Attachment_12_CUIS_Foundation_DocUpdated.pdf

Foundation Document Cumberland Island National Seashore Georgia February 2014

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Attachment 12

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North

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Wilderness Area Boundary

W ild er n es s

A re a B ou nd ar y

C u m b er la n d

Is la n d

N at io n al S ea sh o re

B ou n d ar y

CUMBERLAND ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE

South End Ponds

Willow Pond

Lake Retta

Johnson Pond

Ashley Pond

Whitney Lake

ST ANDREW SOUND

North River

KINGS BAY

CROOKED RIVER

SATILLA R IVER

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O ld House Cr

Beach Creek

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BERLAND DIVIDINGS

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GEORGIA

South Cut Trail

Duck House Trail

Lo st

Tr ai l

Ta r

K iln l

Kings Bottom Trail

B u n kl ey ra il

Willow Pond Trail

Pr at ts ail

Pa ra lle l l

Pa ra lle l

T il

R iv er

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Ro lle r

Co as te r il

Nightingale Trail

Ashley

Pond Trail

KINGS BAY NAVAL

SUBMARINE BASE

ST

MARYS

AMELIA ISLAND

FORT CLINCH STATE PARK

STAFFORD

ISLAND

CROOKED RIVER

STATE PARK

LITTLE

CUMBERLAND

ISLAND

(PRIVATE)

Sea Camp Beach

Stafford Beach

Hickory Hill

Yankee Paradise

Brickhill Bluff

Dock

Dock

Dock water

Lighthouse (abandoned)

Halfmoon Bluff

Long Point

Burbank Point

Terrapin Point

Cumberland Wharf Ruins

Table Point

High Point (road through High Point is private; use North Cut Road)

Stafford

Little Greyfield Beach

Greyfield (private)

Drum Point Island

Pelican Banks

Raccoon Keys

Jetty

Jetty

Restrooms

Campground

Primitive campsite

Potable water

Dune crossing marker

Non-potable water

North Cut Road

M n

Ro ad

Trail

Salt marsh

Maritime forest

Private/Retained-rights property

Beach and dunes

Wilderness area boundary

Old House Road

To Exit 3

Private road

Pa sse ng er

F er ry

All roads on Cumberland Island are unpaved.

Bicycles are permitted only on Main Road, North Cut Road, and the road to Plum Orchard.

Some trails are umarked.

Do not use this map for hiking.

There are no lifeguards;

swim at your own risk.

M ain R o ad

Sea Camp Ranger Station

Ice House Museum

Plum Orchard

The Settlement First African Baptist Church

Dungeness Ruins

Cemetery

Cemetery

Mainland Museum

In tr ac oa st al

W at er w ay

Cumberland Island National Seashore Visitor Center

Contents Mission of the National Park Service 1

Introduction 2

Part 1: Core Components 3

Brief Description of the Park 3 Park Purpose 6 Park Significance 7 Fundamental Resources and Values 8 Interpretive Themes 10

Part 2: Dynamic Components 11

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 11 Assessment of Planning and Data Needs 11

Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values 12

Identification of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs 32

Planning and Data Needs 36

Part 3: Contributors 43

Appendixes 44

Appendix A: Enabling Legislation and Legislative Acts for Cumberland Island National Seashore 44

Appendix B: Inventory of Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 50

Appendix C: Cumberland Island National Seashore Public Involvement Summary 52

Appendix D: Excerpts from Basics for Wilderness Stewardship 54 Background Wilderness Information 54

Wilderness Character Narrative 56

Issues for Wilderness Planning 61

The arrowhead was authorized as the official National Park Service emblem by the Secretary of the Interior on July 20, 1951. The sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead represents historical and archeological values.

Cumberland Island National Seashore

Mission of the National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.

The NPS core values are a framework in which the National Park Service accomplishes its mission. They express the manner in which, both individually and collectively, the National Park Service pursues its mission. The NPS core values are:

· Shared stewardship: We share a commitment to resource stewardship with the global preservation community.

· Excellence: We strive continually to learn and improve so that we may achieve the highest ideals of public service.

· Integrity: We deal honestly and fairly with the public and one another.

· Tradition: We are proud of it; we learn from it; we are not bound by it.

· Respect: We embrace each other’s differences so that we may enrich the well-being of everyone.

The National Park Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. While numerous national park system units were created prior to 1916, it was not until August 25, 1916, that President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act formally establishing the National Park Service.

The national park system continues to grow and comprises 401 park units covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These units include, but are not limited to, national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House. The variety and diversity of park units throughout the nation require a strong commitment to resource stewardship and management in order to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these resources for future generations.

