Trips
Click here to see photos from the 2009 and 2010 Weekend For Wildlife Trips.
2012 Weekend For Wildlife Trip Descriptions
Fantastic trips have always been a staple and an attraction for this exciting event. Trips are available on both Friday and Saturday – and there is something for everyone!
Recommendations for Planning Your Trip:
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Selecting the Best Trip for You: Trip descriptions below are marked with icons that denote which trips are child-friendly, which have extended time on a boat, etc. Be sure to review these icons designed to help you make the best decision for your group. Kid-Friendly Indoors Extended Time on a Boat
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FRIDAY ADVENTURES
FEBRUARY 3, 2012
LIVING SANDS BEACH TOUR: 10 a.m. – Noon
Explore the dynamics of beach and the natural resources on our coast, from plants to bald eagles and loggerhead sea turtles. With wildlife biologists as your guides, dig in the sand for shrimp, clams, amphipods and lugworms, observe wintering shorebirds, and learn about sand movement and its influence on coastal wildlife.
Number of spaces: 36
FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING CENTER – 10:45 a.m. – 3 p.m.
FLETC serves as an interagency law enforcement training organization for more than 85 federal agencies, as well as state, local and international law enforcement organizations, including DNR. Each year, thousands of our nation’s law enforcement officials attend basic and advanced law enforcement training programs here. Tour where officers learn the skills and knowledge needed to meet the demanding challenges facing law enforcement professionals. Lunch is provided.
Number of spaces: 20
Note: Guests visiting the facility must have a photo ID.
New: MARSH ECOLOGY BY KAYAK – 12:45-4 p.m.
Get a water-level view of coastal wildlife and habitats during this sea kayak tour. DNR will team with SouthEast Adventure Outfitters to paddle the marshes and check out the beaches of St. Simons and Sea Island. Learn what threatens the marshes and what is being done to ensure they remain healthy for future generations. Also learn the skills needed to safely enjoy sea kayaking!
Number of spaces: 10
Note: Please ask staff about appropriate dress. This trip is weather dependent.
SHOOTING SPORTS AT THE CLOISTER GUN CLUB – 1-3 p.m.
Novice, expert or somewhere in between? No problem. Shooters of all skill levels will enjoy an afternoon of sporting clays and skeet shooting at the world-famous Sea Island Shooting School. Spend time with shooting instructors, sharpening your skills and testing yourself and your companions.
Number of spaces: 20
New: HENSLOW’S SPARROWS AT PAULKS PASTURE – 1-4 p.m.
Join wildlife biologists as they flush-net and – hopefully! – catch Henslow’s sparrows at Paulks Pasture Wildlife Management Area near Brunswick. DNR is surveying these rare, beautifully colored sparrows, and this trip offers an up-close opportunity to learn about the species, research and techniques. Guests will help flush, net, band and release the birds!
Number of spaces: 12
New: CHILDREN’S BANQUET – 6-10 p.m. (ages 3-12)
Your children will have a wild time at this dinner! The fun-filled evening for ages 3-12 will feature an entertaining movie, a delicious meal and a wildlife program focused on North Georgia’s special animals and plants! Children must be potty trained. A $50 registration fee is required for each child.
Number of spaces: 15
Note: Children must be checked in and picked up by a parent or guardian.
SATURDAY ADVENTURES
February 4, 2012
New: CANNON’S POINT
These 617 acres on St. Simon’s north end feature maritime forests, miles of creek and river shoreline, the ruins of Cannon’s Point Plantation and Native American archeological sites. Walk Cannon’s Point with wildlife biologists and archaeological experts such as University of West Georgia professor emeritus Dr. Ray Crook Jr. and Dr. Rochelle Marrinan of Florida State University. Project leaders will update you on private efforts to preserve this jewel of coastal ecology and history. Lunch will be on-site!
Number of spaces: 10
Note: If you’re looking for an interesting half-day trip, this is it!
New for 2012! COASTAL BIRDING
From beaches to cypress-tupelo swamps, the Georgia coast offers some of the most spectacular birding in the U.S. Join experts as they visit sites such as Gould’s Inlet and Altamaha Waterfowl Management Area. Depending on the weather, you can expect to see and learn about a wide variety of birds, from red knots and marbled godwits to black-bellied whistling ducks and bald eagles!
Number of spaces: 10
Note: Binoculars and spotting scopes welcomed. Staff also will have extra optics.
CLOISTER WINE CELLAR & HOTEL HISTORY
Go behind the scenes to see how this five-star hotel serves up amazing wines and cuisine. Venture into Cloister kitchens, visit with chefs and tour the hotel’s exclusive wine cellars, where sommeliers will discuss regional wine varietals and offer tastings. Hosts for this half-day trip will also explain the history and evolution of this sophisticated, legendary coastal establishment. Cap the unique event with another treat for your senses: lunch at the excellent River Bar!
Number of spaces: 20
CUMBERLAND ISLAND
Want to visit one of the world’s finest barrier islands? Don’t miss this trip to Cumberland! Experience rich natural communities – maritime forests, salt marshes, and dunal and beach habitats. Sample the island’s fascinating cultural history, touring sites such as the Dungeness ruins, which rise from grounds once frequented by Revolutionary war hero Nathaniel Green and later Thomas Carnegie, and Plum Orchard Mansion, built by Lucy Carnegie for her son and daughter-in-law. Then relax for lunch at historic Greyfield Inn.
