Join the Georgia Conservancy and the City of Tybee Island on Saturday, April 29th for a morning volunteer service project on Tybee Island’s beautiful beachfront! Our Tybee Island Service Project is made possible through the support of your Local Ford Dealer and Bronco Wild Fund which promotes responsible recreation and the preservation of public lands.
Volunteers will help to restore the network of sand dunes by installing and repairing sand dune fencing. Dune fencing on a beach or sand dune can help trap sands and assist in building a new foredune in front of a natural dune, to provide additional protection against coastal erosion and flooding. Dune fencing on Tybee has been an essential part of the City’s beach management plan and dune restoration after recent hurricanes.
A post-project lunch will be provided at the screened pavilion at Tybee Island’s Old City Hall.
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When: Saturday, April 29th // 8 AM – 12:30 pm, lunch at 1 pm, with an optional tour from 2 PM - 3:30 PM
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Where: Tybee Island // Park and meet at Tybee Island Memorial Park
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What to bring: Please bring a reusable water bottle, snacks, appropriate shoes for both a day on the beach and walking, a rain jacket (just in case!), sunscreen, a hat, and a sense of adventure. Gloves, tools, and lunch will be provided.
- Registration: Space is limited. Please register at https://www.georgiaconservancy.org/tybee-island-service-day
After lunch, interested volunteers are welcome to participate in a 1.5-hour tour of the restored dunes systems and discuss the history of Tybee’s beach management, the impacts of the hurricanes in 2016/2017, and the work that was done to make this island more resilient. The hop-on/hop-off bus tour will be led by Alan Robertson, Project Manager, City of Tybee Island.
Tybee Island is home to approximately 3,000 residents and it is a major beach destination for visitors from throughout Georgia and the eastern US. Hurricanes Matthew 2016 and Irma 2017 caused significant erosion of the beach and destroyed some of the natural dune systems, causing flooding inland along the island’s commercial district and several neighborhoods. Since then hurricanes and tropical storms, along with the increase in sea level rise, have seen Tybee focus on building its coastal resilience. Tybee completed its first-ever dune construction with City funds in April of 2018, and a State of Georgia grant in July 2018 provided the funding necessary to fully implement the City’s coastal resilience improvement plan, including $18 million worth of dune construction, dune stabilization for vehicle access, dune vegetation and full beach nourishment. Tybee Island has now turned its attention to implementing nature-based solutions on the back side of the island, which is still vulnerable to storm surge and king tides.
