea turtles are found in the waters off Georgia’s coast, but only one, the loggerhead sea turtle regularly nest on Georgia barrier islands. Turtle researchers spend most of their time cruising the beach looking for turtle tracks made by adult females coming ashore to nest, and hatchlings scampering across the beach to the ocean. They work from sundown to sunrise. Early one morning we met one of the researchers on South end beach and were able to watch two recovered hatchlings head out to sea. This beach has a extensive Ghost forrest of hauntingly beautiful trees.
There are extensive salt marshes along the western side of the island. I used these photos as references for a watercolor in my field notebook.
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