Introduction Every unit of the national park system is to have a foundational document that will provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management, or foundation document. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed.

A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity. Preparing this foundation document was a collaborative effort among NPS staff from Cumberland Island National Seashore, the NPS Southeast Regional Office, the NPS Denver Service Center, and other NPS programs, as well as using public feedback. A complete list of preparers and contributors is included in part 3 of this document.

This foundation document was developed using public input. In December 2012 and January 2013, the National Park Service asked the public to provide feedback on the importance of Cumberland Island National Seashore, and to provide input concerning the threats to and/ or opportunities for visitor experiences, recreation, and resource protection. Comments were collected using comment cards, the NPS park planning website, and by holding a public open house at the park visitor center on January 28, 2013, where NPS staff recorded public feedback in person. The National Park Service announced the foundation process and invited public input using local and regional news media in a series of press releases. All public feedback received was summarized in a public comment report used in the foundation workshop held on January 29, 30, and February 1, 2013, on Cumberland Island. This foundation document reflects the thoughts and ideas shared during this public involvement process.

While not included in this document, a park atlas is also part of a foundation project. The atlas is a series of maps compiled from available geographic information system (GIS) data on natural and cultural resources, visitor use patterns, facilities, and other topics. It serves as a GIS-based support tool for planning and park operations. The atlas is published as a (hard copy) paper product and as geospatial data for use in a web mapping environment. The park atlas for Cumberland Island National Seashore can be accessed online at:

http://insideparkatlas.nps.gov/.

Part 1: Core Components The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park, park purpose, significance statements, fundamental resources and values, and interpretive themes.

These components are core because they typically do not change over time. Core components are expected to be used in future planning and management efforts.

Brief Description of the Park Cumberland Island National Seashore is the largest and southernmost of Georgia’s barrier islands. Located 1–3 miles off the mainland coast, the island is bounded by the Cumberland River on the west, by St. Andrew’s Sound on the north, the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and by Cumberland Sound on the south. The island is 17.5 miles long, ranging from approximately a

0.5 mile to 3 miles wide, and totals 36,415 acres of which 16,850 are marsh, mud flats, and tidal creeks. The northern portion includes 9,886 acres of designated wilderness, while an additional 10,500 acres are classified as potential wilderness. Most of the island’s uplands are federally owned and managed by the National Park Service. The remaining portions of the island are state owned, privately owned, or owned by other federal entities.

Cumberland Island is an exceptionally dynamic natural environment, reflecting constant transformation by water, wind, and fire. Although the entire island has been altered by people for thousands of years, the dominant force of change in this environment is the ocean, with littoral currents, wave and tidal activity, storm surges, and periods of sea level fluctuation continually acting to accrete and erode the shoreline.

The national seashore has the greatest diversity of habitats and biotic communities of any of Georgia’s coastal islands. Extensive Spartina marshes and tidal creeks cover the western shoreline, providing highly productive estuarine nursery and feeding grounds for juvenile fish, shrimp, crabs, and other invertebrates. Upland forest communities comprise a large portion of the island. Oak and pine dominate most mature forests and saw palmetto is a common understory plant. Additionally, the island has a sizeable acreage of scrub/shrub habitat supporting a variety of unique plant species. Surface aquatic systems are extensive and include freshwater lakes, ponds, and sloughs with highly fluctuating water levels. Dune communities extend the length of the eastern shoreline and are primarily composed of sparse stands of grasses, forbs, and sedges. On the north end of the island rear dunes reach up to 45 feet in elevation. Human-dominated habitats consisting of isolated residences and historic landscapes make up a small percent of the island’s area.

The aquatic and terrestrial fauna of the island are diverse. More than 300 bird species use the seashore at various times of the year, and more than 100 species are known to nest there.

Bird species that use the seashore at various times of the year include the bald eagle, federally listed piping plover, and wood stork. The island provides habitat for a variety of mammals including the white-tailed deer, raccoon, river otter, and bobcat. More than 50 species of herpetofauna are present. American alligators are abundant, and the nesting population of the federally threatened loggerhead sea turtle is the most significant along the Georgia coast.

Feral populations of hogs and horses roam freely on the island, and while Cumberland Island National Seashore has established the objective of eradicating the hog population, feral horses currently are not managed. Permitted hunts are conducted annually for white-tailed deer and feral hogs.

