Still Traveling

By Susan

August 31, 2006 12:56 PM | Link to this

Please do not allow any tour vehicles on the island. It is beautifully pristine and needs to stay that way.

By nikki

August 31, 2006 1:18 PM | Link to this

Why is it the people of this nation and for a large part Georgians find it necessary to develop and rape every inch of land? This place should be left as it is. To add more people and more vehicles is stupid. Look at the glades - man nearly ruined them. Look at the Mississippi River, man ruined it and it pays back tenfold every times it floods. God forbid the rape and destruction of this beautiful island. The thought of an idiotic theme park and Dixie stampede makes me ill.

By James

August 31, 2006 1:33 PM | Link to this

There are two places in Georgia that should be left alaone, the Okeefenokee swamp and Cumberland Island. Fortunately the swamp does a pretty good job of policing it’s self. It’s up to us to police Cumberland!

By Hotrod

August 31, 2006 1:38 PM | Link to this

Cumberland is really a special place. It should stay protected. At most, a small tour company should be available at the docks to give you a ride around the Island in small suv’s for a fair price. Maybe one already exsists there, I dont know. But to “open up” Cumberland and let anyone drive motorized vehicles (most) anywhere would really just be an opening of pandoras box of unforseen problems.

By Billy

August 31, 2006 1:55 PM | Link to this

I agree. Leave it be. If you open it up, only do so for tours conducted by the park service itself, and then limit it to half a dozen per day in smaller vehicles.

By Jo

August 31, 2006 1:57 PM | Link to this

As Ms. Mayfield from the Georgia Conservancy says, we must learn to accept the fact that there are places in the world we cannot access because of physical limitations, places whose experience we must earn and not just have handed to us by stepping on a bus. We cannot destroy these places in the name of accessibility. Places as pristine as Cumberland are disappearing too often now. Please go to the NPS web site and tell what’s just barely still our government to leave Cumberland as it is.

By Bert

August 31, 2006 1:58 PM | Link to this

I would encourage everyone with an opinion on this to review the plan and post comments at the NPS site linked on the main story. The following is my post to the NPS website…

“I support the no-action alternative until it is made clear how many individual vehicles would be involved or needed to provide the declared “5 - 8 tour trips per day.” If it was one small bus or tram rounding the route 5 - 8 times per day I would find that acceptible. If we are talking about multiple vehicles making the rounds at each instance, 5 - 8 times per day, I would strenuously object. I am a long-time backcountry camper at Cumberland Island NS, and would object to this level of traffic and visitors. Also, I believe the limit of 300 people on the island at any given time must be observed, although 350 might be acceptible.

Alternately, as the dock at Plum Orchard was upgraded, so could a new dock be added at the north end, if feasible, to provide such access to the north end, leaving the main road unsullied for hikers.”

Respectfully, Bert…

By Martha

August 31, 2006 2:48 PM | Link to this

People have ruined enough beautiful places in this state, leave Cumberland alone!

By Carnegie Mellon University

August 31, 2006 3:06 PM | Link to this

Well said, Bert.

By Larry

August 31, 2006 3:06 PM | Link to this

Thornton said. “Unless you come visit a resident here you have to be a backpacker or a person who can walk 16, 17 miles one way to go visit these places. What happens to a person whose handicapped or who can’t walk that far?”

This is not true. Docking at SeaCamp allows easy access to the beach beyond and the trails close by. Many many people enjoy Cumberland this way.

The most unique quality of the rest of the island is it’s isolation. Putting in a tram to carry people to the Settlement will only Disniefy Cumberland and destroy a unique experience for everyone.

After the tram will Thornton want to install giant air conditioners? It does get pretty hot down there in the summer. Will he insist the wild horses all wear diapers so they don’t inconvenience visitors with their dung? Will insist the island be sprayed for bugs?

Cumberland is the single most beautiful place in Georgia. We can’t allow it to be ruined. It has to be saved and protected.

By Swangirl

August 31, 2006 3:14 PM | Link to this

I camped on Cumberland Island for the first time this past spring so I have seen the unique treasures this special place has to offer. If you visit, you’ll soon see what I mean. There’s nothing like it.

I can understand having maybe having a DAILY van tour of the island for a small group of the truly disabled. But PLEASE do not bring in fleets of tour vans. This island is fragile enough with its lovely wild horses, beautiful flora/fauna and unspoiled marshes/beaches. Don’t clutter it up with snack bars, trash and smog in a quest to placate some out of shape tourists who don’t truly care about the place.

