Gov. Brian Kemp and state lawmakers should make preserving this natural gem a top priority in 2026.
Little Blue Heron is seen at Okefenokee Swamp, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in Folkston. Earlier this summer, land next to the Okefenokee Swamp that was slated for a titanium mine was purchased by The Conservation Fund, spelling an end to a project some had feared could irreparably damage the fragile ecosystem. But while that proposal is off the table, the specter of mining near the refuge remains. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)
By Josh Marks – For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
26 minutes ago
Last June, the people of Georgia celebrated a huge victory when Twin Pines Minerals abandoned its proposed titanium strip mine along the Okefenokee Swamp’s southeastern border and instead sold its land for conservation.
The victory came after more than five years of tireless opposition by scientists and students, conservationists and clergy, legislators, business owners and others, all of whom fought to protect the Oke from a mining project that would have produced a pigment to whiten paint, toothpaste and junk food.
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Hydrologists challenge state EPD findings
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Josh Marks is an environmental attorney in Atlanta and president of Georgians for the Okefenokee (Courtesy)
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- First, the water at the Oke’s surface has a direct connection with, and leaks down into, the Floridan aquifer underlying the swamp.
- Second, any pumping of groundwater from the aquifer would draw down the swamp’s surface water. Because groundwater pumping would be required for any mining project on the Toledo property, regardless of the technology used, this study proves once and for all that mining along the swamp’s edge cannot be done safely.
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Peach State should pass Okefenokee Protection Act
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