For more than 4,000 years human visitors and residents have interacted with and relied on the natural resources of Cumberland Island. Numerous shell middens throughout the island provide the most conspicuous clues to a complex American Indian population that once prospered here. Soon after European contact, Cumberland Island’s abundance of natural resources attracted mariners who stopped to load game birds, pelts, and naval stores. From the late 1500s and well into the mid-1600s, Spanish missionaries and soldiers established a string of missions and related forts on the Georgia sea islands, including the missions of San Pedro de Mocama and San Pedro y San Pablo de Porturiba on Cumberland Island. Spanish and English colonial aspirations came into conflict along the Georgia coast in the mid-1700s and the English fortified Cumberland Island with construction of Fort St. Andrews at the north end of the island and Fort Prince William at the southern end.

By the late 1700s, the plantation system based on enslaved Africans and the production of staple crops for export took root on Cumberland Island. Seeking to establish a timber enterprise, General Nathaneal Greene and his wife Catherine were among the first landowners on Cumberland Island after the American Revolution. After Greene’s death in 1789, Catherine and her second husband, Phineas Miller, began to cultivate various crops and sold live oak lumber to the emerging United States to build the first ships of the U.S.

Navy. Although timber, citrus fruit, and olives were cultivated, sea island cotton emerged as the most profitable crop during the island’s period of agricultural production. By the 1840s, the white population on the island was probably never greater than 60, while the number of enslaved Africans increased from about 200 in 1835 to 455 in 1850 as a result of increased cotton production. By 1860 there were approximately 13 plantations on the island.

With the end of the Civil War Cumberland Island’s plantation economy was finished and the era of recreation began in the 1880s with the establishment of the High Point hotel at the northern end of the island. Development also included the creation of the Settlement community (also known as Half Moon Bluff) where several African American families lived while staffing the island hotels and estates. The Candler family of Atlanta acquired the High Point hotel as a retreat. Starting in 1881, the northern industrialist Thomas Carnegie, and later his wife Lucy, began acquiring most of Cumberland Island to establish winter estates, including Dungeness, Plum Orchard Mansion, and other properties. The remnants of their development on Cumberland Island left behind the most extensive cultural resources. A trust kept the Carnegie family’s land holdings intact until 1962. In 1972, Carnegie family members, government officials, environmental organizations, and the National Park Service worked together to set aside Cumberland Island as a national seashore and unit of the national park system. The appearance of Cumberland Island today is in part a result of the overlay of these successive waves of human habitation and development. At the same time, Congress’ designation of wilderness in 1984 ensured that Cumberland Island’s dynamic natural processes would dominate the landscape and that the island’s largely undeveloped character would continue into the future.

For a more in-depth history of the park, please refer to Cumberland Island National Seashore: A History of Conservation Conflict, by Larry M. Dilsaver (2004) and Cumberland Island: A History, by Mary Bullard (2005).

Cumberland Island is approximately seven miles by boat from St. Marys, Georgia, and can only be reached by water transportation. Island visitation is serviced by a ferry that runs from the St. Marys visitor center to docks at Dungeness and Sea Camp on the island. The park’s general management plan limits visitation to approximately 300 people a day. Recreational opportunities at Cumberland Island include walking and hiking, camping, beachcombing, swimming, wildlife viewing, seeking solitude, and visiting the park’s historic sites. The park also offers a daily guided van tour, called “Lands and Legacies Tour,” to take visitors to Plum Orchard, The Settlement, Cumberland Wharf, and areas along the island’s main road.

Park Purpose The purpose statement identifies the specific reason(s) for establishment of a particular park. The purpose statement for Cumberland Island National Seashore was drafted through a careful analysis of its enabling legislation and the legislative history that influenced its development. The park was established on October 23, 1972, when the enabling legislation adopted by Congress was passed and signed into law (see appendix A for enabling legislation and subsequent amendments). The purpose statement lays the foundation for understanding what is most important about the park.

The purpose statement for Cumberland Island Nation Seashore is:

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.

Park Significance Significance statements express why a park’s resources and values are important enough to merit designation as a unit of the national park system. These statements are linked to the purpose of Cumberland Island National Seashore, and are supported by data, research, and consensus. Statements of significance describe the distinctive nature of the park and why an area is important within a global, national, regional, and systemwide context. They focus on the most important resources and values that will assist in park planning and management.

The following significance statements have been identified for Cumberland Island National Seashore. (Please note that the sequence of the statements do not reflect the level of significance.)

1. Cumberland Island National Seashore is one of the Atlantic Coast’s most ecologically diverse barrier islands, where local variations in environmental conditions create extensive and unique communities across the island; from the beach and dune system on the east, through the interdune, freshwater wetland, and upland forest habitats in the interior, to the salt marsh on the west.

