Fired Up
The new fire management plan for Cumberland Island has serious flaws, says Carol Ruckdeschel. Here’s why.
Managing Wilderness: An Oxymoron
Carol Ruckdeschel offers a quick wilderness primer.
Spaceport proposed across from Cumberland
A spaceport has been proposed directly across from Cumberland Island. The private launchpad could lead to park closures, pollution, and problems for wildlife.
Fire on the Island
Carol Ruckdeschel explains how fire mismanagement is damaging Cumberland Island and why Cumberland needs a better plan.
Canaveral Whistleblower Wins Again
Carol Ruckdeschel isn’t the only watchdog keeping an eye on the National Park Service. Dr. Candace Carter, a biological technician on Cape Canaveral National Seashore, has faced repeated harassment by the National Park Service after she pointed out its illegal procurement practices. Even after she pointed out years of illegal actions, National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis declined to […]
Sea Turtle Stranding Mystery
Dead sea turtles have been washing ashore in Cape Cod in record numbers. Since mid-November, volunteers have found nearly 1,200 stranded turtles, almost all young Kemp’s ridleys, the most endangered of turtle species. That is almost three times as many as in the previous record year, and many more times the number in an average year. The turtles appear to […]
Carol: Conservation Hero of the Year
Carol Ruckdeschel was named Wild South’s Conservation of the Year in 2014. Her lifetime of scientific work on Cumberland Island National Seashore distinguished her from an impressive slate of fellow wilderness warriors. She was noted especially for her work to help defend Cumberland Island’s Wilderness and her 44-year effort to protect the island’s nesting sea turtles. “Carol is who we […]
Wilderness At a Glance
I used to think that all the green spaces on a map were protected. I didn’t understand the differences between national forest and national park, wildlife refuge and wilderness. On the map, the green-shaded areas looked protected, and that seemed good enough to me. Then I learned that hunting is allowed in national wildlife refuges. Clearcutting is permitted in national […]
Marine Protected Area for Cumberland?
Georgia’s Cumberland Island National Seashore is part of the largest loggerhead sea turtle nesting site in the world. Over 25,000 endangered turtles nest in the Southeast United States, and Cumberland Island—with 18 miles of unbroken, undeveloped dunes—is the largest barrier island in the loggerhead’s nesting habitat. Just offshore from Cumberland Island are the only endangered right whale calving grounds on […]
Sea Turtles Eating Plastic at Record Rates
A new study reveals that sea turtles around the world are eating plastic at an unprecedented pace, with some species consuming twice as much as they did 25 years ago. The problem has exploded lately due to the surge in plastic pollution globally, which is forming giant oceanic garbage patches that are expected to continue growing for centuries. The new […]