This island is one of the very few places in Georgia that is unspoiled by unchecked development and corporate greed. That’s what makes it so special! The best way to see it is on foot, by kayak or on a bike.

There are several other coastal islands that tourists of all physcial abilities can explore and enjoy. Leave Cumberland alone.

By Swangirl

August 31, 2006 3:18 PM | Link to this

By the way, Larry is right. You do have to walk a long way to get to the church, but the ruins and the beaches are not difficult to walk to from the docks, even easier by bike (which you can rent from the park service).

By Amanda Miller

August 31, 2006 3:22 PM | Link to this

Hi All

I think Jo has a very good point. If you have an opinion about the island, let the Parks Service know on their Web site. I’m sure lots of people on both sides will be lobbying hard, and you should let your opinion be known. As the politicians say, every vote counts, whether you’re for it or against.

By tcote

August 31, 2006 5:07 PM | Link to this

PLEASE—leave it alone -it is a wonderful place—

By Emma

August 31, 2006 5:30 PM | Link to this

Every year the sixh graders in our school go to Cumberland, and I can say from experience that it’s a magical place. Why is it so magical? Maybe it’s because there is no traffic. Please leave this wonderful place alone, it would be such a shame to see another almost perfect place get sucked into the modern world. Destroying this natural beauty would disgrace the entire state of Georgia. So please leave it be.

By Julie

August 31, 2006 5:43 PM | Link to this

My husband & I have taken our girls to Cumberland Island to experience the beauty & tranquility of it. We purposely stay away from “Disney” vacations & the like because we want to show our girls the beauty of untouched places & wild horses living peacefully. Yes, it IS a priviledge to hike into the back-country areas, but docking @ SeaCamp allows disabled people to appreciate the beauty of the island just the same. Please do not let tour vehicles intrude on one of our favorite places in the world! We go to Cumberland to get away from noise & tourists.

By Call'em as I See'em

August 31, 2006 5:50 PM | Link to this

Thornton said. “Unless you come visit a resident here you have to be a backpacker or a person who can walk 16, 17 miles one way to go visit these places. What happens to a person whose handicapped or who can’t walk that far?�

What a stupid argument! People in wheelchairs or who are unfit can’t climb up Everest or swim in the ocean either.

And good, people are so used to an instant gratification lifestyle, I’m glad one must be fit to enjoy nature - it kind of makes sense, doesn’t it?

Why would anyone in congress lobby for this? Last I checked we had a immigration problem, a giant deficit, an ongoing war and an ecoenmoy that’s showing weakness?

But this needs to be dealt with?

By Michelle J. Stafford

August 31, 2006 6:02 PM | Link to this

In agreeing with the other poster, Cumberland Island is by far one of Georgia’s distinct treasures that should be protected. Not only is it a serene, landscape of nature in abundance; it is also rich in American history.

Interestingly, my husband’s family were found to have been enslaved at Stafford Place Plantation; the home of Robert Stafford there on Cumberland Island. In fact, many of them settled at the Black Settlement (along with other relatives)at Highpoint after the Civil War.

But even among family members, opinions vary. While many believe that ancestral artifacts such as “The Chimneys” (remnants of the slave cabins built by ancestors)along with other relics should be preserved as a testament, debate ensues as to how people should be able to get to the sites.

It is my hope that the interested parties can find that delicate balance between preserving the wildlife on Cumberland while allowing visitors the opportunity to visit various parts of the Island and experience the rich history that Cumberland has to offer with “reasonable” accommodations.

By Mother Nature

August 31, 2006 6:22 PM | Link to this

After seeing the North Georgia mountains raped, pillaged & exploited by developers, can’t we leave Cumberland Island alone?

I can see the tourists now, leaving their garbage all over the place. Vehicles should not be allowed either.

A day visit by boat only, bylimited numbers of people would be fine, only if they leave nothing behind but their prints in the and !

By Erik

August 31, 2006 7:05 PM | Link to this

Cumberland Island will be ruined if you allow tours by any motorized vehicle. We need to let one of the few natural settings stay natural so it can be enjoyed the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

By Kerry J. Beech

August 31, 2006 7:25 PM | Link to this

I fell in love with Cumberland Island in 1979. I visited the island as a camp couselor with the City of Atlanta’s Parks & Recreations program. We took a group of inner city teenagers to see a rare place; a place so pure and preserved that you wouldn’t believe that you were still in Georgia onece you were there. We showed them what the world used to look like. We showed them undisturbed nature at its best. They and I fell in love with the island.