2. Cumberland Island National Seashore contains a rich concentration of cultural resources that recount 4,000 years of human habitation and include a remarkable diversity of ethnic and social backgrounds. These pieces of the past—archeological features, landscapes, architecture, artifact collections, people—cast a compelling backdrop to the island that draws visitors into the stories of this remote place.

3. With almost 18 miles of pristine beach and one of the largest oak maritime forests remaining in the United States, Cumberland Island provides an unparalleled visitor experience.

4. Cumberland Island National Seashore protects the largest designated wilderness area on an East Coast barrier island.

5. Cumberland Island National Seashore’s physical isolation provides visitors opportunities to experience outdoor recreation in an uncrowded, undeveloped setting.

Moreover, this isolation helps to preserve and protect the island’s fragile natural and cultural resources.

Fundamental Resources and Values Fundamental resources and values (FRVs) are those features, systems, processes, experiences, stories, scenes, sounds, smells, or other attributes determined to warrant primary consideration during planning and management processes because they are essential to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. Fundamental resources and values are closely related to a park’s legislative purpose and are more specific than significance statements.

Fundamental resources and values help focus planning and management efforts on what is truly significant about the park. One of the most important responsibilities of NPS managers is to ensure the conservation and public enjoyment of those qualities that are essential (fundamental) to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. If fundamental resources and values are allowed to deteriorate, the park purpose and/or significance could be jeopardized.

The following fundamental resources and values have been identified for Cumberland Island National Seashore:

· National register archeological districts and other significant archeological resources. Cumberland Island’s two archeological districts in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) are Table Point and Rayfield, which contain significant artifacts and features from American Indian and enslaved African communities respectively.

There are other archeological resources on the island that reflect its 4,000 years of human culture and reveal stories that include American Indian life, Spanish missions, colonial fortresses, agricultural plantations, military occupation, enslaved Africans, vacation retreats, African American communities, remote lifestyles, maritime endeavors, and grand estates. Some of these sites are listed in the national register as features of the island’s historic districts.

· National register historic districts and their contributing features. Cumberland Island National Seashore’s four national register historic districts—Dungeness, Stafford Plantation, Plum Orchard, and High Point-Half Moon Bluff—highlight the cultural landscapes, historic structures, artifact collections, archeological sites, and other features associated with their respective historic and prehistoric cultures. They are significant with respect to archeology, architecture, community planning, agriculture, landscape architecture, leisure/resorts, religion, and/or social/humanitarian history.

· Intact barrier island system driven by coastal geological and biological processes. Cumberland Island National Seashore is largely undeveloped and, although it had been affected by human endeavors in the past, natural forces now prevail. The length and breadth of the island allow numerous diverse habitats to prosper, which in turn give critical refuge to a magnificent variety of plant and animal species. This rich environment and natural character make Cumberland Island unique among coastal barrier islands.

· Live oak maritime forests. The oak maritime forest is dominated by the live oak Quercus virginiana and the sprawling, arching trees are enhanced by Spanish moss, ferns, mosses, and a thick palmetto understory. This distinctive forest community has an aesthetic charm that many visitors associate with Cumberland Island. It also provides excellent habitat for a variety of plant and animal species.

· Pristine beach (scenic). The pristine beach is of great importance to Cumberland Island as a national seashore and is exceptional because public access to undeveloped, uncrowded, pristine beaches is increasingly rare. There are very few areas in the United States where beaches remain undeveloped; with more than half of the nation’s population living near coastal areas, it is vital to preserve such a cherished yet vulnerable resource.

· Wilderness. Taking into account both designated and potential wilderness, the Cumberland Island Wilderness encompasses more than half of the island’s land mass and is exceptionally large for a barrier island. Its deep, lush forest and untamed atmosphere offer outstanding opportunities for solitude and inspired recreation. Low visitation helps maintain these qualities.

· Primitive and undeveloped character. The legislation establishing Cumberland Island National Seashore mandates that, with the exception of areas deemed especially adaptable for recreational uses, the seashore shall be permanently preserved in its primitive state, and no development for the convenience of visitors shall be undertaken that would be incompatible with the preservation of the prevailing unique flora and fauna or the physiographic conditions. In keeping with this directive, development within the national seashore has been minimal since establishment and natural processes have been allowed to dominate.

· An uncrowded setting that provides opportunities for both passive and active outdoor recreation.

The uncrowded setting is important because it allows visitors to have opportunities for passive and active recreation. The absence of crowds and overwhelming development provides opportunities for solitude and exploration. The island’s beaches, flora, fauna, trails, and surrounding waters, as well its cultural sites, present opportunities for a broad array of interests and recreational pursuits.

