A History of the Georgia Conservancy's Work on Cumberland Island

The Georgia Conservancy has long been at the forefront of the effort to protect Cumberland Island.

In the early 1970s, we lobbied for plans to turn the island into a National Seashore. We rallied public support and even testified in Congress.

The hard work paid off with the creation of the Cumberland Island National Seashore – the largest wilderness island in the United States.

The early days

May 1970: The Georgia Conservancy protests construction work taking place on Cumberland Island by a private developer that threatens to turn a large part of the island into a private commercial resort. A series of articles in the Conservancy's newsletter highlight the issue and urge members to take action by writing elected officials.
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June 1970: Georgia Conservancy holds rally on Jekyll Island to support the creation of a Cumberland Island National Seashore. The event featured lectures from ecologists and local fishermen, an African-American gospel concert, a nighttime ecology walk on the beach, and a morning marsh hike.
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June 1972: Georgia Conservancy testifies in Congress for the establishment of a Cumberland Island National Seashore. William Griffin, head of the Conservancy's Coastal Areas Committee, told the Senate Parks and Recreation Subcommittee that "Cumberland's niche in the national park and seashore system is that of a truly insular, natural, unexploited area where visitations are limited in order that they may be more meaningful to the visitors."
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Recent years

The Georgia Conservancy hosts service trips to Cumberland Island during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. Participants clear debris from forest trails, pick up trash that washed onto the island's beaches and help maintain the historic structures that are managed by the National Park Service.

Click here to read about our 2011 trip to Cumberland Island and click here to read about our 2010 trip, which was published in Panorama magazine