Several people have asked me which streaming and Internet services we use and how much we saved by discontinuing old school (non-streaming) services.
As an indication, I literally unbolted my DirecTV dish and threw it off the roof. (Note: you have to return the box from inside your how, but AT&T doesn’t want the dish back). It felt quite liberating.
I think we’re saving at least $52/month and getting better service. That being said, the streaming TV services do occasionally buffer or stutter. It can be frustrating. DirecTV can be just as frustrating during a heavy rainstorm.
Our cellular LTE residential data service has dramatically improved. With excellent technical and customer support help from Elliott Friedman at E. T. Friedman Consulting, we ordered a new MoFi v2 LTE cellular router, attached it to 2 Wilson yagi antennas and a Netgear Orbi mesh network.
Now our network is
faster (roughly 9 MB download, 16 MB upload and 40 ms ping)
more reliable (less jitter, less downtime in our initial tests, and
better supported.
We’re using about $1,000 of gear — but you might not need it all. You might get away with spending only $500 (talk to Elliott) plus installation/consulting. The ongoing cost is $99/month without contracts or caps. We’re exploring other service options, including the new T-Mobile stationary service, that might cut the cost roughly in half in coming months.
We’ve heard from Elliott that he has another Dewees client with higher speeds. Together we’re exploring why our service isn’t as fast.
We first met Elliott because of the Dewees Island Bird Cam project. We’ve found him to be very knowledgeable, responsive and customer friendly. He’ll figure out what’s best for your situation (and not use some generic solution that only works at someone else’s house). The easiest way to reach Elliott is via email: elliott@etfriedman.com . He can also be reached by text or voice at 843-882-5299.
Technology keeps moving. For historical perspective, here are some links to previous articles on this subject. They’re getting stale, but still, have some interesting information:
Monarch migration coincides here with the bloom of the male groundsel plant. The female plants are also blooming, and in a few weeks, they’ll send their wispy seeds aloft to release a sort of lowcountry snow. Usually in the last week of October, the monarchs gather to nectar on these bushes.
It’s hard to see evidence of migration, because they seem to be flittering north and south, east and west, with a joyful lack of purpose. Once they land, though, you can see them concentrating on the task at hand.
Not all the butterflies we see are monarchs: other migratory butterflies include the Common Buckeye: with rows of large spots on their wings.
Gulf fritillaries are the mostly orange butterflies with a different pattern on the underside: they are one of our most common butterflies all summer. The caterpillars hatch and feed on the passionflower (maypop) around the island.
And along with the fritillary in this photo is a Painted Lady. All of these may also migrate southward in the fall.
Sometimes video can be a better way to show the incredible number and variety of butterflies:
Elsewhere on the island, Cloudless Sulfurs can be seen all over the island~ they’re the big yellow ones. The tiny yellow ones are (imaginatively,) little yellow’s.
We are back on the island, and working our way back to normal. The kids are back in school. Evacuating isn’t my favorite part of living on an island. For my longwinded tips and thoughts on evacuation, click here. (I decided to write it all out so maybe, if there’s a next time, I’ll remember how to do it.)
As always, our first reaction on returning to Dewees is gratitude. Gratitude that the storm didn’t wobble 20 miles to the west, and gratitude that by the time it arrived on our shores, the winds were pushing the current and surge away from the mainland and offshore, rather than the 4-7 foot surge we were expecting. And gratitude for the village of staff, local emergency officials, and neighbors who helped us weather the storm.
The governor ordered an evacuation at the 6:30 press conference on Sunday night. By this time, the community was pretty much finished up with the dammit!ball tournament (Thanks Michael and your crew) over on the front beach. Despite king tides which reached almost to Ancient Dunes Boardwalk, there was a pretty good crowd gathered.
Because it was a holiday weekend, the island was pretty crowded. Everyone began preparing to leave. On Monday, the last run of the big ferry was at 9:30: It was crowded.
Meanwhile, the staff was preparing the community buildings and doing all sorts of things for us that we are probably not aware of. For instance, did you know that Lori evacuated the animals in the nature center? At her home, there will be four turtles, a lizard, a fish, and a handful of horseshoe crabs in addition to her family and pets? I took this photo of her and Cora last year when they were taking all the critters home.
