The Biden administration’s plan to revive protections for some wetlands and streams that got eliminated during Donald Trump’s presidency isn’t likely to restore federal oversight of a proposed mine outside the Okefenokee Swamp’s vast wildlife refuge.
Undoing Trump rule won t likely affect Okefenokee mine plan
RUSS BYNUM, Associated Press
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1of3FILE- In this Aug 2, 2007 file photo, an alligator hangs around the canoes at Okefenokee Adventures at the entrance to the Okefenokee Swamp in Charlton County, Ga. A battle over whether to allow mining near the vast wildlife refuge in the Okefenokee Swamp rests with Georgia state regulators after federal agencies declared they no longer have oversight. (Chris Viola/The Florida Times-Union via AP, File)Chris Viola/APShow MoreShow Less
2of3Jane Winkler stands with a sign that says Protect The Okefenokee outside a church where Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp met with local Chamber of Commerce members in Folkston, Ga., on April 22, 2021. Winkler and others are fighting a mining company s plan to dig for minerals about 3 miles from the edge of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The company Twin Pines Minerals says it can mine the area without harming the sw
The proposed project could potentially destroy over 400 acres of wetland as well as threaten the refuge itself through adjacent habitat destruction, runoff, and noise and light pollution. Water pollution is a serious concern as well, as the surface water in the proposed mining area is connected directly to the river headwaters in the Okefenokee. The site of the project, known as Trail Ridge, is a hydrologically complex sandhill forming the eastern border of the Okefenokee. As well as being an integral component of the health of the greater Okefenokee area, the ridge is itself ecologically important and connected through groundwater to the refuge and surrounding wetlands. The modification of the Clean Water Act under the Trump administration means that the state of Georgia is responsible for all of the environmental impact statements and permitting for the mine, despite the refuge’s national protected status; this puts unaccustomed pressure on Georgia’s Environmental Protectio
Too few upsides to warrant mining for titanium near wildlife refuge and many huge risks
Tommy Barton
This is a column by Tommy Barton, retired editorial page editor of the Savannah Morning News.
Native Americans called it “Okefenokee,” or “land of the trembling earth.” In this watery corner of Southeast Georgia, the land actually thick patches of peat that literally floated on top of water – trembled when you got out of your canoes and walked on it. Even the trees trembled.
I still remember my first visit to the Okefenokee Swamp, the largest blackwater swamp in North America, about 40 years ago. It was like paddling a canoe into a time warp to when dinosaurs walked a raw, unspoiled planet. Here, I got up close to real alligators, not the obnoxious pretend Gators who slank about the old Gator Bowl every fall in Jacksonville.
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Caption A large, sneaky alligator tried hiding from researchers in a Georgia swamp by submerging itself. It can be seen just below the surface in this photo. Credit: UGA Coastal Ecology Lab
Alligator infested swamps are no place to be after dark, and ample proof showed up online this week.
It’s a photo of lily pads in Georgia’s massive Okefenokee Swamp, but closer inspection reveals something alarming just below.
A group of biologists was catching alligators for a genetics study when they decided to focus their spotlight on the water surface. It was then they saw a large alligator sitting perfectly still, its rough skin blending with the muddy water.