Conserving Jekyll Island

Jekyll Island is one of Georgia’s most beautiful places.

Developed in the late 19th century as a winter retreat for some of America’s richest families, Jekyll Island is now a state park that belongs to all Georgians.

But Jekyll holds a unique place in the state’s park system. It is not financially supported by the state Department of Natural Resources but rather must generate its own revenues to pay for its upkeep.

In recent years, the island’s income-generating resort became run-down, leading to a drop in attendance. To boost revenues, the Jekyll Island Authority is redeveloping the resort.

In addition, the Jekyll Island Authority recognized that the island contains many rare habitats and that these habitats, and the plants and animals contained within them, need to be protected for future Georgians. So, the Authority brought together a group that included the Georgia Conservancy to draft a conservation plan for the island over the next 50 years.

In September, the final plan was adopted. Click here to read more about it.

As one of the first steps in the implementation of this plan, the Jekyll Island Authority is hiring a Director of Conservation. Click here to see the job posting.