Cumberland Island National Seashore Seeking Public Input For "Foundation Document"

Cumberland Island National Seashore officials are revisiting their core mission and the significance of the national seashore, and want public input to help them sculpt a "Foundation Document" for the seashore.

"Although the Foundation Document is not a decision-making document and does not include actions or management strategies, it describes a shared understanding of what is most important about the park," the release continued. "In this capacity, the Foundation Document will reestablish the underlying guidance for future management and planning decisions at Cumberland Island National Seashore."

All units of the National Park System are required to prepare a Foundation Document by 2016, the 100-year anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service.

"The park would like to hear from our visitors about why Cumberland Island National Seashore is special to them, what resources are most threatened and what stories should be told to this and future generations," said Seashore Superintendent Fred Boyles.

To submit your thoughts, you can visit the Park Service's planning website for Cumberland Island National Seashore to provide responses to questions about the park’s significance, threats, and opportunities.

You also can email your feedback directly to the park at: .

The public is also invited to attend an open house at the Cumberland Island National Seashore Visitor Center on Monday, January 28, 2013. This open house will be an informal forum to introduce the Foundation Document process and hear public feedback. National Park Service planning staff will be available to record your answers to questions concerning key aspects of Cumberland Island National Seashore.

The open house will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on January 28. The park visitor center is located at 113 West St. Marys Street in St. Marys, Georgia.