Tell Georgia Officials to Protect Okefenokee Swamp from Mining Threat

From PennEnvironment (http://www.pennenvironment.org):

Home to the largest wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi River, the Okefenokee Swamp houses hundreds of plant and animal species, some even threatened or endangered. For centuries, this ecological treasure has been neighbors with creeks, forests and state parks — but now a dangerous titanium mine could be moving in next door.

Right now, plans to develop a titanium mine a stone’s throw away from the Okefenokee are moving forward.¹

The fate of the Okefenokee, its wetlands and the plants and animals that call this place home lies in the hands of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD). So we’re calling on it to stop the mine. Will you help us? Add your name at https://pennenvironment.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=45146.

Even though the Okefenokee shelters some of our nation’s rarest species from the storm of our current extinction crisis, it still didn’t receive the protections it needed from the Trump administration.² And that’s when Twin Pines Minerals swooped in: The company has applied for five permits to develop a titanium mine on 500 acres of ancient beach dunes near the Okefenokee.³

If we succeed in blocking this mining proposal, the Okefenokee’s unique wetland habitat can continue to provide a home for more than 620 plant species, hundreds of reptile, bird and mammal species — even threatened and endangered species such as wood storks, gopher tortoises and indigo snakes.

But if we fail, the mine could inflict irreversible damage on these wetlands and the wildlife that depend on them.

Tell the Georgia EPD: Stop Twin Pines from building a dangerous mine.

The fragile ecosystems in this wetland might not stand a chance if experts’ worst fears come true and the proposed 12,000-acre titanium mine lowers water levels, potentially drains the wetlands, emits air and water pollution, and increases the risk for wildfires.⁴

Already, half of all wetlands have been destroyed since 1900.⁵ And when we lose wetlands, we also lose the plants and animals that need these places to survive.

Experts also fear that this mine could invite even more development in the area, so we know that stopping this plan means more than saving the Okefenokee — it means protecting the gopher tortoises, the rich biodiversity and what remaining acres of wetland we have left.

Stand up for the Okefenokee and all its inhabitants.

1. Mary Landers, “Sen. Ossoff visits mining-imperiled Okefenokee Swamp,” Savannah Morning News, May 14, 2021.
2. Steven Mufson and Desmond Butler, “Trump rule eases effort to strip-mine near Okefenokee Swamp,” The Washington Post, November 25, 2020.
3. Mary Landers, “Sen. Ossoff visits mining-imperiled Okefenokee Swamp,” Savannah Morning News, May 14, 2021.
4. Gordon Jackson, “Okefenokee mining permit up to state officials.” The Brunswick News, December 2, 2020.
5. “Half of all wetlands destroyed since 1900, report says,” PHYS ORG, October 17, 2012.