SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A federal agency proposed an expansion of the Okefenokee Swamp’s vast wildlife refuge on Friday, which could lead to a buyout offer for land intended for a private company’s mining project that conservationists have fought for years. The U.
S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it’s considering adding 22,000 acres (8,900 hectares) along the boundaries of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the largest federal refuge east of the Mississippi River. The agency said its proposed expansion includes land owned near the swamp’s edge by Twin Pines Minerals, which is on the cusp of to mine minerals for producing titanium dioxide.
The compound is used to whiten paints, paper and toothpaste. Scientists have warned that mining near the Okefenokee’s bowl-like rim the swamp’s ability to hold water and increase the frequency of withering droughts. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in 2022 declared that the proposed mine poses an to the fragile ecosystem at the Georgia-Florida line.
The Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the refuge and is part of the Interior Department, said it will take public comments on the expansion proposal for the next 30 days. “If adopted, the proposed minor boundary expansion would enable the Service to work with willing landowners to explore voluntary conservation actions, including potential acquisition, that would further protect the refuge’s globally significant freshwater wetland system and wildlife habitat,” the agen.