American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) are abundant (though generally not aggressive) in the ponds and wetland areas of Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge. There were over a dozen young alligators within the first 300 yards or so, posing for my camera then slipping off into the water.
Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) were once a symbol of the diminishing wetland habitat necessary for their survival in the swamps of the Southeast. For a time one of the most endangered species in America, recent years have seen gains in their population, enough so that the Fish & Wildlife Service is considering removing them from the endangered list. They would still have a threatened status. A friend of mine recently suggested I not place them on a “vanishing” site; in honor of her positive outlook, I offer them as an evocation of how far we’ve come in protecting Georgia’s wetlands but a reminder in how much we still need to fight to protect them. Anyone who has been around Coastal Georgia in the past few years knows that population and development race forward, nearly unfettered.
Visiting Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge in late winter and early spring when the Wood Storks, along with myriad other waterfowl and waders are abundant, is a must-do when in McIntosh County.
Lazaretto Creek is located on the edge of Tybee Island and can be accessed at the Lazaretto Creek Fishing Pier off U. S. Highway 80 or just over the Lazaretto Creek Bridge. It’s a great area for tourists and locals alike to stop and take in the salt marsh scenery. Georgia’s endangered shrimping industry is usually represented with a few boats and Captain Mike’s bright yellow Dolphin boats (since 1992) herald a boom in ecotourism. It’s really a nice contrast between old and new.
Boarding the ferry Katie Underwood at Meridian
Passengers enjoying the sights of Doboy Sound on the Katie Underwood
Disembarking at Sapelo Island
Sapelo fading into the distance on the return trip to Meridian.
The brick oil house seen below was restored, along with the lighthouse, in 1998. It stored the kerosene used to power the light; five gallons would usually keep it burning all night.
This is the second oldest surviving brick lighthouse in America and the oldest surviving construction of the great lighthouse architect Winslow Lewis.
National Register of Historic Places
Range beacons such as this one were navigational aids built near existing lighthouses. Once common, they are virtually unknown today and this is the only such beacon of this type of construction still standing in America. This example provided extra light for boats in Doboy Sound [below].
This remnant of a gun emplacement is evidence of the strong military presence along the eastern seaboard during the Spanish-American War.
This is right around the bend from Cedar Point Seafood.
