Sometimes the “news” amazes me. Ossabaw Island has been the subject of several articles recently. Most of them complain that Georgia is running the island as a hunting preserve and only allows hunters the privilege of going there. The articles say more people should be allowed to visit and vacation on this state owned island off our coast. They say it is not right that the general public can not go there for recreation.

Ossabaw Island is in the Heritage Preserve Program that limits its use, by state law, to “natural, scientific and cultural study, research and education, and environmentally sound preservation, conservation and management.” That law prevents recreation for the public. Hunting is used only as a management tool on the island.

During the past few years, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has reduced the deer population by 20 per cent on the island, and tried to eliminate as many feral hogs as possible. Although hunting does provide recreation, it is used to keep the numbers of animals in check on the island, and that is specifically allowed in the law creating it.

I know the people who equate growth and progress would probably like this natural preserve to be built up like Panama City Beach or Myrtle Beach, but that kind of recreation is prohibited by state law. Ossabaw Island is preserved in a natural state for research and education, and allowing more public access for recreation would limit its use in these areas.

The reasons some papers like the Atlanta Constitution are pushing for more recreation on the island are unclear. They may have connections to developers standing to make lots of money from changing the island, or they may just hate hunters and everything associated with them. It is a shame their reporting can not be more balanced, though.