Expanding the Okefenokee Swamp: Yea or Nay?

The Okefenokee Swamp is a huge area of wildlife in Georgia… and it might be getting even bigger!

by fourth year Ostara Maharaj

For those of us who grew up in Georgia, the Okefenokee Swamp has been a well-known representative of wildlife and southern nature throughout our K-12 education. Some of us have even gotten the chance to field-trip to the green space, complete with backpacks bigger than our bodies and a big yellow school bus. The Okefenokee Swamp is a huge area of wildlife in Georgia… and it might be getting even bigger!

Right now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering a proposal that would expand the swamp by about 22,000 acres. The main goal of the expansion would be to establish a “fuel reduction zone” which would result in a number of benefits:

Protecting the swamp’s hydrological integrity

Hydrological integrity: the condition of ecosystems in which features and functions of water circulation re unimpaired by stresses from human activity

Prevent the spread of wildfire
Restore the longleaf pine habitat

This habitat supports a diverse array of species including: various grasses in the understory, animals like the gopher tortoise, red-cockaded woodpecker, eastern indigo snake, southeastern fox squirrel, brown-headed nuthatch, and a variety of reptiles, amphibians, and birds

The swamp is currently occupying about 354,000 acres, protecting endangered species. It is also considered a “Wetland of International Importance” due to its global relevance.

What do you think? Should the swamp be expanded? The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is taking comments until December 9th, 2024! You can email Okefenokee@fws.gov with comments, thoughts, or concerns.