Was Released by Hilton Head Audubon on June 17, 2023
Hilton Head Audubon (HHA) introduced the first edition of its new report, “Gullah Geechee of Mitchelville: Cultural Ties to Birds and Nature,” at the Juneteenth Celebration at Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, Saturday, June 17th, 2023.
Juneteenth is a holiday to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. Historical Mitchelville Freedom Park expects thousands of people to come to their Celebration. There was music, food and vendors.
HHA received a grant from National Audubon to research the importance of birds and nature in the Gullah Geechee community at the time of the founding of Mitchelville. Helping Hilton Head Audubon to prepare their Gullah-related research was a collaboration with USC-Beaufort through their Student Connected program, which inspires students across all disciplines by offering opportunities for fieldwork, research, internships, and service learning with local partners. Associate Professor of English, Sarah Swofford’s professional writing class helped to prepare the materials.
Hilton Head Audubon Led Bird Walks, Crafts During Juneteenth
HHA had a significant presence at the Celebration, including an information booth in the non-profit section where members distributed copies of our report, and provided materials about HHA, birding, and conservation. We hosted a craft area, where we engaged children and spirited adults by creating pine-cone feeders, owl eyesight vision paper towel binoculars, and origami swans. We also led bird walks from the craft center through the woods and down to the beach.
We are now continuing work on “Gullah Geechee of Mitchelville: Cultural Ties to Birds and Nature.”