US proposes Cumberland Island land swap with limits on future development

An unusual land-swap proposal on a remote Georgia barrier island is putting a new twist on the question of what happens when private property and protected public land overlap. The US National Park Service (NPS) is considering two voluntary land exchanges at Cumberland Island National Seashore, under which it would acquire privately owned parcels in environmentally sensitive parts of the island while transferring federal land to private landowners in return.But there is an important catch: land leaving federal ownership would remain under permanent conservation restrictions. The proposed conservation easements would prohibit subdivision and permanently limit development, meaning the land could become privately owned without simply becoming open for unrestricted construction.The NPS opened a 30-day public comment period on September 9, with comments being accepted until October 16, 2026.