Submitted by Susan Hardee Steger
Submitted by Kevin McCarthy
Ferry service to the Cumberland Island National Seashore is up for bid this year and Fernandina’s own Kevin McCarthy, owner and operator of the popular Amelia River Cruises, will submit a proposal. Marianne Mills, a spokesperson for the National Park Service is quoted in the Brunswick News that “the Cumberland Island museum and park service office will remain in St. Marys after a new ferry contract begins, other ferry landing sites could be authorized,depending on the proposals.”
According to McCarthy, his proposal calls for “two ferries each day that could take up to 150 passengers each for a total of 300 visitors per day, the same as St. Marys.”
McCarthy is working with Phil Scanlan and Friends of Amelia Island Trails to offer “bicycle friendly” transportation to Cumberland. With the ability for bicyclists and other users to then connect to St Marys, the East Coast Greenway trail through Fernandina Beach will be reconnected. In 2011, the connection was severed when ferry service from Fernandina to St Marys was discontinued. East Coast Greenway’s goal is to connect “multi-user trails” from Maine to Florida.
For years, McCarthy has sought to provide a Fernandina connection to Cumberland Island. Helping McCarthy in his quest are U.S. Representative Andre Crenshaw, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, and local attorney Arthur Jacobs.
March 14, 2014 9:45 p.m.
All of us need to support this effort . . . let us know what is needed. The East Coast Greenway is an important resource that spans Amelia Island, and Amelia Island Cruises is the perfect business to re-connect the trail.
GREAT IDEA! Cumberland is so close to us and I’d love to get there more easily and go more often!
A group of us went to Cumberland Island this week. I am very hopeful that we will have access to Cumberland from our Island. Cumberland is a wonderful place to hike, take photos and appreciate our natural resources. The Live Oak trees up there are spectacular.
Best wishes, Kevin, Cecelia and crew. You would be the perfect operator for this service. We’re rooting for you. Let us know if there is anything that we can do to help you secure this.
A great idea. I’ll call Sen. Nelson’s office to remind him.
Cecilia and Kevin… We are hoping that this turns out well for you. We know you would do a great job and many will enjoy the opportunity to go to Cumberland Island from Amelia Island on your wonderful Amelia River Cruises boats. Let us know if we can help you in any way….
We need to get a letter writing campaign going to Senators Nelson and Rubio and Congressman Crenshaw because you know the Lang’s are going to being going all out with Jack Kingston who is running for Senator in GA. Mr. Lang has said that if an additional operator is allowed to begin business in another location it will devastate St. Mary’s as well as his business. While I support the McCarthy’s application wholeheartedly, the first step would be to promote Fernandina Beach as another departure point as the NPS has previously rejected requests for a second point of operation.
Best wishes on this effort!!!!
The article doesn’t clarify whether a ferry service from Fernandina would replace the ferry service from St. Mary’s, or if they would both run concurrently. If they both run concurrently, how will they coordinate to ensure that they do not exceed the legal limit of 300 visitors per day? Or are senators hoping to expand the legal limit?
The park service and museum will remain in St Marys. The park service will consider other landing sites “depending upon proposals.” This is all the information we have at this time. See article info: “Marianne Mills, a spokesperson for the National Park Service is quoted in the Brunswick News that “the Cumberland Island museum and park service office will remain in St. Marys after a new ferry contract begins, other ferry landing sites could be authorized,depending on the proposals.”
The capacity limitation could be easily managed by both sites accessing a common reservation system for the campgrounds as well as the ferry itself.
This will be a decision by NPS. The Friend of The Amelia Island Trail have written a letter to the Cumberland acting Director and we have supporting letters written by:
Adventure Cycling Alliance (46,000 bicycle members)
East Coast Greenway Alliance (25,000 members)
A supporting resolution was passed by Nassau County on 3/19/14
The City of FB is expected to pass a supporting resolution on 4/1/14.
I suggest individuals email your support directly to
Acting Director at Cumberland Island National Seashore.
[email protected]
I have met with Gary and the Chief Ranger at Cumberland — and Gary plans to ask
upper levels in NPS for a decision on our request. I think Gary will be fair — and he will pass along all inputs to NPS upper management.
Mike Pikula and I met with the Mayor of St. Marys, GA, and plan to meet again with him next week. We had support at that meeting from a Georgia trails leader. We can’t expect St. Marys to support giving up their 40 year exclusive right to
provide ferry service to Cumberland – but we are trying to explain how the national ECG GA-FL trail gap closure could attract the bicyclist community and how a ferry connection — via Cumberland — between St. Marys and Fernandina Beach could attract some of the many FB tourists to visit St. Marys via ferry. We also do not
think FB will cause a reduction in the St. Marys, Ga tourists that use the ferry service since they are mostly from GA.
Phil Scanlan