TYBEE ISLAND RESILIENCE TOUR

Tybee is a small community of 3,000 residents that saw 6.5 million visitors last year, with as many as 60,000 people on a holiday weekend in the summer. It is a coastal barrier island about a 20-minute drive from Savannah, within Chatham County, both of which expect to see 20% population growth by 2030. Tybee is bordered on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north by the Savannah River Channel which serves the Port of Savannah, the third largest port in the U.S., and to the west by a tidal salt marsh that extends the length of Georgia’s 100 miles of coastline.

The beach, dunes, and marsh are critical habitat for nesting sea turtles, several endangered bird species, fish and wildlife, and hundreds of thousands of migrating shorebirds each year. Surrounded by water on all sides, with a high elevation of only 14 feet and a water table at only 2-3 feet below ground, a growing tourism economy fueled by population growth, and a critical habitat, Tybee is experiencing first-hand many of the various resilience issues communities face by rising sea levels and climate adaptation.

Tybee’s resilience initiatives have been recognized nationally as award-winning and innovative. The Resilience Tour will give you a first-hand look at what Tybee is doing, its resiliency enhancements, and the challenges that remain. The tour takes about 2 hours, covers the entirety of the island, and stops at several spots for guests to get out into the field to examine the initiatives up close and learn how everything is connected.

Complimentary transportation on the Old Savannah Trolleys climate-controlled mini-bus is provided courtesy of AWR Strategic Consulting. Boarding the mini-bus will begin out front of the DeSoto Hotel at 1:00 PM. Our tour guide, Alan Robertson, will provide an overview of Tybee Island during the 45-minute drive to the island.  We will return to the DeSoto hotel at 5:00 PM.