Over the 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, the Georgia Conservancy led a group of 45 people to Cumberland Island for a service trip. Together the group cleaned and cleared over 4.5 miles of beach and over five miles of back-country trail.

For many members of the group it was a weekend of firsts: first time to visit Cumberland Island and the first time sleeping outdoors. Said Morehouse College student James King: "My first camping trip has me in awe! Since I have been home I am telling everyone on the mainland how much fun I had preserving our land to share with others. I will try to make it back to the island around twice a year to continue service and enjoying nature as it is."

Thanks to REI for helping to sponsor the trip and to our trip-co facilitators for helping to lead such an amazing weekend - Evonne Blythers with Keeping it Wild, Darryl Haddock with the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, and Imran Battla with Students Endeavoring for Enlightened Environmental Decisions.

Click here to see more photos from the service weekend. Read the story in the Tribune & Georgian about the service weekend!

1/31/2010 Georgia Conservancy weighs in on Cumberland's Former Reserved Properties Management Plan

Cumberland Island National Seashore
P.O. Box 806101
Wheeler Street
St. Marys, Georgia 31558

Dear Superintendent Boyles:

The Georgia Conservancy is responding to the National Park Service (NPS) request for comments regarding its proposed Former Reserved Properties Management Plan (FRPMP). We recognize that the first of the reserved properties agreements coming to term in 2010 presents the NPS with some significant policy, planning and implementation challenges. We are pleased to provide comments on the NPS planning process conceptually, as well as on the specific proposals for the 2010 class of Former Reserved Properties (FRPs).

Guiding Policy

Insofar as possible, the Georgia Conservancy recommends that the NPS develop a policy statement which provides overall guidance on future uses or demolition of FRPs based on location, age, structural integrity and documented historic significance. Although we recognize that these and future FRPs represent unique cases, we believe that the development and implementation now of a policy statement is an important confidence-building measure that speaks to NPS intentions regarding implementation of the FRPMP. The Georgia Conservancy recognizes the possibility that the unique characteristics of each FRP may require that the NPS deviate from this guiding policy statement on rare occasion.

Wilderness Removal

The Georgia Conservancy believes that those FRPs in the wilderness which have no documented historical significance should be dismantled. Unless the NPS documents an important improvement to its safety or mission capabilities, proper wilderness management dictates that non-historic structures be removed at the earliest opportunity.

One less clear element is whether dock structures associated with FRPs should also be removed. In the interest of limiting unintentional human presence, the docks should be removed. However, given the environmental disturbance associated with dock removal, NPS may wish to wait until the structure is unusable.

Extending Retained Rights

With respect to the FRP known as The Grange, the NPS is considering an extension of the existing retained rights lease in exchange for investment by the lease holder in order to bring the property up to NPS standards.

While we are troubled by the concept of an historically significant, publicly-owned building devoted entirely to private use, we nonetheless recognize the burden the NPS faces in maintaining and upgrading historic structures. We agree that the primary NPS mission with respect to these structures is preservation. For this reason, we are reluctant to oppose the extended lease concept in the current economic climate because it does represent a viable option to achieve stabilization and preservation in this time of declining available public funding.

At the same time, we believe the NPS needs to demonstrate that such a lease arrangement (particularly to the existing lease holder) is clearly in the public interest. In our view, there are several points that NPS should address in making its case. First, NPS should document that there are no compatible users/leases that the NPS might consider in addition to the existing lease holders. In instances where there are compatible users/leases, NPS should develop and implement a "request for proposal" process. And secondly, in the interest of avoiding any perception of favoritism, current occupation of the property should be considered a detriment in evaluating any competing proposals.

Two other critical factors in evaluating whether private leasing is in the public interest are the level of investment estimated to be required, as well as the period of the lease. Not only are these two details significant by themselves, but they are also interrelated in any overall assessment of whether a private lease agreement truly is in the public interest. As these details are currently unknown, the Georgia Conservancy is not in a position to address whether this proposal is appropriate.

The Georgia Conservancy appreciates the opportunity to comment on the proposed Former Reserved Properties Management Plan.

We hope you find these comments useful and welcome any questions you may have on them.In the meantime, thank you for your attention to these comments.

Sincerely,

Will Berson

Coastal Office Interim Director

- looking for more information about the FRPMP? Read the National Parks Newsletter detailing each property being discussed.

Summer 2009 - Touring Cumberland Island Issues

Cumberland Island National Seashore (CINS) welcomed Fred Boyles as its new Superintendent in June. Just as Superintendent Boyles was arriving, the National Park Service (NPS) issued a "Finding of No Significant Impact," (FONSI), which declared that the proposal to run motorized trips through theCumberland wilderness area will not undermine wilderness values. The NPS was directed to plan for thetours by the same federal law that carved the roads out of the designated wilderness at the north end ofthe island. With the roads officially not a part of the wilderness, the tours had a much lower hurdle toclear in order to win the FONSI.

Proponents of tours of the northern end of Cumberland believe that the more people that see the Island, the more advocates for Cumberland's conservation that will result. Normally, the Georgia Conservancy would agree. But under federal law, wilderness designation carries special management directives intended to create an isolated, primitive experience which is largely untouched by humans. As such, Cumberland represents a unique coastal treasure that offers a unique experience. The Conservancy is proud to stand up for such a fragile, unique barrier island experience.

Georgia Conservancy also believes that a deal is a deal. Since all of these restrictions were known when the wilderness designation was adopted, Georgia Conservancy has opposed subsequent efforts to change the wilderness agreements between island stakeholders and the federal government. That includes the law that carved out the roads and mandated between five and eight trips per day to the north end.

While it looks like only an Act of Congress can undo this unfortunate exercise in exception, the Georgia Conservancy will be working with the CINS staff and their new Superintendent to ensure that the spiritof Cumberland Island's wilderness designation is upheld. Meanwhile, there are other important management issues such as fire suppression, control of feral animals and invasive species, and the enforcement of agreements with retained rights holders, which Georgia Conservancy hopes are issues that can be further discussed with the National Park Service in order to protect Cumberland Island.

Will Berson