An American Original - southeastern Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp

National Wildlife, August-Sept, 1999 by Les Line

Without that, the threat of mining could again loom on the horizon. But for the moment, the dark waters of the Okefenokee, which hide many secrets, are no longer rippled with trouble.

Field Editor Les Line wrote about roseate spoonbills in the April/May issue.

NWF Priority: Protecting A Southern Gem

The Okefenokee Swamp is the heart of the Greater Okefenokee Ecosystem, a 10-million-acre mosaic of riparian wetlands, estuaries and uplands straddling the Georgia- Florida state line.

Because of the region's importance to wildlife, NWF and its affiliates, the Georgia Wildlife Federation and the Florida Wildlife Federation, are seeking to protect part of the ecosystem by creating the North Florida Wildlife Corridor. The goal: to secure one million acres of wilderness, connecting the Okefenokee with Florida's Osceola National Forest. 'The wildlife corridor will benefit from environmentally compatible economic development in the surrounding ecosystem,' says NWF biologist Andrew Schock.

For more information, write: NWF Southeastern Natural Resource Center, 1330 West Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30309.