PHOTOS: Amazing widlife fills virtually untouched Georgia island
Image 0 of 61
Cumberland Island These are photos from Cumberland Island. (Jason Prock/NPS Photo/A. Bohl)
Cumberland Island It's Georgia's largest and southernmost barrier island. (Southeast Coast Network)
Cumberland Island Here pristine maritime forests, undeveloped beaches and wide marshes whisper the stories of both man and nature. (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island Cumberland Island is famous for its feral horses. (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island A few horses were probably brought to Cumberland as livestock when Spanish missions were established in the late 1500s although evidence is scarce. During their history on the island horses have been managed as both free-ranging and corralled livestock. By the mid-1900s horses were roaming the island with little or no care provided from island residents. (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island But horses aren't the only wildlife visitors to the island will encounter. (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island Cumberland Island’s extensive ecosystems support a wide variety of life, including 30 mammals, 55 reptiles and amphibians, over 300 birds, and over 500 plant species. (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island 18 miles of undeveloped beaches and over 36,000 acres of habitat provide boundless opportunities for wildlife sightings. (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island Cumberland’s 18-mile undeveloped beach is one of the most important loggerhead sea turtle nesting areas in Georgia. Each year it accounts for 25 to 30 percent of the statewide nesting total (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island The park’s sea turtle monitoring program utilizes interns who patrol the beach from May through October each year, locating nests; monitoring those nests; protecting them from tidal washovers and predation; and finally inventorying them after hatching to evaluate success. (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemaintus) is a favorite with visitors to Cumberland Island National Seashore. Often seen with its long snout to the ground foraging for food, this unique-looking mammal thrives in the expansive maritime forest found on the island. (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island Cumberland Island National Seashore is a diverse blend of history, environment, and recreation. The island's 4,000 years of human history began with the Timucuan Indians and later included Spanish missionaries, British settlers, early American patriots and enslaved African Americans. After the industrial revolution swept the country, wealthy families sought solace on the island both as land owners and vacationers. (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island Greyfield Inn is located on Cumberland Island, the 19th century retreat of Thomas and Lucy Carnegie who built Greyfield in 1900 for their daughter, Margaret Ricketson. The home was converted to an inn in 1962 by Margaret’s daughter, Lucy R. Ferguson, and her family. The Carnegie family still oversees the Inn, which exudes the romance and luxury of a grand hotel with the hospitality and charm of a family home. (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island Cumberland is the longest and most diverse of all Georgia barrier islands. It's home to the largest, intact maritime forest and coastal Wilderness on the east coast. (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island To get to Cumberland, visitors take a ferry from St. Marys. (Cumberland Island National Seashore/NPS Photo)
Cumberland Island In addition to the Greyfield Inn, there is camping on the island. (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island But you'll need to make your reservation early as spots typically fill very quickly. (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (National Parks Service)
Cumberland Island (Jason Prock/Courtesy of Audrey Bohl)
Cumberland Island (Cumberland Island National Seashore/NPS Photo)
Cumberland Island (Cumberland Island National Seashore/NPS Photo)
