Protect The Okefenokee Swamp! - Georgia River Network

Next Steps for Full Okefenokee Protection

While the immediate threat of mining on Okefenokeee Trail Ridge has been prevented, 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.

Please give to our Okefenokee campaign to help ensure that all of Trail Ridge and the Okefenokee Wilderness are protected from mining forever. 

FUEL THE FIGHT

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. 

Protecting the Okefenokee Swamp from outside threats preserves the world renowned wildlife sanctuary, culture and prosperity of the surrounding communities, and the health and wellbeing of all citizens.

Breaking News – Land Deal Protects Swamp from Twin Pines Mine!

Great news!! A land deal has been made for purchase of property near the Okefenokee Swamp where Twin Pines Minerals was planning a mine. This mine could have irreparably damaged North America’s largest blackwater swamp.

The Conservation Fund will acquire the 600 acre tract of land where the mine was planned, along with other land holdings in the area and the underlying mineral rights, for just under $60 million dollars.

Read more about the land deal in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Associated Press, Georgia Recorder and see more news article on our Georgia Rivers in the News page.

“Sometimes it takes almost losing something to realize what you have. Sometimes it takes a crisis to pull people together to save a valuable piece of nature and ourselves. While raising the visibility of the Okefenokee with songs and movies and lobbying down at the Capitol is exciting, the most rewarding work is taking people boating on the Okefenokee Wilderness Canoe Trail and recruiting conservation buyers for protecting the swamp forever.” – Rena Ann Peck, Executive Director of Georgia Rivers

Georgia Rivers thanks all of YOU who have spoken out to protect the swamp. This is a huge win!

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 garnered this much support. Now all citizens can celebrate this first step to protect all of Trail Ridge! 

The Okefenokee is Endangered

The Okefenokee Swamp, the largest blackwater wetland and home to the largest National Wildlife Refuge east of the Mississippi, is threatened by mining on Okefenokee’s Trail Ridge.  

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service warns that mining would destroy the structural integrity of Trail Ridge, dewater wetlands in the swamp and induce drought, and put adjacent private property and timber lands at greater risk of wildfire.

Georgia Rivers is dedicated to garnering national attention on this priority issue and urging Georgia leaders to prioritize the protection of this irreplaceable natural resource.

Georgia Rivers is nearly five years into the fight to protect the Okefenokee and we are not backing down. We need your help to keep up the effort.

You can help by making a donation today to support our efforts to protect the Okefenokee’s future. We can’t continue to be the voice for Georgia’s rivers and wetlands without you.

Okefenokee Protection Update – 2025 Legislative Session Recap

April 7

Georgia Rivers worked with Rep Darlene Taylor to introduce the Okefenokee Protection Act and Okefenokee Trail Ridge Mining Moratorium bills, helped secure 77 co-sponsors and gave support testimony at the House Natural Resources & Environment Committee hearing to show the science-backed evidence for supporting HB 561 and HB 562. (Watch a recording of the hearing here.)

These two bills did not make progress in the House this session, but remain viable for the 2026 session. 

Georgia Rivers also raised public awareness for these two bills. Rena Ann Peck wrote op-eds in the AJC about how threats to the Okefenokee just keep coming and how Georgia lawmakers need to act quickly as time is running out for the Okefenokee swamp.

Did you know? 

Georgia barrier islands like Cumberland and Little Tybee were once threatened by mining. This spurred the Georgia General Assembly to pass the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act to protect Georgia’s coastal beaches, dunes and ecosystems from being impacted by human activity.

Remember, Trail Ridge is an ancient barrier island that regulates water levels in the swamp. The General Assembly could again pass legislation to save this vital area from mining with the Okefenokee Protection Act, or at least pass a short-term mining moratorium to provide time for conservation buyers to assemble the Okefenokee Trail Ridge protection deal forever. Even a short-term moratorium could lead to long-term protection.

Next Steps

Take action to protect Okefenokee and take a trip to the swamp! Join the thousands of annual visitors that show swamp tourism is big business for this region in Georgia.

Explore the Okefenokee

Georgia Rivers has two Okefenokee-Suwannee River Adventures planned for November 7-9 and November 14-15. Secure your spot today!

What We Are Fighting For:

The Okefenokee Swamp, one of Georgia’s seven natural wonders; the largest blackwater swamp in North America; and a wetland of international importance, is threatened by a proposed titanium mine.

Twin Pines Minerals, LLC, an Alabama mining company with a poor track record of environmental stewardship, has asked federal and state authorities permission to operate a 898-acre heavy mineral sand mine next to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. This is the first phase of a mining operation on a 8,000-acre site. The company proposes digging 50-foot deep trenches in Trail Ridge, the very rise of land that helps regulate water levels in the swamp. These excavations would extend below the water table of the swamp and are expected to dewater portions of the swamp and headwaters of the St. Marys River.