The DUC team also secures the water plant and makes sure we’re ready to get back online quickly. Meanwhile, the staff puts all the Huyler House porch and pool furniture in, and puts up shutters where necessary:
Fire chief Richie McWethy operates the lull while Nathan secures the shutters.
I always thought that part about the sheriff showing up and telling everyone to get off the island was an urban legend. Not at all: here is the Charleston County Sheriff’s office arriving (with the Breeze) to discuss evacuation with the island manager and the fire chief:
Once the big ferry was headed to the boatyard to be pulled out and placed safely in dry dock, there were still a lot of people on the island who needed to get off. The breeze began running continuously (in very high tides) and people who were lined up on the dock all got off the island relatively quickly. David took some people over on the Scout, and the skiff also carried passengers and gear to the dock.
Catherine was stationed on the dock to help facilitate all the transitions. While this was a bit of hurry-up situation, everything was pretty calm and friendly~ neighbors looking out for each other, helping with golf cart transportation, offers of assistance from everything to moving cars and carts to places to stay. We are fortunate to be surrounded by this atmosphere of kind consideration.
Evacuation is not my favorite activity~ more on that here. It was fun to catch up with some Dewees friends while in Atlanta, and fun to hear about other impromptu Dewees gatherings.
Because the wifi stayed up, we could even watch the impoundment from our Dewees friends’ house:
The island manager kept us informed with regular updates during the storm. AND got the island opened very quickly on Friday morning. We arrived just after the island opened on Friday, and were stunned to see how well organized and tended everything was. The dock (and waterways) were free of all debris:
Compared to previous storms, the waterline was relatively low at the base of the ramp:
The newspaper was still there from the day we evacuated:
And all the shuttle carts were ready to go:
The warning flag was still up, reminding us of what a near miss this was:
The breeze was returned to service on Friday afternoon, and until then the ferry crew made regular runs on the skiff:
It’s strange to see the causeway basically empty:
The roads had been basically plowed of the general coverings of pine straw, sticks and branches that covered them. You can see where the staff dragged the debris over to the sides of the road. Several of the water oaks on Old House Lane split and broke, and some pines were down but obviously cleared up already.
The islander was back in service quickly as well: here she is on Saturday coming past the marina:
Over on the beach, there were some big changes:
This is Osprey Walk. We took a bunch of drone photos to show the before and after of some of these locations.
There are lots of broken shells on the beach, and its hard to tell whether some of the erosion is from the storm or from the holiday weekend king tides.
section of boardwalk washed up
The south end of the beach is pretty much the same, but the north end has definitely experienced some significant change:
Looking south from Osprey Walk, where the deep stumps that have been covered for the last few years are now uncovered again.
I am putting together some before/after shots from the drone; stay tuned.
For now I want to conclude the way I began: with gratitude. For all the staff has done and is continuing to do for our community. For the timing and direction of the storm that spared us a direct hit or destructive surge. For the good wishes, texts, emails, and inquiries from friends near and far. For the resiliency of the island and the creatures that call it home. Our hearts go out to those whose lives are forever changed by this storm~ we support the efforts of Water Mission in the Bahamas.
Typically this is focused on birdfeeders with hummingbirds, painted buntings and many other birds. For now, removed the big feeders. The camera is pointed at the Dewees Impoundment
[conditions note: data reported here seems stale compared to other reports we’re receiving. They say Dewees has received almost 10” of rain. Here’s a screenshot
At the moment, all eyes are on hurricane Dorian. I get asked a lot of questions about hurricanes, and normally when we’re prepping to leave or hunker down, everything is so frantic that I don’t have a chance to write about things. As the track moves a little north, this post may be abbreviated. We’re a big fan of Channel 2 news, and here’s their latest track:
Dewees has to plan ahead for storms, and we usually evacuate before the other islands do. When we managed rentals, visitors were often confused about why there would be a voluntary evacuation order so early. I had a few minutes to chat with David Dew, the island manager, as we prepared for Florence last year, and he can sum up the entire evacuation timeline with central point: the crane. The ferries are the highway to the island, and essential to protect. In order to protect them in a potentially catastrophic storm, they need to be pulled from the water at the boatyard by a large crane. The crane needs to be scheduled in advance, and once the winds pick up, even in advance of the “real” storm, the crane can no longer safely work the boats. So everything works backwards from that date. We’re not being hysterical; we’re being strategic.
