An island family is proposing to build a new 10-lot subdivision less than a quarter-mile from Sea Camp on Cumberland Island. The land is owned by heirs who did not sell their property to the National Park Service. As a result, they own the land outright as a private inholding within Cumberland Island National Seashore. The developers have requested a […]
Hurricane Matthew pruned and removed weakened tree from the island forest, leaving the Main Road impassable by a vehicle. The Park Service imported fire crews from all over the country to help clear the debris and open the road. In 2004, Greyfield solicited a corrupted congressman to remove the Main Road, north end, and beach from Wilderness designation. Chainsaws could […]
Carol Ruckdeschel provided these photos from the beaches of Cumberland Island. The first photo shows the wrack-covered beach near Sea Camp; the other three photos show the dunes near Willow Pond.
This photo from Brickhill Marsh on the north end of Cumberland shows a feral horse stuck in the marsh. Horses on Cumberland Island often get stuck in the marsh mud and starve or drown. They wander out during low tide to graze on marsh grasses, and they often sink in mud and cannot escape. For the health of the island […]
This dead foal carcass was found recently near Stafford on Cumberland Island. Many of the island’s feral horses are starving, disease-infested, and suffering. Contraception is the best solution for the long-term health of the horses and the island.
The proposed Camden Spaceport — which would be located directly across from Cumberland Island National Seashore — released maps of its launch trajectories. Launches from the Spaceport will require closing Cumberland Island to the public as often as once a month for up to a week at a time. Why should a private facility be allowed to close a publicly […]
A developer is planning to build a barge port at the former Gilman Paper Mill site along the St. Marys River across from Cumberland Island. The plans call for a barge dock and ship berths along with railroad facilities. Regular dredging would likely be required for the St. Marys River, which would have a significant and lasting impact on aquatic life. […]
Camden County, Georgia has proposed to develop and operate a commercial space launch site at Floyd’s neck, just opposite the north end of Cumberland Island on the mainland. There would be up to 12 vertical launches and landings of associated vehicles per year. They also plan to recover spent stages at sea and do monthly fire engine tests and wet […]
Tides rise higher during the new and full moons. Last week’s full moon brought especially high tides that swallowed a chunk of the foredunes along several sections of beach. Eventually the wind and waves will round out the dunes. But it’s a healthy reminder that islands—and all beaches—are constantly in motion.
The National Park Service continues to use a masticator to clear trees and brush along the road through the wilderness, and it has plans to use the machine to clear wilderness trails as well. The clearings are purportedly for fire management, but it accomplishes little. Wildlife has already been killed by the masticator, and using this heavy equipment to clear […]