Why "Remember Jekyll Island?"

Why did I write a book about Jekyll Island? Isn't the battle over?

Unfortunately, the events of the past three to five years have exposed the hand of the Jekyll Island Authority. A poor economy and public pressure have succeeded in scaling back the planned development FOR NOW. All indications from the JIA reveal that, when economic conditions are better, they will begin anew to add new development to Georgia's Jewel.

Development occurs in a stepwise fashion. We tend to forget what our communities were like before the big box store and its associated shopping center was built. Our short term memory works in favor of those who would push more and more development of our communities. The same is true of Jekyll Island State Park. The JIA will add another boutique hotel here, another upscale store there. They've already indicated that they plan to build villas around the golf courses, and that they'd love to purchase homes on Jekyll when current residents sell.

Over 7,000 Georgians and 3,000 citizens from outside of Georgia have spoken out against extensive development of Jekyll Island State Park. The JIA has been derelict in its duty to the citizens of Georgia. It's time to require the JIA to plan and manage Jekyll Island State Park according to professional best practices.

Jekyll Island and the people of Georgia deserve better.

Thanks to cartoonist Sam Rawls, Remember Jekyll Island includes some of his insightful cartoons about Jekyll Island.

This cartoon reminds us that the battle to keep extensive development from Jekyll Island State Park is not over.

Currently, the Jekyll Island Authority is reviewing proposals from developers to create a "Beach Village." This "village" includes a much larger convention center, boutique retail, and loft apartments. In Remember Jekyll Island, you will learn from public land economist and expert Dr. John Loomis (Colorado State University) that creating private residences in a state park removes public land from public access. It, in effect, privatizes a portion of public land. This, according to Dr. Loomis, goes against all recent trends and best practices in park management.

To learn more about the Request for Proposals to develop the "Beach Village," visit http://www.savejekyllisland.org/.

Here is a photo of the Jekyll Island State Park landfill. This, along with over 60 acres of man-made golf course water hazards, are counted as "undeveloped land" by the Jekyll Island Authority. (I'll upload a photo of one of the water hazards at a later time.)

Why is this important?

Jekyll Island, by law, cannot be over 35 percent developed. If the landfill and golf course hazards were correctly classified, Jekyll Island is already over 35 percent developed.

The constroversy of land classification is presented in Chapter 4 of Remember Jekyll Island.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Why Should You Care about Jekyll Island?
Chapter 2: This Land Is Your Land
Chapter 3: Putting the “Professional” in Planning
Chapter 4: Georgia’s Natural Jewel
Chapter 5: Jekyll Island State Park: The First 50 Years
Chapter 6: “Gold Rush” on Jekyll Island
Chapter 7: Private Development Is “Necessary”
Chapter 8: The Jekyll Island Authority–Linger Longer Contract
Chapter 9: The Jekyll Island Authority Begins to Fulfill Its Contract with Linger Longer
Chapter 10: A Professional Opinion about Smoke and Mirrors (by Ken Cordell, Ph.D)
Chapter 11: Contract Epilogue
Chapter 12: Grassroots Action Makes a Difference
Chapter 13: Remembering Jekyll Island State Park
Chapter 14: What You Can Do
Chapter 15: Resources

Welcome to the Remember Jekyll Island blog!

Remember Jekyll Island was written to document the recent history of Jekyll Island State Park. This history involves a bitter battle between the public, state politicians, and the governing body of Jekyll Island State Park. It outlines the familiar story of greed and gain versus the will of the people. Here is what Charles Seabrook, well-known Georgia author and nature columnist, had to say about Remember Jekyll Island:

"Remember Jekyll Island is a thorough and detailed account of the Jekyll Island battle. Anyone who wants a good background on the bitter fight, and the many folks concerned about the future of Jekyll Island, should read this book. Remember Jekyll Island shows why we must be ever vigilant and ready to fight those—and there are a lot of them—who would sacrifice our natural heritage for a few lousy bucks. I never cease to be amazed over the power of greed, and this book shows how relentless and entrenched that power can be."

The official publication date of Remember Jekyll Island is August 2, 2010. Before then, copies will be available for purchase by June 4, 2010, on www.rememberjekyllisland.com. By June 30, the book will be available at www.Amazon.com.

For more information about Jekyll Island State Park, visit www.savejekyllisland.org.