Even if an evacuation isn’t necessary, there are a number of things everyone can do to make their homes more hurricane-ready.
OUTSIDE CLEANUP
Basically, anything on porches or in garages can become a projectile. Birdfeeders, wicker furniture, porch swings, potted plants, fishing gear, and bicycles need to be stored. If you don’t pick up all that stuff, you can find yourself with a situation like this:
or this:
It usually takes us an hour or two to get all the stuff inside, and we often roll up the rugs and push everything all together.
SHUTTERS:
Hurricane protection, like fire protection, is an essential part of the design process when you are building a home on the island. There are a LOT of different options people use on the island.
Bahama Shutters
Bahama Shutters provide shade during the summer months and can be lowered and locked to protect those windows. These are always attached to the windows and can be pulled in and secured from the inside. Before getting new windows, Huyler house had bahama shutters.
Corrugated Shutters
Corrugated shutters come in metal and polycarbonate, and are usually panels that slide into a top track.
The panels are usually stored in a box on the deck, and are the size that one person can slide the top into the track and then secure the bottom with bolts and wing nuts.
One advantage of the polycarbonate is that they let light through, so if it’s a high window you can often leave them up for the whole season.
They can also cover doors:
Rolldown shutters
This house has bahama shutters on the left and rolldown shutters over the large windows.
Rolldown shutters are usually mounted on the outside of the house and can be operated manually from inside or outside the house, depending on the particular setup. Some are electric and some can even be operated remotely.
These rolldowns are operated with a wand, which allows the user to crank the shutters down from inside the house. these rolldowns are operated with a crank from outside the house, but the last one can be controlled from within the house.
Custom Wood Shutters
Some houses have custom wood shutters that make closing up fairly simple as the shutters are attached to the house and only need closing.
these shutters slide across the windows these shutters fold in from the outside.these shutters close over the french doorsInside view of custom shutters that flip down These hinged shutters drop down from a panel in the porch ceiling. They have smaller windows in them so you can let light in if you need it.
Fabric Shutters
One different kind of storm protection that is relatively easy to store and lightweight is hurricane fabric. These are panels that get stored inside and mounted over windows and doors.
These are secured with pegs and wing nuts.
you can move them aside when you need to reach the door.
Hurricane proof glass
Homes with hurricane proof glass are easier to close up: lock the windows and doors and head on out. They are more expensive up front though.
Plywood
Plywood is one choice: pros are price; cons are storage and difficulty of installation. This home along the waterway uses plywood to board up:
Go ‘way hurricane cookies
When I first moved to the lowcountry, I was totally addicted to a Post and Courier Column called Good Morning Lowcountry. When they took out the column, I canceled the paper subscription, though we still read it online. But I digress. Island friend Harriet McLeod was the writer of that column, and you can still get copies of her columns in her book Good Morning Lowcountry, Lessons from the South Carolina Swamp. It is totally worth the read Here is an article about the reactions in the P&C newsroom when Harriett delivered the cookies.Last year, Harriett put a set of her famous hurricane cookies into our auction for the Lake Timicau project, but then she was out of town when Florence started bearing down on us. Rich with caramel, chocolate, and a little gris-gris, these cookies have magical properties to ward off storms. The mantle of baking them fell to me, so I threw them together as we got ready to evacuate last year. Well, the first batch of 2019 has been baked, folks, and I am happy to bake the second in the morning. Here’s hoping that storm fizzles on out.
Here’s a shot of me delivering the warm cookies to people securing their homes last year.
