Georgia Conservancy has long been committed to protecting the wild and undeveloped character of Cumberland Island National Seashore. Starting in the late 1960s, when we led the fight for its designation as a National Seashore, Cumberland has remained central to our advocacy and stewardship efforts.
In our public comments on the National Park Service’s (NPS) 2025 Visitor Use Management Plan (VUMP) for Cumberland Island, we emphasize that conservation of the island’s wilderness character and globally-significant habitats must remain the guiding priority.
We support thoughtful public access and adaptive management and acknowledge the extensive work on this plan. However, we have concerns about the proposed visitor capacity. The analysis suggests up to 1,400 people could be on the island simultaneously, a significant rise from the current 300-person daily ferry limit. Any increase, including the proposed 700 ferry passengers per day, must be clearly justified, implemented gradually, and accompanied by robust ecological monitoring with prompt adjustment if impacts occur.
Georgia Conservancy is concerned that only one of the plan’s three monitoring indicators directly measures ecological impacts. Protecting wildlife and wilderness character requires stronger, resource-focused metrics and commitments to staffing and enforcement.
We question the need for new infrastructure, such as the Nightingale Beach campground and pavilion, due to potential impacts on sensitive habitats. Expanded bicycle and e-bike access in Wilderness areas also poses risks to natural resources and visitor experience.
Finally, we urge NPS to complete a formal Wilderness Stewardship Plan and a horse management strategy before proceeding with major changes. Cumberland’s primitive character is its greatest asset, and management decisions must always reflect this enduring purpose.
More information on the 2025 VUM Plan & EA can be found here, while it can be read in its entirety here.
Please provide your comments to the National Park Service by February 21, 2026.
Background on the Visitor Use Management Plan Process
During the Fall of 2022, the National Park Service (NPS) released its proposed Visitor Use Management Plan (VUM Plan) & Environmental Assessment (EA) for Cumberland Island National Seashore. From October 2022 through December 2022, NPS accepted public comments on the VUMP Plan and EA.
From NPS: “The park is developing a visitor use management plan (the plan) to determine appropriate opportunities for visitors to use, experience, and enjoy Cumberland Island National Seashore and to develop strategies to concurrently protect resources. This plan examines management options to enhance the protection of natural, cultural, and scenic resources and values, while providing visitors improved accessibility to a variety of opportunities to be inspired through personal connections with those resources.”
January 2026 Update:
From NPS: “In March 2025, the planning process was reinitiated to update the proposed action. Cumberland Island National Seashore (Park) is providing the public with a final opportunity to comment on the Visitor Use Management Plan from Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, to Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.”
More information on the 2025 VUM Plan & EA can be found here, while it can be read in its entirety here.
Our Thoughts On Cumberland Island
Cumberland Island is woven into the Georgia Conservancy’s 60-year history. From our earliest advocacy efforts that facilitated the establishment of the National Seashore and later Wilderness designation to the development of Cumberland Island’s first GPS trail map (which is used by hundreds of visitors to the island) to our more recent service weekends, not a day goes by when the Georgia Conservancy isn’t focused on the stewardship of Cumberland Island. Our work now, as it was then, is dedicated to the realization of the island’s stated vision, that:
“Cumberland Island National Seashore maintains the primitive, undeveloped character of one of the largest and most ecologically diverse barrier islands on the Atlantic coast, while preserving scenic, scientific and historical values, and providing outstanding opportunities for outdoor recreation and solitude.”
We believe that conservation is never over, and today, just as during the establishment of the Cumberland Island National Seashore in 1972, there remains a debate over how best to conserve and support this national treasure.
The ongoing conservation, protection, and enjoyment of Cumberland Island National Seashore for the people of Georgia and beyond is a top priority for the Georgia Conservancy, and protection of the Wilderness area, including the conservation of the unique coastal habitats and facilitation of a true wilderness experience for visitors to the island, is of utmost urgency. Preserving the globally-significant habitats on this island, while still allowing for positive visitor experiences and added recreation opportunities, will require a well-researched and fully vetted plan that includes slow, incremental changes to current uses through active monitoring and adaptive management.