A path to connect parks

Submitted by Phillip Scanlan
Amelia Island Trail team – Co-Chair
Friends of The Amelia Island Trail, Inc.
www.AmeliaIslandTrail.org

Over the past few weeks print media has included nine articles and letters about a proposal to connect our FL and GA trail networks by ferry via Cumberland Island, which is a national park. Headlines have included:

3/28/14 Bicycles may blaze trail on Cumberland
3/28/14 Fernandina ferry to Cumberland?
4/2/14 St. Marys adamant about keeping ferry
4/4/14 Golden Geese
4/9/14 Gold Rush on Cumberland?
4/16/14 Cumberland Island Preservation

There have been similar headlines in the Brunswick, GA and Times Union, GA papers creating a fear of a negative impact on St. Marys or Cumberland or both.

Understandably, these headlines, articles, and letters have caused some concerns that I believe need to be addressed.

There is no proposal or plan to blaze bicycle trails on Cumberland and there is no proposal or plan to take away the St. Marys Ferry.
There is a proposal to have the National Park Service (NPS) allow a 2nd ferry service franchise from Fernandina Beach, FL equal to the service they have allowed from St. Marys, GA for the past 40 years to access Cumberland Island. This would allow a connection, by two private ferry services, between GA and FL trails. The ceiling for visitors per day authorized for Cumberland Island, a National Park, was 1460/day. The NPS set the initial visitors to be approximately 300/day about 40 years ago. The average visitors to Cumberland Island has been approximately 110/day. We believe the 2nd Ferry from Fernandina Beach can be approved and remain within the existing park visitor guidelines.

Fernandina already has a river cruise service that takes Florida residents and tourists over to Cumberland for a river side view of Cumberland, but that cruise service is not allowed to dock at Cumberland to let passengers visit Cumberland or to let passengers transfer to a St. Marys ferry service.

To enable the FL-GA ferry connection to be used by bicyclists we have also proposed to have the ferry service to Cumberland Island, from both cities, be bike friendly. That is the ferry operator would allow a passenger to bring their bike on the ferry and allow a transfer at the Cumberland dock between ferry services to enable a FL-GA trail connection. The ferry services could be timed to minimize the transfer wait time. This connection would be part of the national East Coast Greenway (ECG) trail being developed to run from Maine to the FL Keys along the entire US east coast. Currently the existing exclusive St. Marys Ferry service operator rents bicycles to passengers for use on Cumberland Island, but does not allow passengers to bring their own bicycle.

The National Park Service is evaluating this proposal for a FL-GA ferry trail connection via Cumberland Island and is considering all inputs. The NPS will make the decision to add a 2nd ferry, with whatever limitations they may want on passengers and bicycles, or refuse to add a 2nd ferry service, or study this proposal further to ensure that it is implemented with no harm to Cumberland Island.

I think a bit of context and history needs to be shared on how this proposal came about. In 2005 I invited the current park heads from the local City, County, and State parks to lunch to ask what could be done to improve the parks on Amelia Island. All the Directors and Rangers agreed they did not want any more park land they would have to care for. However, it was suggested that a path connecting the parks would be very useful and all present agreed with that proposal. That was the beginning of a team effort to develop an Amelia Island Trail Network to connect the Parks; suggested by our park managers. That Amelia Island Trail team includes city, county, state and federal representatives as well as walking, running and bicycle clubs, and local businesses. In 2011 our Amelia Island trail network received “Honorable Mention” when we had it assessed by the American Bicyclist Association. In 2013 we received a “Bronze” level assessment, and our objective for 2015 is “Silver” which is the highest of any city in FL. Our Goal for the Amelia Island Trail Network is to become the best place in Florida to walk, run, or bicycle safely.

We have significantly improved the trail connection between our parks on Amelia Island (and have a few more projects planned) and next month we expect to add a trail connection to Big Talbot Island State Park and to the Timucuan Preserve, a national park to our south. The Rangers who head those parks to our south have also been on our Amelia Island Trail team for years and have been very cooperative in planning a trail connection.
If we are able to add a connection to Cumberland Island, and the St. Marys beautiful waterfront park in GA, on our north, then Amelia Island could become the best place to walk, run or bicycle safely in all of Florida and have trail connections to two National Parks. This will be a good thing, (without harm to Cumberland) for residents and tourists of all 3 cities: St. Marys, Fernandina Beach, and Jacksonville. Tourism is about ten times higher on Amelia Island than in St. Marys and this connection would encourage our tourists to visit both cities, resulting in an increase in tourism for both cities. While there is always a little risk with any change, there is also risk with no change. Many cities are competing for tourists and many are improving.

In 2013 the NPS and Adventure Cycling, Inc. both signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support trail and bicycling connections to national parks, to the extent possible. A path to connect parks is not a bad thing, it is a good thing.

Public input to the NPS is now being considered on this proposal and should be directed to Superintendent Cumberland Island National Seashore: [email protected]

The above web site has an Amelia Island trail map that can be downloaded.
It also lists walking, running, and bicycle events on the island in chronological order with a link to register for each event.

April 24, 2014 10:00 a.m.