American Identity
On wild Cumberland Island, a land swap proposal stirs controversy November 9, 20265:00 AM ETBy
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A wild horse grazes on whatever food it can find on Cumberland Island, Ga. on Oct 8, 2026. The National Park Service, which has managed the island since 1972, recently proposed a land swap with descendants of Thomas Carnegie, the wealthy Gilded Age industrialist who built homes on the island. Malcolm Jackson for NPR hide caption
Malcolm Jackson for NPRCUMBERLAND ISLAND, Ga.— Wild horses, feral hogs and deer roam free on this 18-mile barrier island, one of the largest and most ecologically diverse along the Atlantic coast. The landscape includes salt marshes, maritime forests, and an expansive stretch of pristine, untouched beach only accessible to the public by ferry.
