Rena Peck: Time is running out for the Okefenokee swamp

When Little Tybee Island was threatened by mining, the Georgia Legislature passed the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act.

Now our state leaders can do the same for the Okefenokee Swamp, which is threatened by mining today, by passing the Okefenokee Protection Act.

The time is now. Time is running out in this Georgia General Assembly session for our elected officials to take action to protect the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge from the continuing threat of mining operations along Trail Ridge, the sandy rise of land on the swamp’s eastern flank that plays a critical role in maintaining its water levels.

The overwhelming majority of Georgians and their legislators would prefer the fabled Okefenokee Swamp be left unthreatened.

A June 2024 survey found that 93% of Georgians believe in protecting the swamp even if it might stop proposed mining.

Legislators from both sides of the aisle believe in protecting the swamp. During the 2024 session, when Rep. Darlene Taylor, a Republican from Thomasville, introduced her bill to ban mining on sensitive portions of Trail Ridge, more than half the House of Representatives signed as sponsors of the Okefenokee Protection Act, which she has reintroduced this session along with a five-year Okefenokee Trail Ridge mining moratorium. Many who chose not to sponsor said they would vote for it.

There is overwhelming support for protecting the swamp from mining and having our state leaders bring the Okefenokee Protection Act to a vote.

Some legislators blocking the vote will cite “property rights.” However, state and local governments have always exercised authority to determine what activities are allowed on private property, especially when that activity might harm communities. In this case, what’s at risk is one of the state’s seven natural wonders — a publicly owned place unlike any other on the planet.

Local zoning laws routinely prohibit bars or porn shops next to schools; state stream buffer laws restrict where you can build on your property to prevent damage to downstream properties; and state siting requirements for landfills protect existing residents.

The right to do as you wish with your property is not absolute. Sometimes the concerns of other property owners and the common good take precedence.

These lands are currently used mostly for timber production, as are much of the lands surrounding the vast swamp. Ironically, one of the main threats brought on by mining lowering the water table would be more frequent drought conditions in the swamp that will lead to more severe wildfires that could threaten commercial forests. Indeed, other timber producers in the area have spoken out in opposition to mining proposals.

The purchase of the Twin Pines property on Trail Ridge needs to be put into perspective. It was purchased after the 2017 Mims Island Fire that burned the timber on the property. Twin Pines took the opportunity to purchase this land with the hopes of establishing a mine. In initial meetings with Twin Pines, company President Steve Ingles stated if they couldn’t mine, then they would just grow trees on the property. They took their chances. To now claim “property rights violation” is hard to accept.

As far as other landowners on Trail Ridge, their land has been in commercial forestry. They have done quite well in this endeavor. Denying mining on their property respects the interests and well-being of all citizens of this area of Georgia as well as the nation. Allowing mining on Trail Ridge next to the swamp may collapse the ecosystem, destroying the functioning of the swamp, water quality, fire buffer, air quality, natural resources of the area, and the economy of the area. All this to increase the value of private properties for a few.

Now is the time for our state leaders to represent Georgia voters who believe the swamp should be protected and who expect their legislators to vote to do so. To risk the irreplaceable Okefenokee Swamp just to protect the property interests of a mere few would be a loss to all Georgians and the world.

This session everyone is realizing that time is of the essence. We need a legislative temporary prohibition of mining for now to give time for conservation buyers to assemble the Okefenokee Trail Ridge protection deal forever. It’s like peanut butter and jelly — they go together — we need the moratorium to get the protection.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been authorized to expand the boundary of the national wildlife refuge, and Georgia’s conservation community fully supports the acquisition of sensitive lands along Trail Ridge. State leaders can still work to move this solution forward through a short moratorium to give time for conservation buyers to secure land protection.