CCA October Meeting

Little St. Simons Island will be the focus of the CCA of Skidaway’s October meeting and seminar on Monday, October 14, at St. Peter’s Church beginning at 7 p.m. Scott Coleman (pictured at right), Ecology Manager for Little St. Simons Island, will talk about the history of the barrier island and the various conservation efforts he is responsible for.

Guests have been visiting Little St. Simons Island to experience its natural beauty, sweeping coastal landscapes, and abundant wildlife since the island opened to the public in 1979. Conservation organizations, too, have long recognized the importance of the island’s natural, intact habitants, and healthy populations of rare and threatened wildlife. A paradise for nature lovers, the island offers a host of recreational, naturalist-led activities including birding, boating, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, bicycling, interpretive tours, beach combing, fishing, and swimming.

Coleman grew up in Fort Gaines, Georgia and is a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Warnell School for Forestry and Natural Resources, with a degree in Wildlife Biology. As ecological manager for Little St. Simons Island, he works to maintain, enhance, and restore the natural ecological communities and wildlife populations on Little St. Simons Island, one of the best examples of coastal wilderness on the southeastern coast. His responsibilities on Little St. Simons Island include coordinating the island’s research, monitoring, restoration and natural resource management, and working with a wide range of public and private, conservation, partner organizations.

Coleman actively is involved in the broader Georgia coastal conservation community, serving on the board of directors for One Hundred Miles. He serves on the Cannon’s Point conservation task force, and the stewardship committee of the St. Simons Land Trust, and has served on its executive committee and board of directors. He is a member of the steering committee for the Coastal Georgia Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area, a member of the Georgia Shorebird Alliance, and a member of the living shoreline working group. Coleman is a past chair of the board of Coastal WildScapes and currently serves on their advisory committee.

Coleman lives on St. Simons Island with his wife Ann and their seven-year-old son Daniel and four-year-old daughter Mary Remington. He is active in his church, First Baptist of St. Simons, where he serves on several committees and leads a Sunday School class.

The October raffle will award two sets of day trips for two to Little St. Simons Island for a Day of Discoveries and a Lifetime of Memories. Little St. Simons Island day trips include round-trip private vessel transportation, a guided island tour and interpretive program led by an experienced naturalist, a hearty lunch of Low Country specialties, and an afternoon on seven miles of private beach.

CCA is a nonprofit organization with chapters on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts. For more information about CCA of Skidaway, call Joe Tyson (598-8765). For more information about CCA’s Georgia District, call Tom Rood (598-9753). For information about October’s meeting and seminar, call Dave Devore (330-329-6457). Area residents are invited to attend the CCA of Skidaway meetings and seminars held on the second Monday of the month at St. Peter’s Church.