GEORGIA — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced its “final decision to expand the acquisition boundary of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge by approximately 22,000 acres.”
The move comes amidst a push to expand the bounds to prevent mining of titanium dioxide by advocates working to protect the Okefenokee Swamp.
The mining plan by Twin Pines Minerals, LLC., had been moving forward for several years, despite the opposition from environmental advocates.
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In December, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that it would be nominating the area as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
“The expanded boundary allows the Service to potentially offer priority public uses such as hunting, fishing, wildlife watching, and education to the more than 400,000 annual visitors to the refuge, thereby driving a growing ecotourism economy within the community,” FWS said Friday.
According to federal officials, “during a 55-day public scoping period, which included an in-person public meeting and a virtual meeting, the public submitted approximately 30,000 comments including individuals from 36 countries and all 50 states, including Washington D.C., Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.”
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Michael Lusk, the refuge manager at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, said in a statement that the high volume of public comment showed “just how special Okefenokee is,” not just to those living nearby but to Americans across the country and even internationally.
In response to the news that FWS had moved to expand the boundaries of the Okefenokee, advocates praised the decision for helping to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from mining.
“The expansion of the ONWR’s acquisition boundary, including the TPM property, is a critical development in the drive to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from mining. As someone who fought DuPont’s massive strip-mining proposal in the 1990s and helped add part of the DuPont property to the refuge, I know firsthand the vital role that land acquisition has and must play in safeguarding this world-class resource,” Josh Marks, President of Georgians for the Okefenokee, said. “The spotlight now shines even brighter on Governor Kemp, who should deny the permits for TPM’s dangerous project along the swamp’s southeastern edge, which in turn will incentivize TPM to follow DuPont’s lead and donate or sell its property for conservation.”
In response to Channel 2 Action News, Twin Pines provided the following statement:
“Rather than opposing this proposal, we will take FWS at its word that its sole effect to allow FWS to acquire property from willing sellers; that it will not have any effect on the permitting process at Georgia EPD; and that FWS not will not use the expanded boundary as a basis to assert control over private property it is unable to acquire.”
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