Georgia approves first purchase of Okefenokee property

Okefenokee

June 30th, 2026

A kayaker paddles through Chase Prairie in the Okefenokee Swamp on Nov. 13, 2025. (Justin Taylor/The Current GA/Catchlight Local/Report for America)

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has approved the purchase of approximately 2,900 acres of land from The Conservation Fund.

It’s part of a much larger swath of land around the Okefenokee Swamp that’s been at the center of intense debate for several years.

Last summer, the nonprofit announced it had acquired almost 8,000 acres of land next to the swamp, once obtained for a controversial strip-mining plan by a company called Twin Pines Minerals. The nonprofit is organizing to transfer the land to permanent conservation and retire the mineral rights so the properties can’t be mined in the future.

Stacy Funderburke with the Conservation Fund said the Georgia DNR’s purchase is the first step to making sure all 8,000 acres are protected. He said the portion the DNR bought this month “will become a new state wildlife management area called Alachua Trail WMA, right there along the eastern, southeastern edge of the Okefenokee.”

A map showing properties near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, including the Twines Pines property, Georgia Wildlife Management Area, The Conservation Fund, and the Twin Pines demonstration mine area. — A map of properties near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in south Georgia. The Georgia DNR’s planned area for a wildlife management area is highlighted in red. (Graphic courtesy of Georgia Rivers)

At the DNR board meeting, the board approved spending over $8 million on this first phase of the land deal. They’re looking to close on the property in August, and are looking to close on another 1,000 acres from The Conservation Fund in March 2027 as the second phase of this land deal. The total 4,000 acres will make up the Alachua Trail WMA.

Funderburke said for this first phase, the Georgia DNR is using money from the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program, which collects the tax revenue from the sale of outdoor gear to fund conservation work around the state.

“This is a great opportunity for new recreation opportunities — I think a lot of folks in that area will be excited about hunting and rec access,” Funderburke said.

Additionally, Funderburke said this new wildlife management area will provide space for the state to work on longleaf pine restoration and to protect species such as gopher tortoises and indigo snakes.

The state’s new wildlife management area makes up half of The Conservation Fund’s land in the Okefenokee. The remaining 4,000 acres will eventually become part of the federal Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.