Ms. Edith Smoak & The Georgia DNR Shrimping Excursion

Ms. Edith Smoak’s St. Simon’s Island History Class May 27^th

View of the St. Simon’s pier from the top of the lighthouse

We listened to Dr. Deal’s former high school history and psychology teacher, Ms. Edith Smoak, talk about the history of St. Simon’s Island.  Ms. Smoak’s history lesson of St. Simon’s covered everything from the arrival of the Spanish missionaries in the early 16^th century to the resort tourist era of today.  After our session with Ms. Smoak, we visited the Coastal Georgia Historical Society’s Museum, where we climbed to the top of lighthouse.  We walked through the museum after climbing the lighthouse, and the museum that included artifacts such as, Native American arrowheads, tabby used to make houses, and teacups. 

Ms. Smoak explained to us how the current lighthouse that we eventually climbed is not the original lighthouse.  It was destroyed by the Confederate Army during the War Between the States (Civil War) to prevent Union ships from using the lighthouse.  The Confederate forces made the right decision, in my opinion, to burn down their own lighthouse, so that union forces could not use it to their advantage.  Even though we are in an era where people use GPS, “the lighthouse [is] one of only five that exist in Georgia, still serves as a navigation aid to ships entering St. Simons…” (Explorer’s Guide).  Ms. Smoak talked about the history of plantations in the St. Simon’s region and how important slave management was on a plantation.  Several plantations in the St. Simon’s Island area, like Hofwyl-Broadfield, relied on the Gang and Task systems mentioned in Ms. Smoak’s purple more information sheet.  In the “gang system – slaves were under a “driver”, who accounted to “head driver”, then to overseer, and finally to the owner,” was a slave management system where the slaves were managing other salves to complete their assignment.  On the other hand the “Task system – each slave was given a specific assignment” where slaves were given a specific task and after they completed that task they were able to do other activities: grow crops for their family, take care of their family, and fix their quarters.  Slavery would not be as historically significant in American history if it was not for the task and gang systems that made the United States the agriculture king of the 18^th and 19^th centuries.             

As a history buff, I really enjoyed Ms. Smoak’s history lesson about St. Simon’s Island.  When I walked into our session with Ms. Smoak I had an understanding of some of the history of St. Simon’s from our readings and excursions, but I was blown away by the all the history that Ms. Smoak knows about St. Simon’s Island.  Her session did not focus much on the touristy side of St. Simon’s Island; it instead focused more on how St. Simon’s Island became a successful region for numerous industries spanning hundreds of years.  Since we visited sites like the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation and Fort Frederica, we were able to better understand the material Ms. Smoak covered in her session since we already visited those sites while staying on St. Simon’s Island.  I appreciated Ms. Smoak’s the time and effort out of her busy schedule to educate us on the history of St. Simon’s Island.      

An Interactive Ecology Lesson with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) May 28^th

Shrimp and other sea creatures caught by the DNR

Our morning started off early on a shrimping boat with members of Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR).  While we were on the boat our guide, Paul Medders, told us about the ecology of St. Simon’s Island and the Georgia coast.  After we were out on the bay employees of Georgia’s DNR released a net to catch shrimp.  When they pulled the net out of the water, there were not only shrimp, but sharks, jellyfish and various other kinds of fish.  After we returned from shrimping in the bay, we went into a classroom where Paul told us more about wildlife conservation. 

According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) brochure, the DNR “conducts and maintains public boating and fishing access” by collecting small quantities of specific species of fish to determine the starting date and duration of fishing seasons.  Similar to our shrimping excursion, the DNR studies the reproduction, migratory, and nutrient consumption of local fish.  Paul mentioned that shrimping industry is actually being negatively affected by the tourism industry, because hotels, homebuilders, and other tourism related industries are buying up properties that were used for docks.  With the decreasing number of docks that shrimpers can use, t limits the amount of people that can shrimp.  My family and I have vacationed in Cape Cod for over ten years, and one of the issues that gets brought up during our vacation is debate over wind turbines being installed several miles off the beach.  Some of the concerns that are raised with wind turbines in the ocean include obstruction of people’s beach view, harming birds, and harming the local fish.  Paul told me that the wind turbines are so far out that people on the beach cannot really notice them unless they have binoculars.  There is also a large migration of a particular species of bird that migrate off the coast of Georgia that may be effected from the installation of new wind turbines could potentially effect their migration pattern.

Our trip with the DNR on the shrimping boat was by far the best activity on our May Term trip.  Our guide Paul was extremely helpful with answering questions about the wildlife in the region and how the DNR is working to protect the wildlife and ecosystem of costal Georgia.  I did not realize how shrimping can be used for conservation purposes, but after our trip I learned that the DNR goes shrimping to see when the shrimping season should open.   I did not realize that shrimp live to be 18-24 months old and reproduce only once in their lifetime. I am an avid outdoorsman, and I appreciate what the DNR and other wildlife agencies do across the country.  They ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy the same wildlife I experienced while on St. Simon’s Island and at other parks I have visited over the past 21 years.