Skidaway Audubon News

TEE OFF FOR WILDLIFE!

Are you FORE wildlife? Then sign up today for Skidaway Audubon’s FUNdraiser, a very special golf tournament benefiting critically important wildlife initiatives on Skidaway Island.

The 2020 Skidaway Audubon Golf Tournament FUNdraiser, set for May 11, promises a ton of fun for all players, with wildlife-themed chip and putt challenges. There will be opportunities to tee off from the turtle markers on all par-five holes as well as lots of mulligans, unique raffle prizes, and a buffet at the clubhouse with specialty drinks and presentations.

A highlight of the event is the Hole-in-One Grand Prize of $10,000! There will be one designated Grand Prize hole on both Plantation and Palmetto. Additionally, if a player is fortunate enough to get a hole-in-one on any other par three hole, a special prize will be up for grabs, including a set of Callaway irons 3-PW, a Sharp LED Smart TV, or two round-trip domestic airline tickets.

While the day promises great fun and prizes, the real winner will be Mother Nature. With proceeds from the event, Skidaway Audubon will join a nationwide initiative to help bring the monarch butterfly back from the brink of extinction.

In the last 20 years, nearly 90 percent of the world’s monarchs have disappeared due mainly to loss of habitat. The butterfly’s migratory path crosses Georgia, and it is during this migration that the butterflies lay their eggs. The eggs are laid almost exclusively on milkweed, much of which has been destroyed by development and herbicides.

In partnership with The Landings Club and The Landings Association, Skidaway Audubon will plant milkweed and other plants that attract pollinators, in out-of-play areas along the golf courses, and in common areas, forming a Monarch Butterfly Trail. It also will partner with the National Wildlife Federation and the Garden Club of Georgia to encourage island residents to plant pollinator gardens in their yards.

The all-inclusive entry fee for the tournament is $145, which includes five raffle tickets, five “Monarch Mulligans” (three normal mulligans and two “Oh No!” mulligans,) all of the fun chip and putt challenges and associated prizes, and a delicious happy hour buffet. Players will have an opportunity to “spin the wheel” to purchase additional raffle tickets at check-in and during the after-play festivities.

Audubon’s Raffle Committee has gathered more than 20 great gifts and adventures, including an ultralight flight over the treetops, a three-day, two-night vacation on Tybee, a three-hour boat trip/walk on Wassaw Island, plus a variety of gift certificates from local restaurants and vendors.

To register for the tournament or to become a hole sponsor and help return the monarch, the “King of the Butterflies”, to the Coastal Empire, visit skidawayaudubon.org.

The event also will help fund many existing island-wide environmental projects.

Skidaway Audubon is an all-volunteer organization that maintains the largest network of bluebird houses in the Southeast, the largest Diamondback Terrapin rescue project in the Southeast, a state-of-the-art bird cam, and an invasive tree removal program. It also maintains a garden to help reverse the worldwide loss of pollinating insects, bat houses to reduce mosquito populations, and weather stations to promote water-saving irrigation practices. Audubon offers a speaker series and special events such as the recent raptors presentation, and partners with the Bottle Brigade litter patrol, Skidaway Farms, and Sustainable Skidaway to promote environmental awareness and stewardship.

Membership in Skidaway Audubon is just $35 a year, available through Friends of Skidaway Audubon. To join, or for more information, visit skidawayaudubon.org.  For questions, email friendsofskidawayaudubon@gmail.com.

In this photo by Fitz Clarke, an adult monarch butterfly samples lantana at the Sparrow Field.