At risk is one of the last self-contained, naturally functioning wetlands left on Earth. Among the most visited National Wildlife Refuges in the country, the Okefenokee hosts some 725,000 visitors annually who help create more than 750 local jobs and a total annual economic output of $64.7 million in the four counties surrounding the swamp.

‘Okefenokee’: our rally cry

We are proud to present the release of ‘Okefenokee’, a rally cry to protect the Okefenokee swamp from the threat of mining.⁠

‘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 Destiny  Film Tour

Okefenokee Destiny is 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.

The Okefenokee Swamp, “The Trembling Earth,” is a place unlike any other in the world. It’s the largest intact blackwater wetland in North America and a mecca for research scientists from around the world. It’s also in the heart of an economically depressed region and under pressure from extractive industries. How can the Okefenokee be conserved for future generations – and what lessons can we learn to keep from repeating our past mistakes?

Okefenokee Destiny, a 14-minute PBS EcoSense for Living documentary, explores these questions and takes viewers on a journey through the swamp while introducing them to individuals and organizations working to protect this natural wonder. Georgia River Network is taking “Okefenokee Destiny” on a tour around Georgia to help amplify the movement to protect the wetlands from mining. All screenings will be followed by a brief Q&A with experts featured in the documentary.

If you would like us to bring a screening to your business, event or local theatre, please reach out to us at [email protected].

GEORGIA RIVER NETWORK PRESENTS:

Screening tour sponsored by:

WILLIAMS FAMILY FOUNDATION OF GEORGIA

TAKE ACTION Learn More + Resources

Okefenokee / St Marys River Named Most Endangered River of 2020 by American Rivers

American Rivers named the Okefenokee Swamp and St. Marys River as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2020. Rena Ann Peck, Executive Director of Georgia River Network, explains “The Okefenokee Swamp is like the heart of the regional Floridan aquifer system in southeast Georgia and northeast Florida. The life-force of water from the Okefenokee Swamp not only flows into the St. Marys River to the Atlantic Ocean, but also into the Suwannee River to the Gulf of Mexico.

Mining on Trail Ridge can draw down the water level of the Okefenokee Swamp and dewater headwater wetlands and tributaries and the rivers they feed, destroying natural habitat for federally listed species and providing dry peat fueling uncontrollable fires.” Read the press release.

The Okefenokee Swamp

Photo by Tom Wilson

Covering 440,000 acres or 630 square miles, the Okefenokee is the largest blackwater swamp in North America and one of the world’s largest intact freshwater ecosystems. The swamp was designated a National Wildlife Refuge in 1937 and is the largest NWR east of the Mississippi. Since 1937 the protection has ensured the swamp remains largely unspoiled. “One of the coolest things about the Okefenokee is that it’s basically an intact ecosystem,” said Refuge Manager Michael Lusk, noting that the Everglades, while larger, had been ditched and drained. And while there once was logging in some parts of the Okefenokee, the swamp has been protected for more than 80 years. “What we have now is a large intact, functioning ecosystem and that is so rare, especially in the eastern U.S.”

Water Trails and Recreation

Today, 600,000 people visit each year to discover its amazing landscapes—including peat beds, island prairies, and cypress forests—and wildlife like American alligators, sandhill cranes, indigo snakes and gopher tortoises. National Geographic named the Swamp one of the 100 most beautiful places on the planet. In 2015, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia was also identified as one of the top 10 canoe trips in the world by Green Global Travel.

The refuge is part of the National Water Trail System, one of only 21 designated trails in the U.S., in part because it requires an act of Congress. The Okefenokee and the Suwannee River both have water trails that are part of Georgia River Network’s Water Trail System. The St. Mary’s trail is under development. To learn more about Georgia Water Trails, click here.

The swamp was formed 6500 years ago. The mining operation will last 8 years. As former Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbit once said “titanium is a common mineral while the Okefenokee is a very uncommon swamp.”

Photo by Tom Wilson

CLICK FOR PDF MAP OF OKEFENOKEE / TRAIL RIDGE, WATER TRAILS AND TWIN PINES MINE SITE

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Georgia River Network – Okefenokee Swamp PowerPoint Presentation

GRN is a Member of the Okefenokee Protection Alliance

The Okefenokee Protection Alliance is a coalition of more than 30 conservation organizations representing millions of members that have joined forces to save the swamp from the proposed Twin Pines Minerals, LLC titanium mine and other threats that jeopardize the integrity of the Okefenokee Swamp. Learn more at https://protectokefenokee.org/