Cumberland Island

With over 9,000 acres of Wilderness ecosystems to explore, I lose myself for days among curtains of Spanish moss. I watch dolphins frolic from the shore, and witness sea turtle hatchlings making their way to the sea. I can watch the sun rise over the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, set over the Cumberland River, and see the Milky Way like never before.

Bald eagles, osprey, wood storks, herons, American oystercatchers, least terns, and other shorebirds are all common sights when I visit; look closely and discover alligator, bobcat, armadillo, and coyote tracks.

The magic begins with a calm boat ride (a passenger ferry, to be precise) that departs from the friendly town of St. Mary’s, GA. But really, my journey is just beginning; when I disembark, I’ll hike miles on the beach or through the maritime forest before I set up camp. 

Afternoons on Cumberland Island are best spent dozing in a hammock hung among the ancient live oaks -- a welcome reprieve from hiking in the heat and humidity. (All I can say is, it’s not hard to be confused by feral horse paths leading you away from the hiking trails. Ahem.) 

Late one humid afternoon, I was sitting in the shade, observing hummingbirds and writing (truth be told, I was mostly wishing for a good afternoon thunderstorm to cool things off).  

Suddenly I heard a low rumble, similar to a plane, but getting increasingly louder. 

As it moved closer, the sky above us went dark. 

I looked at my companion; clearly, she was as startled as I. 

Everything seemed to go completely, eerily still. We clambered our way to a clearing and looked up—it was far too large to be a shorebird. We couldn’t believe our eyes. 

It was the Goodyear blimp, directly overhead—flying low enough over the Wilderness area to completely darken the sky for several startling seconds. 

As the blimp flew farther north, we returned to our shaded area. My heart was beating rapidly, my palms were sweaty—it was unnatural, what I had just experienced—and was NOT what one wants in a Wilderness experience. I was shaken.

I am accustomed to hearing low-flying planes and helicopters, even in this Wilderness area—but I never imagined seeing a blimp. But this blimp gave me a reminder of how much worse it could get. After all, if Spaceport Camden stakeholders get their way, rockets will soon be flying overhead. 

As I watched the sun set over the Cumberland River that night, I could not even imagine the potential devastation to this delicate ecosystem if this spaceport, located only four miles away, is approved to shoot commercial rockets directly over this Wilderness area. 

One failed launch could eradicate over 40 years of conservation efforts. It also threatens every aspect of Cumberland Island’s wilderness character:

Wildness

Solitude

Remoteness

Noise

Visual intrusion

Primitive and unconfined recreation 

Undeveloped nature

Transcendent and spiritual values

Connection to the past

Ecological and evolutionary processes

The idea of a private, for-profit spaceport launching rockets over a Congressionally-protected Wilderness area nearly makes my head explode. 

I firmly believe protecting Cumberland Island Wilderness in 1982 was one of the best choices our leaders ever made—but I also believe that it is our job to hold public officials accountable to protecting and maintaining the integrity of Wilderness character on Cumberland Island. 

That includes opposing any version of a spaceport that would be located just four miles from the Congressionally-designated Wilderness area on Cumberland Island.

OCTOBER 2020 UPDATE: Please join us at www.change.org/norocketsoverwilderness!

Jessica is a lifelong Georgia resident and mom of four (ages 12, 7, 4, and 4) who currently resides in DeKalb County, GA. She offers more than two decades of journalism, marketing, and activism experience – and most importantly, a passion for protecting the native ecology of Cumberland Island. She currently serves as Program Director for Wild Cumberland, a nonprofit dedicated to the stewardship and preservation of the Cumberland Island Wilderness and its native ecology.