I walk across the long, narrow dock toward what can only be considered an island edge, the intermediary zone between civilization and creation. I sit down on the dock’s wooden bench and take a deep breath. I am on the boundary between here and elsewhere. Peering ahead, I feel as if I am both a resident perceiving the beyond and an outsider experiencing the island from within. And yet, at the edge, sense supersedes the need to form perspective. To think too hard is to waste a timeless moment where I and the world around me can simply be.
I look up as the clouds wisp rapidly through the air, swift as the salt marsh ripples below. They shadow a pale peachy sky, which dependably dims in the routine absence of its glowing source.
The warm glimmer reflects from the tidewater, completing a near symmetry of the landscape. Even the chiseled wood of Big Bend Dock glows a soft pink. The smooth darkening expanse of marsh grasses contrasts with the sky, the tide, and even the large slab of two-by-fours upon which my feet rest.
Lights flicker in the distance – headlights cross bridges, houses hunker down on the horizon line, and towers flash red – but they are all so far away. They are night lights for Dewees, seen only from the island edge.
The wind whips from my left and across my body with force and power, yet care and prudence. It is a warm chill that lifts me from within myself, taking with it all distasteful energy, removing the thoughts that are unwelcome in such an atmosphere. The wind is fair. It does not injure nor disturb. It is neither angry nor vengeful. It simply gusts away the grime – a vacuum for the soul.
The air smells of salt and life. One whiff is enough to become part of the air and everything around. The sturdy dock. The tidal creek. The clouds and cordgrass, now the same silhouette shade against the pale evening sky and water.
But just as I am a part of this maritime microcosm, sounds all around alert me that it is also apart from me. It is something else much greater, much stronger, and much more harmonious. I hear it all. I hear cicadas singing amongst the palmettos, a sweet symphony of whispers. The high-tide ripples slosh soundly against the wooden framework of the dock. The pop of the pluff mud and fiddler pitter patter play percussion in the evening orchestra. An avian shriek pitches in an operatic melody in the distance. And above all else I hear the wind as it softly whispers into my ear, “It’s okay…I am here, and so are you.”
Jared Crain was a summer intern this summer. He is finishing up his degree at Berry College this fall.
We are winding down the last few weeks of summer, but there’s still great stuff to do. You can print an entire list of August summer programs here. You can also download the Dewees App, which will have all of these programs in it. If you want to use the app through a desktop OR a non-ios device, click here. Sorry for the slight delay in getting them online.
Dewees Island Summer Programs
August 2019
Friday August 2
Ancient Dunes Gazebo
8:30 am
Turtle Team
Debrief and recap
What’s happening on the turtle team? Where are the nests and how do we protect them? Which turtles have been seen on our shores and what are the field signs? Join us for our weekly short briefing (Coffee and snacks welcome) at Ancient Dunes Gazebo. Stick around afterwards for beach games.
Friday August 2
9:00 am
Ancient Dunes Gazebo
Beach Games
Join us as we use search the beach for treasures from the deep and use dip and seine nets to explore the tide pools and swash zone to find out what creatures live here. Wear shoes & clothes that can get wet, sunscreen, and hats and plenty of water. Sign up here.
Friday August 2
6:30
Art Show
Sun Moon and Stars
This collective exhibit has many items from owners personal collections as well as some for sale. Come check out our sun, moon and Stars Art.
Monday
August 5
9:30
Crabbing Dock
This fun, family friendly program introduces you to tips and tricks for crabbing sustainably, catching bait, and other insider tips to have a great vacation on the island. Highly recommended for first time guests and repeat visitors, you’ll have a great time learning and crabbing on the dock! Register here.
Tuesday
August 6
9:30
Ferry Dock
Family Nature Program: Mammal Safari
What mammals are on the island and what clues do they leave behind? How can we tell if that’s coyote fur or something else? What do the wildlife cameras show us? Fun for all ages. Register here.
Thursday August 8
10:30
Huyler House
Nature Shadow Box
Join Casey as you explore Dewees Habitats and make a nature treasure to take home. Register here
Friday August 9
Ancient Dunes Gazebo
Turtle Team Meeting and Update
What’s happening on the turtle team? Where are the nests and how do we protect them? Which turtles have been seen on our shores and what are the field signs? Join us for our weekly short briefing (Coffee and snacks welcome) at Ancient Dunes Gazebo. Stick around afterwards for the Intertidal Investigation Program.
