How might the Cumberland Island National Seashore be affected by the proposed land swap/NPS filing?

At first glance it seems like a good move: engineer land swap removing private parcels from inside Cumberland Island National Seashore. However, this offer (added below) It raises fears that stock markets could accelerate development on the barrier island off the coast of Georgia.

As suggestedThe national seashore would add approximately 400 acres to the seashore. How much land the Park Service will give up in return has not yet been determined.

However, in the comments (added below) upon offer Coalition to Preserve America’s National Parks He was concerned that the swap would lead to more development on the seashore, potentially opening other lands along the national seashore to exploitation.

“The proposed land swaps appear to be based on the idea that consolidation of development would be an asset in the management of the park,” the coalition wrote to Cumberland Island Supervisor Melissa Trenchik in commenting on the proposal. “However, without restrictions consistent with authorizing legislation, the waterfront’s character as wilderness and as a place where visitors can enjoy isolation and solitude may be lost. Allowing new private development on the waterfront would reverse a half-century of the federal government and government’s efforts to protect this invaluable resource.” “It’s an investment from countless people working together.”

Wild Cumberlanda nonprofit organization that advocates for the preservation of nature along the national seashore.added below) arguing that the public has not been provided with sufficient information about the proposed change to evaluate the proposal. For example, in their comments, the group stated that the proposal did not specify how many acres of national seashore would be lost in the exchange, nor did it include valuation figures.“Potential Wilderness” accepts any definition or description of its boundaries and “consequently “It will create approximately 3 miles of special use and potential development corridor.”

Learn about visiting pressures at Cumberland Island National Seashore.

In addition, Wild Cumberland said the proposal does not identify other lands that could potentially be added to the national seashore, including about 175 acres that the Nature Conservancy has held for more than two decades and that could be added to the national seashore.

“BWhy doesn’t the NPS focus on ending protected rights and returning to the ‘primitive, undeveloped’ state as intended (Cumberland Island National Seashore)? The group claimed that the proposed land swap would allow for further and possibly unrestricted development.The stated purpose (of the national seashore) is to ‘protect’ primitive, undeveloped character One of the largest and most ecologically diverse barrier islands on the Atlantic coast; It preserves natural, scientific and historical values ​​and offers exceptional opportunities for outdoor recreation and solitude.'”

The Coalition, which opposes the change in its current form, called on the inspector to “provide a complete analysis of alternatives and direct, indirect and reasonably foreseeable impacts in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) so that the public can accurately assess the effects of the change.” Proposed land swap.”

How the National Park Service manages the seashore has been controversial in recent years.

Park officials in 2022 The decision, which is open to more than twice the number of visitors allowed at the park located on Georgia’s largest barrier island, has raised concerns that the Park Service is straying from the reasons behind the seashore’s establishment in 1972. Recently, the Park Service was involved in a lawsuit seeking to remove 100-150 wild horses in season—the agency opposed such a move—and now discussions are ongoing over a proposed land swap.

Learn about the lawsuit aimed at removing wild horses from Cumberland Island.

Cumberland Island offers an unusual mix of cultural, historical and natural resource features. Dungeness Historic District It interprets the ruins of the mansion built in 1884 for Thomas Carnegie (Andrew Carnegie’s younger brother and business partner), his wife Lucy, and their 9 children. 22,000 square meters Plum Garden Mansion It was built in 1898 as a wedding gift to George Lauder Carnegie and Margaret Thaw and is open for tours.

There are acres of land maritime forest It hosts live oaks covered in Spanish moss, towering over an understory of saw palmetto, holly, vines and Virginia creeper, while white-tailed deer, armadillos, wild horses and wild pigs roam the island. There is approximately 28 kilometers of coastline that attracts loggerhead turtles to nest; At the northern tip of the island is the First African Baptist Church, built in 1893.

Under the national seashore general management plan adopted in 1984, daily visitation to the park was regulated at “approximately 300 people per day”. However, the Park Service is considering a proposal to more than double that figure by improving access through the Dungeness and Sea Camp docks and adding 100 more people per day to the Plum Orchard dock if ferry service is available.