Interpretive Themes Interpretive themes are often described as the key stories or concepts that visitors should understand after visiting a park—they define the most important ideas or concepts communicated to visitors about a park unit. Themes are derived from, and should reflect, park purpose, significance, resources, and values. The set of interpretive themes is complete when it provides the structure necessary for park staff to develop opportunities for visitors to explore and relate to all of the park significance statements and fundamental resources and values.

Interpretive themes are an organizational tool that reveal and clarify meaning, concepts, contexts, and values represented by park resources. Sound themes are accurate and reflect current scholarship and science. They encourage exploration of the context in which events or natural processes occurred and the effects of those events and processes. They go beyond a mere description of the event or process to foster multiple opportunities to experience and consider the park and its resources. Themes help to explain why a park story is relevant to people who may otherwise be unaware of connections they have to an event, time, or place associated with the park.

The following interpretive themes have been identified for Cumberland Island National Seashore:

· For 4,000 years, Cumberland Island’s landscapes and resources have attracted varied human groups, each of whom have shaped and influenced the island in different ways, leaving behind a complex array of historical and cultural legacies.

· Being an island of contrast that is both accessible and remote, and wild and manipulated; the seashore is one of the largest remaining intact barrier ecosystems on the east coast supporting a variety of fragile yet vibrant plant and animal communities that are always under siege from outside forces.

· Cumberland Island is a modern-day sanctuary for those seeking solitude, reflection, recreation, and inspiration.

· Since designation in 1972, the National Park Service has provided a vision for Cumberland Island National Seashore to preserve resources and serve the public while struggling to balance desires of various interest groups.

Part 2: Dynamic Components The dynamic components of a foundation document include special mandates and administrative commitments and an assessment of planning and data needs. These components are dynamic because they will change over time. New special mandates can be established and new administrative commitments made. As conditions and trends of fundamental resources and values change over time, the analysis of planning and data needs will need to be revisited and revised, along with key issues. Therefore, this part of the foundation document will be updated accordingly.

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments Many of the management decisions for a park unit are directed or influenced by special mandates and administrative commitments with other federal agencies, state and local governments, utility companies, partnering organizations, and other entities. Special mandates are requirements specific to a park that must be fulfilled. Mandates can be expressed in enabling legislation, in separate legislation following the establishment of the park, or through a judicial process. They may expand on park purpose or introduce elements unrelated to the purpose of the park. Administrative commitments are, in general, agreements that have been reached through formal, documented processes, often through memoranda of agreement.

Examples include easements, rights-of-way, arrangements for emergency service responses, etc. Special mandates and administrative commitments can support, in many cases, a network of partnerships that help fulfill the objectives of the park and facilitate working relationships with other organizations. They are an essential component of managing and planning for Cumberland Island National Seashore.

For more information about the existing special mandates and administrative commitments for Cumberland Island National Seashore, please see appendix B.

Assessment of Planning and Data Needs Once the core components of part 1 of the foundation document have been identified, it is important to gather and evaluate existing information about the park’s fundamental resources and values, and develop a full assessment of the park’s planning and data needs. The assessment of planning and data needs section presents planning issues, the planning projects that will address these issues, and the associated information requirements for planning, such as resource inventories and data collection, including GIS data.

There are three sections in the assessment of planning and data needs:

1. analysis of fundamental resources and values

2. identification of key issues and associated planning and data needs

3. identification of planning and data needs (including spatial mapping activities or GIS maps)

The analysis of fundamental resources and values and identification of key issues leads up to and supports the identification of planning and data collection needs.

Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values The fundamental resource and value analysis table includes current condition, potential threats and opportunities, planning and data needs, and selected laws and NPS policies related to management of the identified resource or value.

Fundamental Resource or Value

National register archeological districts and other potentially significant archeological resources

Relationship to Significance Statements

Cumberland Island National Seashore contains a rich concentration of cultural resources that recount 4,000 years of human habitation and include a remarkable diversity of ethnic and social backgrounds These pieces of the past—archeological features, landscapes, architecture, artifact collections, people—cast a compelling backdrop to the island that draws visitors into the stories of this remote place

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• The park has more than 60 known archeological sites

• Rayfield Archeological District and Table Point Archeological District are listed in the National Register of Historic Places

• Other archeological sites are in the National Register of Historic Places as contributing features for the island’s four listed historic districts

• Additional sites may be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places

• Site conditions range from poor to good depending on the site and location

Trends

• Shoreline sites’ conditions continue to deteriorate with erosion and unauthorized collecting

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Erosion, particularly to back-barrier sites from natural and anthropogenic forces