Friday August 9
Ancient Dunes Gazebo
Intertidal Investigations
Join us as we use search the beach for treasures from the deep and use dip and seine nets to explore the tide pools and swash zone to find out what creatures live here. Wear shoes & clothes that can get wet, sunscreen, and hats and plenty of water. Register here.
Monday August 12
Crabbing and Insider Tips
Crabbing Dock
This fun, family friendly program introduces you to tips and tricks for crabbing sustainably, catching bait, and other insider tips to have a great vacation on the island. Highly recommended for first time guests and repeat visitors, you’ll have a great time learning and crabbing on the dock! Register here.
Tuesday August 13
9:30
Ferry Dock
Family Nature Adventure: Dock Dudes
Learn about mysterious aquatic life forms just under our feet through the use of hand nets and microscopes. Hat and sunscreen recommended. Register here.
Thursday August 15
Landings Building
Howling at the Moon
Meet Jared, our coyote intern, for this fascinating presentation on coyote vocalization and what we can learn from them. We’ll start at 8:30 at the landings building. Please reserve your (free) spot.
What’s happening on the turtle team? Where are the nests and how do we protect them? Which turtles have been seen on our shores and what are the field signs? Join us for our weekly short briefing (Coffee and snacks welcome) at Ancient Dunes Gazebo. Stick around afterwards for the Intertidal Investigation Program.
Friday August 16
9:00 am
Intertidal Investigations
Join us as we use dip and seine nets to explore the tidepools and swash zone to find out what creatures live here. Wear shoes that can get wet, sunscreen, and hats. Sign up here.
Friday August 16
Intern Presentations and Happy Hour
Join us at Huyler House as we learn about the summer experiences of Alexa, Hollis, and Jared and celebrate their accomplishments. Sponsored by the Dewees Island Conservancy and the Environmental Resources Board. Bring your own beverages.
The state of South Carolina is experiencing a record breaking sea turtle nesting season, as every beach sets new high records of nests on their beaches. The season started early, with the first loggerhead nest laid in April, and here on Dewees we got our first nest on May 3, found by Carey Sullivan and her boot camp buddies from Northern Virginia.
Our sea turtle nesting season began with this nest in early may
There is also a curious uptick this year on the number of day nesting turtles. On the morning of June 25 we got a call that there was a turtle nesting on the beach. In 16 years, I have never seen that (though I followed one around the beach one night hoping she would nest about 10 years ago.) One managed to get to the north end when the turtle was still on the beach. Technically, I was walking the south beach but Reggie was doing it for me by drone. That aerial perspective shows just how far up the beach she dragged herself.
Interestingly, she stopped to dig a hole, but for some reason, that didn’t work for her and she didn’t nest.
When we got to the beach, the turtle was in the process of finishing laying eggs. The amount of visible effort she put forth was impressive. She was in very soft sand right against a dead tree. Each time she dropped an egg, her entire body arched and relaxed. We live streamed the whole thing, but here is a video with the sea turtle nesting highlights. It is taken with a BIG zoom on my little canon camera: everyone stayed well back out of her way.
Our first nests have begun hatching.
Here is a video of a couple of tiny hatchlings heading to the sea from our first nest.
Once a nest hatches, we will go in 72 hours later to see the hatch success rates. These dates are publicized in the Dewees Turtle Team’s facebook page and on various boards around the island.
There are still opportunities to walk for the turtle team: sign up here:
We’ve got a lot going on this summer! It’s easy to register for programs (none of them cost anything) but it helps the environmental staff plan if you sign up in advance. July is somehow here already, and we’re headed into the biggest week on the island. Here is the July Program Schedule. Download the Dewees App on any ios device to keep in touch, OR bookmark this link on your computer, tablet, or phone.
This fun, family friendly program introduces you to tips and tricks for crabbing sustainably, catching bait, and other insider tips to have a great vacation on the island. Highly recommended for first time guests and repeat visitors, you’ll have a great time learning and crabbing on the dock! Register for your free spot here.
