Anne H Oman
Reporter-At-Large
January 6, 2018 4:00 p.m.
Planning a visit to Kingsley Plantation? Hankering to camp on Cumberland Island?
Better put those ideas on hold for a while. How long? Well, until the partial government shutdown ends and funds start flowing again, which could take “months or even years” in President Trump’s words, although negotiations to end the stalemate between the legislative and executive branches are underway this weekend, led by Vice President Mike Pence.
A visitor to Kingsley Plantation Saturday morning found the gates locked and the following sign posted:
“AREA CLOSED: Because of a lapse in federal appropriations, Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve [which includes both Kingsley Plantation and Fort Caroline] is closed for the safety of visitors and park resources.”
And the website for Cumberland Island National Seashore, in an alert posted December 22, advised:
“During the government shutdown, Cumberland Island National Seashore will remain open, however, there will be no visitor services. All offices and contact stations will be closed, and hazardous or dangerous conditions may exist. There will be no ferry provided to or from the island. No services will be provided at campgrounds, including maintenance, bathrooms or check-in/check-out. Campers will be notified of the final opportunity for ferry departure from the island. Visitors holding campground reservations should be aware that there will be no ferry service provided to the island. In case of Emergency, visitors to the park should call 911.”
Cumberland Island National Seashore hosts more than 40,000 visitors each year.
Phones at the offices at Kingsley Plantation, Fort Caroline and Cumberland Island were not answered, or went to voice mail. Nor did anyone answer the phone at Lang’s Marina, the concessionaire authorized by the National Park Service to ferry visitors from St. Mary’s to Cumberland. A woman who answered the phone at Lang’s Restaurant said there was no one at the adjacent marina, adding “my mother works there and she can’t even go into work because the government is shut down.”
The local attractions are just two of the more than 400 parks, seashores, monuments and historic sites run by the National Park Service nationwide. Many, like Kingsley Plantation, are closed; some, like Cumberland Island are technically open but with no staff, and a few are being run by volunteers.
Since 1976, when the current budgeting and appropriations process was adopted, there have been 22 gaps in funding, 10 of which have resulted in employees being furloughed. The longest shutdown to date came in 1995 and lasted three weeks. The current shutdown, which began December 22, turned two weeks old this Saturday.
The good news is that local state parks, including Fort Clinch, Amelia Island State Park, Big and Little Talbot Islands, and Crooked River, remain open, with business as usual.
Editor’s Note: Anne H. Oman relocated to Fernandina Beach from Washington, D.C. Her articles have appeared in The Washington Post, The Washington Star, The Washington Times, Family Circle and other publications. We thank Anne for her contributions to the Fernandina Observer.