Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge's Journal

Journal archives for November 2020

November 2, 2020

Environmental Groups Set To Continue Fighting Mine Near Okefenokee

Environmental Groups Set To Continue Fighting Mine Near Okefenokee
October 27, 2020 2:29 PM |Updated: October 28, 2020 8:50 AM
By: Emily Jones
https://www.gpb.org/news/2020/10/27/environmental-groups-set-continue-fighting-mine-near-okefenokee

Old logging railroad pylons in Mixon`s Hammock; Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Georgia USA
© Photographer: William Wise | Agency: Dreamstime.com

Environmental groups said this week that they’re exploring options to keep fighting a mining project near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, now that the mining company plans to proceed without a federal permit. The Army Corps of Engineers recently determined that the wetlands on the tract of land to be mined no longer have federal protection under a Trump administration rule change.

The Southern Environmental Law Center is challenging that rule change in federal court in South Carolina. The outcome will affect this mine, and projects across the country.

In the meantime, Bill Sapp of SELC said the mine near the Okefenokee still needs at least two state permits. “So we’re turning our attention to those, and we’re going to be talking to folks in the government and in the agency, and we’ll keep moving forward,” he said.

In order to proceed with mining for zinc and other heavy minerals, Twin Pines Minerals will need state permits for withdrawing groundwater and for operating a surface mine, Sapp said.

SELC is also working to get protections for the Okefenokee written into state law.
The federal change is known as the “replacement rule” and is part of broader rollbacks to environmental protections by the Trump administration. The rule says that ephemeral streams — temporary waterways that run when it rains — as well as wetlands adjacent to them are no longer protected under the Clean Water Act.

Posted on November 2, 2020 10:56 AM by williamwisephoto williamwisephoto | 0 comments | Leave a comment

November 23, 2020

Prescribed burn 122 acres around Okefenokee Swamp

USFWC Fire Southeast plans to set controled fires Friday
Danielle Uliano, Meteorologist and reporter
Published: November 20, 2020, 12:08 pm
https://www.news4jax.com/weather/2020/11/20/prescribed-burn-122-acres-around-okefenokee-swamp/

Burned cypress tree stump in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
© Photographer: William Wise | Website: www.okefenokee.photography

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service Fire Southeast plans to set the woods around the Okefenokee Swamp on fire Friday. This prescribed burn of 122 acres is designed to reduce the fuel load in the pine flatwoods that surround the swamp.

Why do these burns take place?
According to the USFWC Fire Southeast, “Frequent fire is necessary to maintain the open nature of the iconic longleaf pine-wiregrass habitat. Longleaf seeds that germinate in the bare, mineral-rich soil left behind after a burn.” These prescribed burns can also help trees release their seeds and feed certain animals. The endangered Key deer of Florida will actually feed on the fresh tufts of vegetation that emerge after the landscape is burned.

What steps are taken before the burn?
Safety first always. The USFWC Fire SE specialists will consider the following before the decision to burn, including weather, wind speed, nearby roads and communities, time of the year, and more when determining the right time and place for a prescribed burn.

Posted on November 23, 2020 04:38 PM by williamwisephoto williamwisephoto | 0 comments | Leave a comment