• Climate change effects such as increase in frequency and intensity of storms and sea-level rise are likely to cause more shoreline erosion and loss of archeological resources

• The National Park Service does not have direct management control of all sites

• Unauthorized collectors and looting

• Visitor use impacts, such as trampling by foot traffic and boat wakes

• Rooting and trampling by feral animals

Opportunities

• Data and artifact recovery by professional archeologists before the sites are lost forever to erosion or other imminent threats

• Investigations and field tests to determine if the restoration of intertidal oyster beds will help deter bank erosion

• Develop a support organization for Cumberland Island National Seashore that will further the park’s objectives to include fundraising and volunteer assistance

Fundamental Resource or Value

National register archeological districts and other potentially significant archeological resources

Identified Data Needs

• Update historic resource study

• Update assessment of archeological and historic resources

• Individual site investigations to define characteristics, significance, and boundaries

• Update the 1984 National Register of Historic Places multiple resource submission nomination forms

• Determination of NRHP eligibility is needed for numerous archeological sites

• Artifact and data recovery is needed at sites where erosion threatens the integrity and the loss of resources is a virtual certainty

• Complete comprehensive archeological investigation of the San Pedro de Mocama site, one of the most significant and vulnerable archeological sites on the island

• Data on visitor carrying capacity for island’s natural and cultural resources

• Scope of collections

• Feral horse study to comprehensively quantify damages and impacts specifically on Cumberland Island, on both natural and cultural resources

• Erosion analysis: data collection and analysis to determine contributing factors to back-barrier erosion and development of management alternatives to contend with the problem and/or its effects

Identified Planning Needs

• Resource stewardship strategy

• Shoreline management plan

• Feral horse management plan

Existing Information (plans, data, etc ) that Provides Base Knowledge for FRV

• Cumberland Island National Seashore: Assessment of Archeological and Historical Resources (John Ehrenhard, 1976)

• Historic Resource Study: Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia (Louis Torres, 1977)

• Final reports and trip reports from Southeast Archeological Center site investigations on Cumberland Island

• Cumberland Island National Seashore Resource Management Plan (1994)

Fundamental Resource or Value

National register archeological districts and other potentially significant archeological resources

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV, and NPS Policy-level Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• American Antiquities Act of 1906

• Archeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974

• Protection of Archeological Resources (43 CFR 7)

• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (16 USC 470)

• Executive Order 11593, “Protection and Enhancement of the Cultural Environment”

• Archaeological Resources Protection Act

• Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act

• 36 CFR 79 – Curation of Federally-owned and Administered Archaeological Collections

• The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation

• Secretarial Order 3289, “Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on America’s Water, Land, and Other Natural and Cultural Resources”

NPS Policy-level Conditions (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006

• NPS Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resource Management (1998)

• NPS Director’s Order 28A: Archeology (2004)

Fundamental Resource or Value

National register historic districts and their contributing features

Relationship to Significance Statements

Cumberland Island National Seashore contains a rich concentration of cultural resources that recount 4,000 years of human habitation and include a remarkable diversity of ethnic and social backgrounds These pieces of the past—archeological features, landscapes, architecture, artifact collections, people—cast a compelling backdrop to the island that draws visitors into the stories of this remote place

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• Dungeness Historic District

· 37 features on the List of Classified Structures (LCS)

· Entire district and contributing features are under direct NPS management

· Structure conditions, which include ruins and foundations, range from poor to good

· Some buildings have been adapted for park operations and housing

· A primary visitor destination on the island

• Stafford Plantation Historic District

· 13 features on the List of Classified Structures

· All LCS structures are on retained rights properties with limited NPS management

· Structure conditions, which include ruins and foundations, range from poor to good

• Plum Orchard Historic District

· 16 features on the List of Classified Structures

· 11 LCS structures are on retained rights properties with no NPS management

· Structure conditions, which include ruins and foundations, range from poor to good

· Plum Orchard Mansion and grounds are open for daily guided tours

• High Point - Half Moon Bluff Historic District

· 6 features on the List of Classified Structures

· 3 LCS structures are on retained rights properties with little NPS management

· Structure conditions range from poor to good

· Settlement area is open for daily guided tours

· Part of the “Lands and Legacies Tour ”

• The Main Road (aka Grand Avenue) is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places

• The Tabby Cottage is listed as Nationally Significant, with all of the other structures listed at local, state, or contributing level of significance

Trends

• Dungeness: Recent repair/rehabilitation and maintenance work has helped stabilize structures as well as elements of the historic landscape

• Stafford Plantation: All structures are on retained rights properties but the National Park Service has done some repair/rehabilitation work Stabilization of chimneys has been limited due to conflicting views on treatment