Number of spaces: 22
ESTUARINE ECOLOGY ABOARD THE R\V ANNA
Enjoy a day on the intracoastal waterways aboard the 60-foot R\V Anna. Trawl for shrimp. Learn how DNR biologists assess the catch and even “sex a shrimp!” Explore the handcrafted trawler built in 1966 for commercial shrimping but used by the state for more than 40 years to monitor the ecological health of Georgia’s coast. The Anna crew will treat you to a delicious, fresh-caught shrimp stew with all the fixin’s for lunch. Expect to see pelicans, other birds and marine life on this exciting voyage!
Number of spaces: 10
Note: Not for children 10 and younger.
First time in two years! KINGS BAY NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE
Join the U.S. Navy for an exclusive tour of Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, the east coast homeport for the nuclear-powered Trident submarine, D5 missile system and the largest peacetime construction project in naval history. Guests will have lunch on base at the Clubs of Kings Bay, tour a Trident submarine and learn about the Navy’s efforts to protect and conserve the many wildlife species living on the base and in surrounding waters.
Number of spaces: 30
Note: Submarine availability is not guaranteed. Guests must provide their Social Security number and a picture ID for security clearance.
Returning for 2012: LITTLE SAINT SIMONS
This privately owned, 10,000-acre barrier island accessible only by boat from St. Simons Island has been named an Audubon Important Bird Area and is also a member of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. More than 280 species of birds, including songbirds, shorebirds, wading birds and raptors, make their home on Little St. Simons each year. The island’s staff will lead you on an interpretive tour through the maritime forest and beaches of this unique barrier island. Then you’ll feast on a Lowcountry lunch in the hunting lodge, followed by an afternoon enjoying the solitude of the island’s 7 miles of pristine beach.
Number of spaces: 10
ST. CATHERINES ISLAND
St. Catherines Island has a colorful history. Owned and managed by the St. Catherines Island Foundation, this 14,000-acre barrier island features diverse habitat and an array of rare coastal wildlife. The St. Catherines Island Center for Research, Conservation and Education has developed programs for the stewardship of local habitats and native wildlife, while also engaging in captive husbandry of rare exotic species. After a short boat trip, you will take a vehicle tour to see captive animals, native wildlife and barrier island habitat. You’ll also tour the home of Button Gwinnett, one of three Georgia signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Number of spaces: 25
New focus: SAPELO ISLAND ARCHAEOLOGY
Be an archaeologist for a day with State Archaeologist Dr. Dave Crass and his staff! Last year, Weekend for Wildlife archaeologists discovered the lightkeeper’s cottage on Sapelo. This year, we’ll investigate Thomas Spalding’s sugar mill at Long Tabby. Spalding introduced the cultivation of sugar cane and sugar manufacturing to Georgia in the early 1800s. He also reintroduced the use of tabby as a primary building material on the coast, contributed important techniques for the culture of Sea Island cotton and gradually developed Sapelo into an antebellum plantation empire. Enjoy a ferry ride to the island, excavations at Long Tabby and lunch at the Reynolds mansion.
Number of spaces: 12
Note: This is a great trip for kids 10 and older who enjoy science or history!
SAPELO ISLAND ECOLOGY
What lurks beneath the surface of the waters that wash Sapelo’s beaches? What animals could possibly call the shifting sands of a barrier beach their home? Dig in for answers to these and other questions as DNR biologists probe the beaches of Sapelo Island. Explore ancient sand dunes and back-dune environments, where immense live oaks grow from sands left by storms past. Calling on the residents of Dean Creek, you’ll sample the oyster reef communities and high marsh environments home to fiddler crabs and an abundance of wading birds. Then it’s off to the “Big House,” the historic 1920s mansion of R.J. Reynolds, for a home-cooked meal!
Number of spaces: 15
SEA TURTLES ON JEKYLL ISLAND
Celebrate the loggerhead nesting record set in 2011 with a tour of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and the Jekyll Island beach habitat critical to loggerhead and other sea turtles. Learn from Georgia’s leading sea turtle experts. Get an insider’s look at the state’s only facility devoted to sea turtle rehabilitation, research and education. Lunch at the historic Crane Cottage. Then hit the beach as DNR wildlife biologists explain the importance of our barrier islands and coastal waters to sea turtles.
Number of spaces: 12
SHOOTING SPORTS AT THE CLOISTER GUN CLUB
“Lock and load” for a day of sporting clays and skeet shooting at the world-famous Sea Island Shooting School. Spend the day with shooting instructors challenging yourself and your Weekend for Wildlife companions. After lunch at Big George’s in the fabulous Cloister Beach Club, sample Instinct Shooting in a session led by expert James Rutland. Learn to translate your ability to point into precision snap-shooting. This outing promises thrills and new skills for all, from beginners to experts.
Number of spaces: 20
Note: A hat and sunscreen are recommended. Novices welcomed!
Returning from 2011: RIGHT WHALE RESEARCH AND DOLPHINS
Waters off the Georgia and Florida coast are the only calving grounds for one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals – the North Atlantic right whale. DNR biologists monitor these incredible animals, sometimes even helping disentangle whales wrapped in fishing gear! Wildlife biologist Clay George will lead this mostly land-based trip that explores the status and conservation of our state marine mammal. Learn how right whales are disentangled on the open sea. See how biologists collect genetics samples from whales using crossbows! And now that you’re a right whale expert, take a boat tour on St. Simons Sound in search of Georgia’s smaller marine mammal resident: the bottlenose dolphin! And don’t forget lunch at the historic Crane Cottage on Jekyll Island.
Number of spaces: 12
