Environment

Ga River Network recognizes 25 years, battle over Okefenokee Swamp

July 23, 2023July 26, 2023

By David Pendered

July 23 — The Georgia River Network is putting the weight of its 25th anniversary fundraising gala behind the effort protect land near the Okefenokee Swamp from construction of a proposed strip mine.

The GRN is an Athens-based, clean-water nonprofit that has kept a laser focus on opposing the proposed extraction of minerals since the project came to light with the first permit application, in 2018. Meantime, the GRN has continued to sponsor activities and support projects that promote awareness and appreciation of Georgia’s rivers, events such as Paddle Georgia.

The Georgia River Network intends to recognize three ‘Okefenokee Swamp Champions’ for their efforts to block a proposed strip mine near the swamp. (Credit: Georgia Rivers Network)

All these efforts are to be celebrated at the Georgia Rivers Gala — Celebrating 25 Years of River Protection event slated for Sept. 8 in Atlanta. But the focus on GRN’s work on behalf of the Okefenokee is evident in the program.

This recognition underscores at least three pending issues that will have, or may have, a direct bearing on the fate of the proposed strip mining operation:

The Environmental Protection Division, of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, is determining whether to issue permits that will enable the mine to be built and operate;
A product made from the titanium expected to be extracted at the mine has been declared “essential to U.S. National Security” by the U.S. Commerce Department. Titanium minerals are processed into components of a wide array of parts for aircraft, ships and so forth, and the U.S. now imports two-thirds of the titanium sponge it uses;
The U.S. Geological Survey issued a report in 1989 that observed of sand in Trail Ridge, which is located near the proposed mine and the subject of past mining in Florida: “This sand is, or was before mining, probably the most valuable single resource of titanium minerals in the United States.”

As the permitting situation simmers, the GRN intends to recognize three “instrumental leaders” their efforts to fight the strip mining application. Each is to receive an award titled Okefenokee Swamp Champion. Here’s how the application describes the three:

“Muscogee (Creek) Nation Chief David Hill for declaring Okefenokee Swamp’s Trail Ridge as a Muscogee Sacred Site (in a letter sent to the Georgia House Natural Resources and Environment Committee).
“U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff for his ongoing efforts to establish the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (announced Feb. 2 with U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Savannah); Carter introduced a House Resolution in June);
Georgia Rep. Darlene Taylor (R-Thomasville) “who proposed the Okefenokee Protection Act bill to ban mining on Okefenokee’s Trail Ridge.” (House Bill 71).

The GRN has assembled a list of sponsors that includes major business entities, Southwire and the Hennessey Jaguar and Land Rover dealership in Buckhead; a leading nonprofit, the Kelin Foundation, funded by Holder Construction, and a GOP state senator, Shawn Still, of Norcross.

Note to readers: To buy a ticket to attend, or to sponsor the Georgia Rivers Gala — Celebrating 25 Years of River Protection, visit the event’s website.