• Plum Orchard: Major exterior and interior restoration work was completed on the mansion during 2000–2007 timeframe

• High Point - Half Moon Bluff: Restoration work recently completed on Alberty House and Settlement grounds

Fundamental Resource or Value

National register historic districts and their contributing features

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Harsh coastal environment, termites and other wood boring insects, and age accelerate deterioration of structures and other features

• Feral hogs and horses damage historic landscapes and structures

• At least 27 structures and portions of historic landscapes are under retained rights agreements, thus limiting the ability of the National Park Service to manage and maintain these structures in accordance with regulatory and policy standards, including section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act

• High use and occupancy has the potential for damage and deterioration

• Vacant structures have the potential for neglect and decay

• Structural fire

• Climate change effects, such as an increase in frequency and intensity of storms and sea-level rise, are likely to cause more shoreline erosion and loss of cultural resources

• Wildland fire due to the close interface of historic features with the wildland environment

• Shoreline erosion

Opportunities

• Environmental and heritage education in Dungeness Historic District

• Potential partnerships to assist the park in serving visitors and protecting park resources

• Continue research to control insect infestation, working with the University of Georgia

• Develop a support organization for Cumberland Island National Seashore that will further the park’s objectives; to include fundraising and volunteer assistance

• Investigations and field tests to determine if the restoration of intertidal oyster beds will help deter bank erosion

Identified Data Needs

• Update historic resource study

• Update and submit National Register of Historic Places nominations

• Update historic structure reports (existing historic structure reports are from the 1980s and are no longer accurate; historic structure reports for retained rights structures that will come to the National Park Service)

• Determination of eligibility for outlying/overlooked structures including beach houses

• Assessment of associated museum collection in other repositories outside of Cumberland Island National Seashore

• Ethnographic assessment and overview for island

• Oral history (data from early 2000s pretty good, yet some data gaps)

• Cultural landscape reports for High Point - Half Moon Bluff and Stafford Plantation

• Feral horse study to comprehensively quantify damages and impacts specifically on Cumberland Island, on both natural and cultural resources

• Data on visitor carrying capacity for island’s natural and cultural resources

• Scope of collections

• Air quality data

• Erosion analysis: data collection and analysis to determine contributing factors to back-barrier erosion and development of management alternatives to contend with the problem and/or its effects

Fundamental Resource or Value

National register historic districts and their contributing features

Identified Planning Needs

• Resource stewardship strategy

• Long-range interpretive plan

• Historic structure adaptive reuse plans

• Parkwide ethnographic program strategy

• Sign plan for Dungeness

• Integrated pest management plan

• Facility use plan

• Shoreline management plan

• Feral horse management plan

• Exotic plant management plan

Existing Information (plans, data, etc ) that Provides Base Knowledge for FRV

• Cumberland Island National Seashore: Assessment of Archeological and Historical Resources, (John Ehrenhard, 1976)

• Historic Resource Study: Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia, 1977, (Louis Torres, 1977)

• Former reserved property management plan

• Historic structure reports available for many structures but are dated

• Plum Orchard historic structures report

• Historic American Building Surveys have been done for a number of structures

• NRHP nominations

• Dungeness cultural landscape report and inventories

• Plum Orchard cultural landscape report nearing completion

• The Grange historic structure report underway

• Architectural plans and blueprints

• Landscape study for Stafford Plantation

• Historic furnishings report

• List of Classified Structures

• Cumberland Island National Seashore Resource Management Plan (1994)

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV, and NPS Policy-level Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (16 USC 470)

• Executive Order 11593, “Protection and Enhancement of the Cultural Environment”

• Archaeological Resources Protection Act

• National Historic Preservation Act

• The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation

• The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties

• Secretarial Order 3289, “Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on America’s Water, Land, and Other Natural and Cultural Resources”

NPS Policy-level Conditions (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006

• NPS Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resource Management (1998)

• NPS Director’s Order 24: NPS Museum Collections Management

Fundamental Resource or Value

Intact barrier island system driven by coastal geological and biological processes

Relationship to Significance Statements

Cumberland Island National Seashore is one of the Atlantic Coast’s most ecologically diverse barrier islands, where local variations in environmental conditions create extensive and unique communities across the island; from the beach and dune system on the east, through the interdune, freshwater wetland, and upland forest habitats in the interior, to the salt marsh on the west

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• Intact overall

• Nearly 18 miles of the most significant sea turtle nesting habitat in Georgia

• In general, excellent shorebird, wading bird, neotropical migrant, raptor, and waterfowl habitat