I have camped out on Cumberland Island every year since 1979 and I am scheduled to be there again in mid-October. Next to Jamaica, Cumberland Island is my favorite place on this earth. The peacefulness, the serenity, the wildlife, the escape from the modern world… Those are the things that make Cumberland Island special. If the island becomes just another tourist stop for hundreds of fast-paced, lazy people, then it is only a matter of time before the island is lost to tourism.

People are now asking to take away the main thing that makes Cumberland Island so special; its isolated treasures. Yes, you must take a ferry to get there. Yes, you must carry your gear half a mile to camp out or farther if you camp in the backcountry. Yes, you must take clod showers. Yes, you must walk or hike to see the sights of Cumberland. In order to see the sights of Cumberland Island, you SHOULD walk. To drive to a certain historic spot, get out, take a few pictures, and drive back to the boat would be a total waste of the island. You’ll miss the sounds of the maritime forest. You’ll miss your opportunity to see the wild pigs, the wild turkeys, the deer and other animals along the way. You’ll miss the slow passing of time as you TAKE YOUR TIME to stop and appreciate ALL that the island has to offer.

This mad, fast-paced world that we live in is quickly encroaching on all of our sacred forests. Cumberland Island is one of the brightest jewels in the state of Georgia. If the island is opened up for fast-paced tourism, that’ll kill it.

I’ve seen my native city of Atlanta, Georgia change from a comfortable, shade tree, “sit on the porch” kind of place to New York South. I would hate to see Cumberland Island, Georgia’s last oasis of tranquility” be paved and commercialized and “toured” to mediocracy - turned into just another little tourist stop on the way to or from Florida. The island’s uniqueness is its exclusivity. Those that are fortunate enough to visit the island feel priviledged to have been there.

We should appreciate and love the island enough to leave it alone. You’ll kill it if you change it.

By Nancy

August 31, 2006 7:37 PM | Link to this

Vote NO ACTION. My family has camped there for years. There is no need to spoil the pristine beauty of an undeveloped island. Current access is adequate. We plan ahead, are flexible and reap the rewards. Cumberland Island is a treasure. No pirates allowed!!

By Nancy

August 31, 2006 7:39 PM | Link to this

Vote NO ACTION. My family has camped there for years. There is no need to spoil the pristine beauty of an undeveloped island. Current access is adequate. We plan ahead, are flexible and reap the rewards. Cumberland Island is a treasure. No pirates allowed!!

By Nancy

August 31, 2006 7:39 PM | Link to this

My family has camped there for years. There is no need to spoil the pristine beauty of an undeveloped island. Current access is adequate. We plan ahead, are flexible and reap the rewards. Cumberland Island is a treasure. No pirates allowed!!

By James

August 31, 2006 7:42 PM | Link to this

Leave Cumberland alone! Let that one last beautiful place in Georgia stay beautiful.

By Margaret

August 31, 2006 8:15 PM | Link to this

The uniqueness of Cumberland should be preserved. If vehicles and tourism are allowed, it will destroy what Cumberland is meant to be and what people go there to enjoy: wilderness.

By Tina

August 31, 2006 8:48 PM | Link to this

PLEASE DON’T DO THIS!!! Cumberland Island is absolutely fabulous the way it is. Think about ways the road would change it. It would never be the same. Don’t do this to people. It’s wonderful. It shouldn’t change.

By Ed

August 31, 2006 8:50 PM | Link to this

Cumberland Island is a pristine and wonderful place to visit. Our family enjoyed our visit and I hope most people who would like to visit could be accommadated. Given the choice of motorized vehicles or no motorized vehicles I vote NO VEHICLES. However, I think there is room for accommadation. Monthly tours in an electric vehicle weighting no more than 5000 lbs equiped with tires that minimaly impact the plants and wildlife would be acceptable to me. My concern is once the door is opened how long will it be until the island is developed like the rest of the Golden Isles?