Tuesday July 2
8:30 am
Turtle Team
Debrief and recap
What’s happening on the turtle team? Where are the nests and how do we protect them? Which turtles have been seen on our shores and what are the field signs? Join us for our weekly short briefing (Coffee and snacks welcome) at Ancient Dunes Gazebo. Stick around afterwards for beach games. No sign up necessary.
Tuesday July 2
9:00 am
Beach Games
Wear your swimsuit and join us at Ancient Dunes for some fun games.
We’ll meet at the fire station at 11:00 and follow the fire truck around the island, finishing up at the Huyler House for an ice cream social. No sign up necessary.
Thursday July 4
9:30
Fireworks
No, we don’t have fireworks here. But you can see mainland fireworks (Charleston, Mount Pleasant, North Charleston, IOP) from the Landings Building porch, the main dock, the ferry, and the rice trunk. No fireworks or open flames (or sparklers) allowed on Dewees.
Friday July 5
9:30
Bubber and Jan’s Beach fun run and Brunch
No watches allowed: you’ll need to predict your 1 mile time. Meet at Needlerush walk at 9:30 (be there early) for the run and then a fun post race brunch at Bubber and Jan’s at lot 13. Prizes and fun abound. No sign up necessary.
Friday July 5
5:30 pm
Huyler House
Art Opening
Come check out our new exhibit: Danielle Cather Cohen’s “A Dance with Color.” Her art is already featured in one of Dewees island’s newest homes.
Light Hors d’oeuvres and Prosecco provided.
Saturday July 6
Mid-afternoon
Sand Art Contest
Come use the natural materials on the beach to build a sand castle/creation.
You can start whenever you like: Judging is at 5:00.
Monday July 8
Crabbing and Insider Tips
This fun, family friendly program at the crabbing dock introduces you to tips and tricks for crabbing sustainably, catching bait, and other insider tips to have a great vacation on the island. Highly recommended for first time guests and repeat visitors, you’ll have a great time learning and crabbing on the dock! Sign up here.
Tuesday July 9
9:30
That Summer Glow:
Bioluminescence
Learn about what bioluminescence is and how underwater creatures use their “glow”. Meet at the Landings Building. Sign up here.
Friday July 12
8:30
Turtle Team
Meeting and Update
What’s happening on the turtle team? Where are the nests and how do we protect them? Which turtles have been seen on our shores and what are the field signs? Join us for our weekly short briefing (Coffee and snacks welcome) at Ancient Dunes Gazebo. Stick around afterwards for the Intertidal Investigation Program.
Friday July 12
Intertidal Investigations
Join us at Ancient Dunes Gazebo as we use search the beach for treasures from the deep and use dip and seine nets to explore the tide pools and swash zone to find out what creatures live here. Wear shoes & clothes that can get wet, sunscreen, and hats and plenty of water. Sign up here.
Friday
July 12
Fish Printing
Come to the Huyler House picnic area at 10:00 am and make a fishy design to take home. Bring your own white t-shirt.
This fun program at the crabbing dock introduces you to tips and tricks for crabbing sustainably, catching bait, and other insider tips to have a great vacation on the island. Highly recommended for first time guests and repeat visitors, you’ll have a great time! Sign up here.
Tuesday July 16
9:30 am
Moon Launch
Discovery
It is the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon. Meet at Huyler House to learn about the moon and this historic event through hands on activities. Sign up here.
Thursday July 18
Shell ID and crafts
Meet at 10:30 am at Huyler House to learn how to ID the most common shells found on Dewees Island and make a craft to take home with Hollis & Jamie. Sign up here.
Friday July 19
8:30 am
Turtle Team
Meeting and Update
What’s happening on the turtle team? Where are the nests and how do we protect them? Which turtles have been seen on our shores and what are the field signs? Join us for our weekly short briefing (Coffee and snacks welcome) at Ancient Dunes Gazebo. Stick around afterwards for the Intertidal Investigation Program.
Friday July 19
8:30
Intertidal Investigations
Join us as we use dip and seine nets to explore the tidepools and swash zone to find out what creatures live here. Wear shoes that can get wet, sunscreen, and hats. Reserve your (free) spot here.
