The Experiential Carrying Capacity of a Barrier Island: A Norm-Based Approach at Cumberland Island National Seashore

Abstract

Balancing the demands for recreational use against the need to preserve places is one of the most contentious and fundamental challenges of coastal area and barrier island management. This creates an inherent need to address the carrying capacity of barrier islands in a thoughtful, deliberate, informed, and defensible manner. This article describes research that assessed the experiential carrying capacity of Cumberland Island National Seashore (CUIS), which is Georgia's largest and southern-most barrier island. Continued demand for visiting this unique island has created a situation where the island's existing management quota of 300 visitors per day, established in 1984, is often reached during the peak season. Two visitor surveys, using norm-based visual research methods, were administered at CUIS to identify experiential indicators and to quantify related thresholds. Results show that the level of crowding at main attraction sites and the beach were primary indicators of the visitor experience and could inform the development of an experiential carrying capacity. Thresholds derived from survey results indicate that the current number of people within view at main attraction sites and the beach are acceptable to most visitors. This suggests that acceptability thresholds for the number of people at the site have not been violated, and therefore the number of visitors to CUIS could be modestly increased without unacceptably degrading the experience of most visitors. The management quota of 300 people per day set in 1984 now seems outdated, and the methods and results presented in this article provide some of the information needed to accurately set and manage the experiential carrying capacity of CUIS now and in the immediate future.