The Reserve engages habitat restoration and enhancement on the island. Projects range from oak maritime forest restoration, saltmarsh restoration, and habitat enhancements through other native plant installations. Questions? Contact Stewardship Staff.
In 2023, the Reserve began a pilot program to collect and grow southern live oak, Quercus virginiana, on the island, and transplant seedlings to Airstrip Field, a former agriculture field and then dirt airstrip that has been decommissioned. Maritime forest in coastal Georgia is a habitat that is under threat from increasing development through Georgia’s coastal counties. Southern live oak is an iconic and romantic symbol of the region, but due to various causes, has limited natural regeneration on Sapelo Island.
The Reserve’s main nature trail runs across 5 different barrier island habitats. In the era of Howard Coffin’s ownership of the island, an earthen causeway was installed crossing through salt marsh on the west side of Dean Creek. The Nature Trail, which was created in the 1990s, used this established causeway as the path of least resistance when creating the nature trail, which runs all the way to Nanny Goat Beach. Now, the earthen causeway has suffered from increasingly frequent flooding, restricting access across the trail. In order to maintain access to the trail, as well as restore hydrologic flow through the marsh, the Reserve is replacing the causeway with an elevated boardwalk, and will replanting the impacted area with salt marsh vegetation.
The Reserve designs enhancements for the stormwater management. Swales or bioswales help with stormwater runoff by slowing the water flow and filtering the water. Native plants absorb the excess water and provide the filtration, while also providing habitat to pollinators. Visitors can find an example of a stormwater swale installed by the reserve in front of the gravel parking lot at the Visitor Center.
Our Native Demonstration Garden at our Long Tabby office was created in collaboration with our non-profit partners Coastal Wildscapes and Friends of Sapelo. The garden is a highlight for island visitors to peruse during the Long Tabby/Education Lab stop of public and private tours.