Monday, July 21
9:30
Crabbing and Dewees Insider tips
This fun, family friendly program introduces you to tips and tricks for crabbing sustainably, catching bait, and other insider tips to have a great vacation on the island. Highly recommended for first time guests and repeat visitors, you’ll have a great time learning and crabbing on the dock! Register Here:
Tuesday, July 23
9:30
Ferry Dock
Family Nature Program: Squirts, Stars, Spiders, and Seaweed
Learn about mysterious aquatic life forms just under our feet through the use of hand nets and microscopes. Hat and sunscreen recommended. Sign up here.
Tuesday, July 23
Guided Canoe Paddle
Spend the afternoon paddling Old House Lagoon with the Dewees Conservancy Interns. Learn about local plants and animals as you view the island from a different perspective. Basic paddling instruction provided. This is a moderate intensity level paddle due to potential wind speed and temperature; kids must be 10 years or older due to duration of paddle. Space is very limited. Must RSVP with Lori and receive confirmation to attend. Bring sunscreen, bug spray and plenty of water. To RSVP please call/text 843-568-3994.
Thursday July 25
10:30 am
Scavenger Hunt
This scavenger hunt is going old school. Meet at Huyler House to learn how to find your way without the use of your smartphone or gps with Alexa, on of our Conservancy turtle interns. Sign up here.
Friday July 26
Turtle Team
Meeting and Update
What’s happening on the turtle team? Where are the nests and how do we protect them? Which turtles have been seen on our shores and what are the field signs? Join us for our weekly short briefing (Coffee and snacks welcome) at Ancient Dunes Gazebo. Stick around afterwards for the Intertidal Investigation Program.
Friday,July 26
Intertidal Investigations
Join us as we use dip and seine nets to explore the tidepools and swash zone to find out what creatures live here. Wear shoes that can get wet, sunscreen, and hats. Sign up here.
Monday, July 29
Crabbing and Insider Tips
This fun, family friendly program at the crabbing dock introduces you to tips and tricks for crabbing sustainably, catching bait, and other insider tips to have a great vacation on the island. Highly recommended for first time guests and repeat visitors, you’ll have a great time learning and crabbing on the dock! Sign up Here.
Tuesday July 30
Family Nature Adventures: Water Wonders
Become a nature detective as we explore water through hands on activities and experiments. Join us at Ancient Dunes Gazebo. Register here.
Wednesday, July 31
Ancient Dunes Gazebo
Black Moon Constellations
There is a new moon tonight, which makes it perfect for checking out the night sky. Come learn about planets, stars, constellations and more with Jared, one of our summer interns. Sign up here.
Gulf fritillaries are the mostly orange butterflies with a different pattern on the underside: they are one of our most common butterflies all summer. The caterpillars hatch and feed on the passionflower (maypop) around the island.
And along with the fritillary in this photo is a Painted Lady. All of these may also migrate southward in the fall.
or this:
It usually takes us an hour or two to get all the stuff inside, and we often roll up the rugs and push everything all together.
I walk across the long, narrow dock toward what can only be considered an island edge, the intermediary zone between civilization and creation. I sit down on the dock’s wooden bench and take a deep breath. I am on the boundary between here and elsewhere. Peering ahead, I feel as if I am both a resident perceiving the beyond and an outsider experiencing the island from within. And yet, at the edge, sense supersedes the need to form perspective. To think too hard is to waste a timeless moment where I and the world around me can simply be.
It is the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon. Meet at Huyler House to learn about the moon and this historic event through hands on activities. 
Spend the afternoon paddling Old House Lagoon with the Dewees Conservancy Interns. Learn about local plants and animals as you view the island from a different perspective. Basic paddling instruction provided. This is a moderate intensity level paddle due to potential wind speed and temperature; kids must be 10 years or older due to duration of paddle. Space is very limited. Must RSVP with Lori and receive confirmation to attend. Bring sunscreen, bug spray and plenty of water. 
There is a new moon tonight, which makes it perfect for checking out the night sky. Come learn about planets, stars, constellations and more with Jared, one of our summer interns.