• Deteriorated nesting habitat for wading birds (wood storks, egret and heron species) due to long-term fire suppression and periodic prolonged droughts

• Fire adapted ecosystems have been degraded by fire suppression

• Significant freshwater wetland systems

• Marshes in good condition, although heavily grazed in some areas

• Areas of severe erosion on west side of island (back barrier)

• Massive jetty on south end of island affects sand movement / coastal geomorphology

• Healthy populations of reptiles and amphibians

• Supports a variety of unique butterfly, moth, and bee species

Trends

• Sea turtle nesting is increasing

• Predation of sea turtle nests has been significantly reduced since 2001

• Feral hogs are currently at a manageable level

• Feral horse population is stable in numbers as revealed in annual census

• Shorebird nesting success is low due to predation by coyotes

• Erosion on the west side of the island (back barrier) continues unabated

• Habitat alteration has occurred due to fire suppression

• Adult red bay trees have been extirpated due to laurel wilt disease

Fundamental Resource or Value

Intact barrier island system driven by coastal geological and biological processes

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Resurgence of feral hog populations if control efforts are curtailed or discontinued

• Increased sea turtle nest depredation rates if feral hog management and other nest predator management efforts are eliminated

• Environmental impacts of feral horses including grazing, trampling, and waste

• Perpetual occurrences of laurel wilt disease

• Nonnative plants

• Coyotes pose a threat to nesting sea turtles, shorebirds and other ground nesting birds, small and intermediate size mammals, and white-tailed deer fawn survival

• Development and increased private boat traffic

• Visitor use in sensitive areas

• Declining water quality

• Hazards posed to marine species by commercial and recreational fishing as well as by vessel strikes

• Marine invasive species

• Climate change and sea-level rise are projected to have significant effects on coastal areas due to inundation, higher air temperatures, and increased storm intensity Habitat loss, altered structure of ecological communities, changes to phenological events, and changes in water quality are among the potential outcomes

• Heavy vegetative fuel loads and altered habitat due to fire suppression

Opportunities

• Proactive fire management plan will help improve ecosystem health

• Develop a support organization for Cumberland Island National Seashore that will further the park’s objectives to include fundraising and volunteer assistance

• Partnerships with other federal and state agencies and private organizations

• Restoration of wetland areas impacted by anthropogenic modifications

• Investigations and field tests to determine if the restoration of intertidal oyster beds will help deter bank erosion

Identified Data Needs

• Completion of updated vegetation map by Inventory & Monitoring Program

• Pre-settlement conditions for all ecosystems on the island to assist natural resources restoration and determine desired resource conditions

• Feral horse study to comprehensively quantify damages and impacts specifically on Cumberland Island, on both natural and cultural resources

• Monitoring of red bay conditions relative to laurel wilt disease and the effect of the disease on other species

• Erosion analysis: data collection and analysis to determine contributing factors to back-barrier erosion and development of management alternatives to contend with the problem and/or its effects

• Water quality data of freshwater systems

• Data on visitor carrying capacity for island’s natural and cultural resources

• Air quality data

• Monitor beach driving

Fundamental Resource or Value

Intact barrier island system driven by coastal geological and biological processes

Identified Planning Needs

• Resource stewardship strategy

• Fire management plan—to be completed in 2014

• South end management plan – some data exist The area is one of two critical habitats for shore birds on the island Need a plan that reduces impact on bird populations and manatees, and that would address private and commercial boat traffic

• Predator management plan

• Feral horse management plan

• Exotic plant management plan

• Shoreline management plan

Existing Information (plans, data, etc ) that Provides Base Knowledge for FRV

• The Ecology of the Cumberland Island National Seashore, Camden County, Georgia, Hillestad, et al , Georgia Marine Science Center, 1975

• Geology as Applied to Land-Use Management on Cumberland Island, Georgia;

McLemore, et al, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, 1981

• Assessment of Coastal Water Resources and Watershed Conditions at Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia, (Alber, Merryl, Janice Flory, and Karen Payne, National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, 2005)

• Regional water quality synthesis for southeast coastal parks, (Parman, J N , J Petrzelka, and M Williams, National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, 2012)

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) U S Climate Reference Network station data, December 2004 to present

• Nine basic inventories completed or underway through the Inventory & Monitoring Program

• Inventory & Monitoring Program vital signs monitoring

• Sea turtle nest monitoring data 1974 to present

• Annual horse census data 1991 to present supports an understanding of population trends for feral horse population

• Feral horse impacts on Cumberland Island – graduate study

• 2002 environmental assessment for hog management

• Mid-winter shorebird surveys

• Christmas bird count data

• Seabird Ecological…