Protecting the Okefenokee Swamp
Georgia’s ‘wild heart’ is in danger
An Alabama-based mining company with a troubling past wants to mine 8,000 acres on the edge of Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp. The proposed project threatens the water levels and health of one of the most wild, pristine, and ecologically intact places in America.
The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is home to a stunning array of biodiversity including bald eagles, bobcats, black bears, and 13,000 alligators. Several endangered and threatened species reside in and rely on the Okefenokee, including wood storks, indigo snakes, and red-cockaded woodpeckers. More than 850 plant species are found in the Okefenokee, from giant 400-year-old cypress trees to carnivorous pitcher plants and water lilies.
The Okefenokee attracts nearly 725,000 visits a year, supports more than 750 jobs, and generates an estimated $64.7 million in economic activity in the four counties surrounding the Refuge.
Working together to save the swamp.
Hear the compelling case from Reverend Antwon Nixon and Codi Norred. Learn more about our partners One Hundred Miles and Georgia Interfaith Power & Light at OurGeorgiaCoast.org.
Wildfires and other climate risks
Twin Pines Minerals LLC wants to mine for titanium dioxide—primarily used in common household items like toothpaste and paint—on Trail Ridge, the Okefenokee’s eastern rim. The proposed mine would remove more than a half a million gallons of water per day from the Okefenokee watershed. Respected hydrologists and other scientists say this reckless plan will threaten the swamp’s water levels and create a real danger for this drought prone region.
The Okefenokee is a large and important carbon sink, storing the equivalent of 145 million tons of carbon dioxide in forests, aquatic plants, soils, and peat. Peatlands account for 65% of the carbon stored in the Okefenokee. When peatlands are dewatered, they release vast quantities of carbon-laden greenhouse gases, exacerbating climate change. Given the peat-rich, fire-prone landscape of the swamp, even a small change in water level would increase the risk of catastrophic wildfires and could have other significant adverse impacts on the swamp’s ecosystem and surrounding communities.
The area surrounding the Okefenokee has a history of large and destructive wildfires during times of drought. Water loss from mining near the Okefenokee would exacerbate this risk. In 2017, the West Mims fire started in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, and consumed more than 145,000 acres, including more than 32,000 acres of industry and privately owned land. The effects of long-term drought were blamed for size and severity of the fire. The estimated loss on industrial and private land was more than $38.1 million.
The U.S. Government has a historic opportunity to stand up for Georgians and protect the Okefenokee.
Georgians don’t want this mine
Georgia leaders appear to be clearing the way for this mine to move forward. In February 2024, Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division released draft permits for the project—a critical step in the permitting process. No permit application in Georgia history has drawn as much opposition as this one. Since Twin Pines proposed the mine in 2018, public opposition has been overwhelming and unwavering. Concerned citizens from across Georgia and the country have expressed their opposition to the mine by filing more than 250,000 comments with the Corps of Engineers and the state of Georgia.
At least 19 local governments across Georgia have passed resolutions calling for protection of the Okefenokee.
A bipartisan majority of Georgia’s House Members — 94 out of 180— supported a bill that would outlaw mining on Trail Ridge. Federal leaders, including Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, have written letters asking EPD to reject Twin Pines’ permit application for the mine.
In early 2024, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service put Georgia on notice that the proposed mine’s impacts to the swamp could impair the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge’s purpose as a migratory bird sanctuary and wilderness area.
The federal government has asserted its Reserved Water Rights, a move that has protected other iconic places across the country including Zion, Yellowstone, and Yosemite National Parks. The U.S Government now has a historic opportunity to stand up for Georgians and protect the Okefenokee.