Mining company vows to forge ahead when permitted despite feds’ Okefenokee Refuge expansion plan

The federal government is seeking public input on a proposal that would allow the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire property near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge that could soon be mined.

The proposal is for a “minor expansion” of the refuge’s existing boundaries to bolster protections of the unspoiled freshwater wetland system and wildlife habitats found in the largest blackwater swamp in North America. 

The change would add about 22,000 acres around the perimeter of the existing refuge if property owners of the newly eligible turf choose to sell the land.