A call to Action
In 1973 my parents and I took a canoe / camping trip through the Okefenokee Swamp. It was a memorable trip, not the least of which was that I had my parents all to myself for two days! With four siblings, that rarely happened and I cherished this time with my energetic, smart and curious parents.
But of course it was the swamp itself that created the most long lasting memories. I can remember paddling for hours through the dark, still waters. The only sound was the calling of the birds and the soft plunk of the canoe paddles. My father and I fell into an easy rhythm, stroking the water together to propel us forward.
There were times that I was absolutely convinced that we were lost and would spend the rest of our lives gliding past cypress trees, dripping with Spanish moss, looking for water open enough to paddle through and out. We were never really lost but the swamp is such a mystical, magical place that everything feels different and nothing really looked familiar.
And, it’s big. Really, really big, covering over 700 square miles in the southeast corner of Georgia. It is the largest blackwater swamp in North America. And, it is teeming with life. There were alligators, of course, sunning themselves on muddy banks. And all kinds of birds, calling from the treetops, wading through the shallow waters.
What I didn’t realize then, was what a rich, unique and important ecosystem we were traveling through. There are over 200 kinds of birds that live in this swamp, 400 species of vertebrates, and 60 different kinds of reptiles, including the rare and endangered eastern indigo snake.
The Okefenokee Swamp is truly a treasure. What a travesty, then, that this part of our environmental heritage, is under attack for nothing more than money. A mining company from Alabama has requested – and permission is pending – for the right to create a mine within 3 miles of our swamp, a death warrant for this beautiful and vulnerable place.
Georgia Public Broadcasting reported this: Federal scientists have warned that mining near the Okefenokee’s bowl-like rim could damage the swamp’s ability to hold water. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in 2022 declared the proposed mine poses an “unacceptable risk” to the fragile ecosystem at the Georgia-Florida line
The Environmental Protection Division states that once a wetland area is altered or destroyed it is impossible to restore.
We advocate for the swamp in the only way we know how – by writing letters to the state officials who have the power to save or destroy this incredible part of our state. Please join in the effort to save the Okefenokee Swamp. The quickest and easiest way is to go to the Okefenokee Protection Alliance website where they make it easy to make your voice heard. We have until April 9 to help save our Swamp. Let’s act today.
Thank you for alerting us to the threat of this unique ecosystem — and making it so easy to take action in support of its protection. I hope every one of your readers clicked on the link you provided and voiced their opinion about the proposed mining operation.