Cumberland Island News Announcement

The Cumberland Island Museum is pleased to announce the transfer of its natural history collection to the National Park Service. The Cumberland Island Museum collection represents 50 years of dedication to Cumberland Island and its natural resources by long-time resident Carol Ruckdeschel.

The Cumberland Island Museum is dedicated to collecting, interpreting, and preserving the natural and cultural history of the largest barrier island along the Georgia coast, Cumberland Island. The archival collections of the Cumberland Island Museum and its associated library have been available for scholastic research since 1985.

The Cumberland Island Museum collection encompasses marine and terrestrial vertebrates, invertebrates, insects, mollusks, and parasites. Other research collection items include gut contents, which help researchers gain insight into the ecology of various species on Cumberland Island.

Over the decades, the museum has served the public by interpreting the island through many research projects. Information from the Cumberland Island Museum has been shared in the publication of three books: “Sea Turtles of the Georgia Coast,” “Sea Turtles of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States,” and “A Natural History of Cumberland Island.” Plus, 65 articles are available in peer-reviewed journals regarding the ecology of Cumberland Island and museum projects.

The Cumberland Island Museum collects oral histories of island residents. The museum sponsors a program to acquire tombstones for unmarked graves at High Point Cemetery. And, the museum has published the Cumberland Island Quarterly newsletter since 1990.

National Marine Fisheries Service scientist Dale Youngkin stated, “During my graduate studies, I spent my summers back on Cumberland Island working in the museum sorting through the specimens, which I also worked on while at school, as there were so many samples. I’ll be forever grateful to Carol and the work that she has put into the museum collection. The museum collection is an invaluable asset documenting the natural history of the Island over several decades and has been used in many important scientific publications. The collection has also been invaluable to me on a personal and professional level. It is a tremendous resource and an inspiration showing decades of dedication to Cumberland Island.”

Once the National Park Service completes an inventory, Carol Ruckdeschel would like the entire collection to be given to the Georgia Natural History Museum at the University of Georgia. Georgia Natural History Museum Director Victor Thompson is prepared to receive the collection.

The scientific community, environmental enthusiasts, and the public owe Cumberland Island Museum President Carol Ruckdeschel a debt of gratitude for her 50 years of dedication to Cumberland Island and the Cumberland Island Museum collection.