St. Catherines Island is one of the barrier islands of Georgia, located 42 miles south of Savannah, Georgia. The island is ten miles long and ranges from 1 to 3 miles wide. More than half of the island’s acreage comprises tidal marsh, wetland meadows, and ponds. The remaining acreage is densely forested, with pine and live oak being the predominant species.
The history of St. Catherines Island is expansive, so the island was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1969. Today, the island is owned by the St. Catherines Island Foundation, which operates the island’s interior for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes. For this reason, the island is not open to the general public aside from beaches located on the island’s northeast and south sides.
The foundation aims to promote the conservation of natural resources, the survival of endangered species, and the preservation of historical sites and expand human knowledge in ecology, natural history, archaeology, and other scientific disciplines. In this capacity, the island serves as a refuge of last resort for endangered species from around the world.
Due to the geographic position of this barrier island and its limited sand supply, sea-level rise has resulted in rapid erosion, causing shorelines to retreat greater than three meters per year. As erosion continues, the nesting habitat of loggerhead turtles continues to diminish. The St. Catherines Island Foundation will continue to monitor sea turtle conservation by addressing nesting habitats threatened by the modern transgression.
References:
Sherpa guides: Georgia: Coast: Central Coast: St. catherines island. Sherpa Guides | Georgia | Coast | Central Coast | St. Catherines Island. (n.d.). From https://www.sherpaguides.com/georgia/coast/central_coast/st_catherines_island.html.
Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, October 28). St. Catherines Island. Wikipedia. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Catherines_Island.
Hutchinson, B. (2020, April 10). Rising seas: Addressing eroding habitats on St. Catherines Island, Georgia – the state of the world’s Sea Turtles: SWOT. The State of the World’s Sea Turtles | SWOT. From https://www.seaturtlestatus.org/articles/2014/rising-seas-addressing-eroding-habitats-on-st-catherines-island-georgia-usa.