Cumberland Island - More than business interests - An opinion

Ellen Vessels

Member of WildCumberland.org

The National Park Service recently announced that they will accept

bids for a new ferry service to Cumberland Island. Now officials and local

entrepreneurs are pushing to increase the number of daily visitors to the

island. This service would undoubtedly stimulate the economy in either

St. Marys, Fernandina Beach, or both. Yet there are more than just business interest to be considered.

When Cumberland Island was made a National Seashore, Congress directed the National Park Service that "no development of the project or plan for the convenience of visitors shall be undertaken which would be incompatible with the preservation of the unique flora and fauna" (section 5b). Increasing the number of visitors will also directly increase the human impact on the island's already fragile ecosystems and would contradict the very purpose for which Cumberland Island was preserved as a national seashore. Furthermore, the Wilderness Act indicates that an area is set aside for wilderness when it "has outstanding opportunities for solitude" (section 2c).

Visitors cherish the increasingly rare opportunity to enjoy

solitude in undisturbed wilderness. Instead of looking to Cumberland Island and seeing dollar signs, we should appreciate what makes the island so unique: its diverse ecosystems and the opportunities it provides to commune with nature in a land untouched by the impacts of tourism and development.

Photo from www.wildcumberland.org website.

Editor's Note: According to www.wildcumberland.org, Wild Cumblerland is a grassroots group dedicated to protecting the designated wilderness, native species, and ecology of Cumberland Island." There mission is to "restore the wilderness character of the island by ensuring that ecosystems are allowed to function naturally."  Ellen Vessel is a member of the organization, but not an official spokesperson.

March 28, 2014 3:33 p.m.