Cumberland Island Museum

 Cumberland Island Museum Logo Sea Turtle

The Cumberland Island Museum, located on Georgia's southernmost barrier island, is dedicated to furthering knowledge of the island's natural and cultural history, and to preserving archival materials associated with the island.

Cumberland Island pix Views of Cumberland Island

The nonprofit Cumberland Island Museum is located in the area known as The Subdivision on the island's northern end. Much of the northern portion of Cumberland Island is a Wilderness Area, rich in wildlife and biological diversity. Thus the museum is uniquely positioned to observe and catalogue this ecosystem.

The museum collects and archives specimens from the island and maintains a library of publications and articles. The collections and library are available for scholarly research.

The museum's book Sea Turtles of the Georgia Coast reveals the fascinating life history of sea turtles and describes many aspects of their biology.
25 June, Scrub fire Fire Advancing from the West, 27 June 2008

FIRE
Fire is an integral part of the Cumberland Island ecosystem, supporting diversity among island species. But in the absence of a fire management plan, federal authorities have imposed an expensive and destructive policy of total fire suppression. See FIRE: A Natural Part of the Island Ecosystem for an in-depth analysis.

More information is available in the quarterly Cumberland Island Museum Newsletter, which you will receive with a donation.

Checklists:

Now is the time to renew your membership ($15 or more annually). All membership funds go directly to support the museum's work; no salaries are paid.

Contact us at:
The Cumberland Island Museum
P.O. Box 796
St. Marys, GA 31558

Coyotes on Cumberland

coyote headThe island's ecosystem is not only diverse but also evolving. An article from the Cumberland Island Museum newsletter describes evidence of coyotes on the island.

Saving Cumberland Island

An article by Will Harlan from Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine describes efforts to preserve Cumberland's wilderness areas—as well as efforts by some to dismantle wilderness protections.

(PDF file - requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. Reprinted with permission from Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine.)

What's Really Happening To Our Sea Turtles?

The numbers of dead and stranded sea turtles continue to increase. See our special section, Dead on the Beach, for more on the problem and how you can help.

See Strandings for more detailed information on sea turtle strandings on Cumberland Island from 1981-2005.