By Corinne

August 31, 2006 8:53 PM | Link to this

Cumberland Island has remained beautiful and wild because it is isolated and has, until now, been protected. It is unbelievable that our government would consider turning it into a “drive through.” Many of our national parks are already struggling with tourist overcrowding and the damage caused by too many vehicles. Leave Cumberland alone.

By Exador

September 1, 2006 8:20 AM | Link to this

The “Hike” consists of a flat, dirt road. It’s only about a mile from the landing to the old mansion. A person could even be pushed in a wheelchair.

There is no need for vehicles.

By Craig Fowler

September 1, 2006 8:27 AM | Link to this

People, please…. All these comments are dead-on, but misplaced. You need to be sending your comments to http://parkplanning.nps.gov. The National Park Service is who needs to be hearing these comments so they get the message.

By Craig Fowler

September 1, 2006 8:30 AM | Link to this

P.S. It needs to be done by the end of the day today. Acceptance of comments closes this afternoon. WRITE THEM!

By Mr. Ed

September 1, 2006 8:31 AM | Link to this

This country is beautiful, except where man has carelassly spoiled it. Cumberland Island is a place worthy of leaving alone so that generations to come may enjoy it as we have.

By Susan

September 1, 2006 8:50 AM | Link to this

Leave it alone!!!!!!!!!!! Cumberland Island is so beautiful because people have not spoiled it. There is no reason for there to be cars put on the island. Leave nature alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Mike Kent

September 1, 2006 9:06 AM | Link to this

Leave Cumberland alone! I used to take my Boy Scout troop to Cumberland to experience what an untouched wilderness area was like and it left a significant impression on everyone who visited there. Keep it pristine for future visitors to enjoy.

By Shanna

September 1, 2006 9:06 AM | Link to this

There should always be places where you can enjoy the land just as God intended it to be. The reason why Cumberland Island is a tourist attaction is because it is pristine and unencumbered by traffic lights and bus tours and the like. Keep it as it is. The island should NOT be forced to turn itself into a carbon copy of every other island getaway.

By shawn

September 1, 2006 9:07 AM | Link to this

Leave the island alone, we dont need to ruin that place.

By chip jones

September 1, 2006 9:11 AM | Link to this

I may not be the sharpest pencil in the box, but I was smart enough to hike to the bottom, and, more importantly back to the top of the Grand Canyon while I was young enough to do it without a thought about my physical ability to accomplish the task. It would horrify me to have a chair lift or gondola built to carry people down to the Colorado River. I believe the natural experience must be earned. Keep Cumberland closed to traffic and safe for posterity. There are too few natural places safe from developers. There are already too many boats buzzing around Georgia’s fragile estuaries.

By Vern

September 1, 2006 9:24 AM | Link to this

bold”DO NOT ALLOW MOTORIZED TOURS” CUmberland Island is a real jewel in the American not just Georgia crown. I have spent a lot of time on Cumberland Island and any increase of motorized trafic will dammage the land.

By zeke

September 1, 2006 9:30 AM | Link to this

Same old, same old load of B. S.! Always the socialist, populist banter of “public access” ruins the fabric of America! Public access like diversity is vastly over rated and should be abandoned in favor of private property rights! All governments, local, state and federal need to be reined in and drastically limited to what they do and what they mandate, based on the Constitution! They all overstep their Constitutional authority!

By Sarah

September 1, 2006 9:45 AM | Link to this

Cumberland is a rare place were you can enjoy wildlife and nature. We have disrespected mother nature across the globe, can’t we let her have one little island.
NO MOTORIZED TOURS

By Stop Developing

September 1, 2006 12:05 PM | Link to this

Comments here will not do much. Go to http://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?projectID=16447&documentId=16171 and tell them what you think.

By Evonne

September 1, 2006 12:36 PM | Link to this

Why can’t we leave well enough alone??

Did You Know? Cumberland Island is one of the largest undeveloped barrier islands in the world. The island has one of the largest maritime forests remaining in the United States and one of the largest wilderness areas in a National Seashore on the east coast.

By Judy Miller

September 1, 2006 2:03 PM | Link to this

Leave Cumberland Island as it is!

By Hannah K.

September 1, 2006 5:52 PM | Link to this

Please don’t do this to Cumberland Island. It is beautiful and wonderful, and we don’t need the tours! It will take away the majic of the island! If you want to tour Cumberland, make a campsite reservation and tour the island on foot!

By NLC

September 6, 2006 10:40 AM | Link to this

Deadline has been extended to September 15.