Next steps for full Okefenokee protection after a historic win!
Georgia Rivers spent six years on the front lines fighting the Twin Pines mineral mine proposal with science and advocacy. With support from our members, sponsors and friends, Georgia Rivers increased public awareness and connected top donors to The Conservation Fund to raise the funds needed to purchase the Twin Pines property in full.
Georgia Rivers paddle trips on the Okefenokee Wilderness Canoe Trails and flights over the swamp with locals, international tourists, media and politicians set the stage for this historic victory. These exclusive tours of the Okefenokee helped philanthropists connect with the swamp and understand its ecological and cultural importance.
Activating people to raise their voice, from letters to phone calls, is what created the public outcry. Your voice was so loud that it scared Chemours off from buying out Twin Pines to mine and spurred Georgia leaders get behind a conservation buyout. No other conservation project in Georgia state history has garnered this much support. Now all citizens can celebrate this first step to protect all of Trail Ridge!
Georgia Rivers lobbied and testified at the Georgia State Capitol, guided tours through the swamp, and helped establish Okefenokee Swamp Day at Capitol.
Georgia Rivers helped introduce the Okefenokee Protect Act bill and pass an Okefenokee resolution in the House. We even produced a documentary and wrote a song about the Okefenokee!
Georgia Rivers increased visibility of the swamp through yard signs and billboards, honoring Okefenokee champions, and hosting flyovers of the swamp!
Next step: Protect all of Okefenokee Trail Ridge
There remains unprotected land on Trail Ridge that is closer to the swamp and lower in elevation. Mining on this land would be even more hazardous to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Georgia Rivers will continue to advocate to protect the tens of thousands of acres on Trail Ridge that remain at risk.
Trail Ridge along the swamp’s eastern boundary is the prominent land feature tied to the swamp’s existence. Tied hydrologically, protecting Trail Ridge from mining interests is critical in maintaining the world-famous Okefenokee Swamp.
Read our fact sheet to learn more about the Okefenokee Swamp and Trail Ridge.
Georgia Rivers presents Okefenokee Destiny, a love letter from locals to a deeply mysterious and largely unknown swamp as it comes under pressure from a mining company that could destroy it before it gains its rightful protected place in the world.
Georgia Rivers Comment Letters
Georgia Rivers reviews permits and writes comment letters to Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to present science-backed evidence and oppose mining.
Georgia Rivers also submits comments to study committees and other agencies to promote environmental protection.
Where is Trail Ridge?
Trail Ridge is an ancient sand dune that serves as an earthen dam for the swamp. Protecting Trail Ridge is essential to maintain surface water and groundwater hydrology in the Okefenokee, St. Marys River, and surrounding areas.
Okefenokee Peatland: a Valuable Carbon Sink
Georgia Rivers executive director Rena Ann Peck and Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge biologist Sara Aicher presented science on how peatland in the Okefenokee stores carbon at the Georgia Climate Conference.
Mining on Trail Ridge would dewater the wetlands within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, expose the peat, and release carbon. Dewatered peatlands could release 28 million metric tons of CO2, the equivalent of 1/4 of Georgia’s total carbon emissions.
Testimonies
Georgia Rivers presents written testimonies with science-backed research to oppose mining on Trail Ridge. Testimonies are presented to numerous organizations, Georgia legislators, government agency heads, scientists and south Georgia residents.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service warns that the proposed mining project would destroy the structural integrity of Trail Ridge, the geological barrier along the eastern boundary of the swamp. Trail Ridge helps retain and regulate the water levels of the swamp. Mining on Trail Ridge will dewater wetlands in the swamp and induce drought, putting adjacent private property and timber lands at greater risk of wildfire.
“Okefenokee”: Our Rally Cry
“Okefenokee” is our rally cry to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from a proposed titanium mine on the doorstep of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
“Okefenokee” was written by Rena Ann Peck, musician Michelle Malone and Jim Woodcox to capture the sounds of the swamp and to further fuel the public outcry in opposition of mining on Okefenokee’s Trail Ridge. “This is my war cry,” Peck says, “Singing it fortifies the fire in my heart to save the wild heart of Georgia, our Okefenokee Swamp.”
Okefenokee Protection Alliance 2024 Refuge Advocate of the Year
Georgia Rivers is a proud founding member of the Okefenokee Protection Alliance. Our alliance received the 2024 Refuge Advocate of the Year award from the National Wildlife Refuge Association!
“Their relentless advocacy, innovative public engagement strategies, and collaboration with diverse stakeholders have been instrumental in raising awareness and significantly challenging the mining threat,” said Geoffrey L. Haskett, President of the National Wildlife Refuge Association.
Read more about OPA’s advocacy efforts here.
Mike Oetker (Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southeast Region), Christian Hunt (Defenders of Wildlife), Martha Williams (Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service), Bill Sapp (Southern Environmental Law Center), Rena Ann Peck (Georgia Rivers) and Michael Lusk (Refuge Manager at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge)
Trail Ridge: a Sacred Site
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is the fourth largest Tribe in the United States with roots and legacy directly connected to the Okefenokee Swamp. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation has joined the fight to prevent mining in the Trail Ridge sand formation connected to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The Principal Chief and Chief Executive of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation David Hill declared Trail Ridge a Sacred Site.
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation prepared a packet of resources that includes a cultural overview of Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s territory, Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s letter of support for nominating the Okefenokee as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Muscogee (Creek) Nation letters to the USACE including a letter from Principal Chief David Hill declaring Trail Ridge a Sacred Site, letters from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, to the USACE and Secretary Deb Haaland’s letter to the Governor of Georgia opposing the Twin Pines Mining, LLC, and Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s letter of support for the Okefenokee Protection Act.
Hear from RaeLynn Butler, acting secretary of culture and humanities and historic and cultural preservation department manager of the Muscogee (Creek Nation)and Chief David Hill on the importance of protecting the Okefenokee Swamp and ancestral homelands of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.