Proposed Land Exchanges on Cumberland Island National Seashore

Cumberland Island National Seashore is proposing a four parcel land exchange with private landowners on the island.

Cumberland Island National Seashore is a place of legend. Its tidal marshes, undeveloped beaches and dunes, and lush maritime forests make it one of America's most unique, spectacular, and memorable barrier islands and National Parks. Since our founding in 1967, the protection of Cumberland Island has remained one of the Georgia Conservancy's top priorities.

Learn more about our history on Cumberland Island.

Cumberland Island is also unique in that there are currently 1,000 acres of private land within the bounds of the National Seashore – much of which is held by the descendants of the island’s original and longtime owners. Since the establishment of the National Seashore in 1972, these private acres have been managed in a way that has largely preserved the wild character and ecological integrity of the island.

In September 2024, the National Park Service (NPS) made public a proposal to exchange public lands on Cumberland Island National Seashore so that it may acquire four tracts of privately-owned land on the island. Currently, NPS is seeking public input into the planning process for this proposal and will provide additional opportunities for the public to comment on the proposed land exchange.

From the National Park Service:

The NPS is considering the acquisition, through land exchanges (including conservation easements), four potential parcels of privately owned land within the authorized boundary of Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia. This would create a relatively continuous corridor of NPS-owned land within core areas of the Seashore to improve manageability of these areas, preserve important resources, and prevent further development on these inholdings. By exchanging property with these landowners, the NPS would seek to relocate private interests to other areas where it is more appropriate and less impactful on visitors. The properties under consideration for NPS acquisition intersect the Seashore's main road and key visitor use trails.

The properties contain important natural and cultural resources that the Seashore seeks to protect and conserve and values of the Seashore, including live oak maritime forests, pristine beaches, potential historic and archeological resources, an intact barrier island ecosystem, nesting for shorebirds and threatened sea turtles, and lands with a primitive and undeveloped character.

The proposed land exchange is the public’s first glimpse into the ongoing conversations and negotiations between NPS and the island’s private landowners. One privately-owned tract included in the proposed land exchange has been in the public eye since 2016 and has been a source of concern for conservationists and champions of Cumberland Island. With the potential for development in the heart of Cumberland Island, the protection of this privately-owned tract has been a priority of the National Park Service and its inclusion in this proposal provides a potential solution for conserving this tract and protecting its future as a publicly accessible part of Cumberland Island. This tract is listed as “Exchange 4” in NPS’ Land Exchange Civic Engagement Newsletter.

Click here to read the Newsletter and learn more about the four proposed land exchanges.

Click here to view the September 2024 public presentation (both PowerPoint and video) from the National Park Service

Click here to read the Georgia Conservancy’s October 2024 comment letter to the National Park Service or read it in full below.

Click here to provide your comments on the proposed land exchange. The final date for the public to comment during this phase is October 20.

October 2024: Georgia Conservancy Comment Letter to the National Park Service

While the Georgia Conservancy is supportive of NPS efforts to acquire lands on Cumberland Island for public access and ecological protection, we do have several questions regarding the proposed land exchanges.

RE: CUIS Land Exchange Civic Engagement Newsletter (Newsletter)

The Georgia Conservancy is pleased to submit the following comments on the Cumberland Island National Seashore (CUIS) Land Exchange Civic Engagement Newsletter, and the proposed land exchange described therein. 

The Georgia Conservancy is a statewide, donor-supported conservation organization that recognizes the connection between the environment, the economy, and equity. Since our founding in 1967, the Georgia Conservancy and its supporters have ensured the protection and conservation of some of our state’s most precious natural places, including Cumberland Island National Seashore. From our engagement in the creation of the National Seashore in 1972 and designation of Wilderness in 1982 to our development of the popular Cumberland Island Trail Map, the Georgia Conservancy has dedicated itself to conservation of and public access to this national treasure. 

The Georgia Conservancy is supportive of the National Park Services’ (NPS) efforts to acquire lands and/or management control where private, fee-simple ownership remains, so long as those transactions meet the overarching goals listed below, which we believe to meet the spirit of the original legislative intent and the NPS 2014 Foundation Document of the Cumberland Island National Seashore (Foundation Document). 

Any land transaction should: 

• result in a net gain in acreage of land under federal ownership or control.

• support increased public access, use and enjoyment with priority placed on lands with higher ecological value and continuity. 

• minimize the potential for future construction of private homes on the island.

• ensure that any privately-owned lands are protected via a permanent conservation easement to ensure that private property on Cumberland Island is resistant to changes in ownership and/or Camden County zoning land use policies in perpetuity. 

With regards to the specific land transactions contemplated in this public statement, the Georgia Conservancy supports:

• the conversion of potential wilderness to wilderness.

• creation of new potential wilderness opportunities.

• reduction in acreage of lands with fee simple ownership with no federal control over land use or management.

• acquisition of lands east of the north-south Main Road to ensure uninterrupted conservation of habitats and public access to beach and the Parallel Trail.

While we are generally supportive of this land exchange, the public information published in Land Transfer Public Notice does not provide sufficient information to determine if the goals above will be met in each of the four proposed exchanges. In particular, there is limited information regarding the current NPS holdings that would be exchanged in terms of acreage or value. In addition, there is no information provided regarding what development rights would be conveyed via zoning and/or a conservation easement with NPS lands converted to private ownership. 

The following statement was included in the Newsletter: “For each potential land acquisition, an NPS-owned property of equal monetary value would be conveyed to private ownership through an exchange agreement.” While the Georgia Conservancy understands that private owners must receive fair compensation for lands that they own, we are concerned that these proposed exchanges may only contemplate that the value be provided through acreage of land, as opposed to a combination of land and cash or some other mechanism such as donation. While these exchanges assume that the land transferred to private ownership will have a conservation easement that continues federal control, options that decrease the acreage under private ownership should be contemplated and prioritized. 

In order to make a fully-informed suite of comments, the Georgia Conservancy requests that the following information be provided for each land exchange:

• Current residential development potential contemplated on each parcel (both the private lands and the NPS lands) 

• Value for each parcel

• Wilderness potential for each parcel

• Potential impacts due to additional travel on the Main Road through the Wilderness 

• What provisions will be included in the proposed Conservation Easements on future privately owned parcels to address the following:

  • Density of future housing

  • Buffers to surrounding NPS property

  • Allowed uses, accessory structures, and infrastructure allowed

  • Any architectural or design standards that would apply to future development

  • Right of first refusal for NPS to purchase property at fair market value

  • Requirements for maintenance and access to historic and cultural assets on the proposed lands being transferred

  • Requirements for land management consistent with legislative intent and any applicable NPS plans (existing and future)

  • Provisions for self-governance of the island homeowners

The Georgia Conservancy also encourages the NPS to work with Camden County to ensure that future zoning is consistent with the restrictions and reserved rights of the future Conservation Easements, and that the zoning is adopted concurrent with the land transfer to avoid confusion and increase transparency for the public, NPS, and private landowners. 

We appreciate the opportunity to provide comments and for your consideration of our recommendations and concerns. We applaud the NPS for continuing to work towards achieving the legislative intent of the creation of the National Seashore, while navigating the complexities and realities of private land ownership on Cumberland Island. We look forward to working with the National Park Service on this issue moving forward.

Questions? Please contact Georgia Conservancy Coastal Director Courtney Reich at creich@georgiaconservancy.org or Georgia Conservancy Communications Director Brian Foster at bfoster@gaconservancy.org