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‘Why are mines so close?’: Battle to save pristine Okefenokee wetlands | Georgia

H.Women, as a rule, are rather unfriendly to swamps. They are despised as rotten places that must be drained, literally to make way for farmlands and houses, or figuratively, to make way for demagogues. Behind this, he is one of the last large pristine wetlands in the United States, a pristine wetland unlike any other in the world, threatened by a planned mining project. being exposed.

Okefenokee Swamp Georgia, may lack the fame of the United States’ legendary national parks, but it’s no less remarkable. The 440,000-acre (180,000-hectare) wetland, untouched by development, is a time machine of sorts, showing just how this mosaic of pine islands, teeming with wildlife, was formed nearly 7,000 years ago. will tell you what you can see.

Rhett Jackson, a hydrologist at the University of Georgia, said: The hydrological plumbing of the Okefenokee River is still intact and relatively isolated, meaning it is free of invasive animals and plants. Unlike the larger and more problematic Everglades to the south. python and an iguana. “I have never seen a land this clean,” said Michael Lusk, manager of Okefenokee. National Wildlife Refuge“This is what a large wetland should look like. It’s unique.”

A boat cruise over Okefenokee at dusk gives you a glimpse of it in all its glory. Spanish moss hangs from cypress trees and a crocodile snout protrudes from the tea-colored water blackened by the peat soil that underlies this vast ecosystem. An owl perched on one tree and a great spotted woodpecker perched on the other. Here he is home to over 200 species of birds, 40 species of mammals including bears and deer, and 50 species of reptiles.

An American alligator bathes in lily leaves at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Photo: Stephen B. Morton/AP

There are more than 600 types of plants, and lilies sway like cymbals when ships pass by. Known by our guides as Big Papa, the burly alligator is lounging by the water’s edge, soaking up the last of the sun’s rays. Crested ibises and egrets roost in nearby groves, resembling large fluttering balls of cotton. No sludge, no bad smell.

Far from suburban tendrils and oil and gas drilling, swamps have endured early timber logging unhindered, even if their backwoods location offered a certain obscurity. Still, over 300,000 people visit each year. It is particularly popular with Germans, park officials said. It has been his national wildlife refuge since 1937, and in 1974 he was designated a National Nature Reserve, the highest federal reserve of 350,000 acres (142,000 ha). Do you protect this as much as the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone?” asked Rusk.

While we may appreciate natural landscapes that have painstakingly evolved over thousands of years, on the other hand we have stripped places like minerals that can be used to put pigment into paints and toothpastes. There is also monetary value to mining.

A map of the proposed Twin Pines mining project

Twin Pines wants to carve out and carve out a formation called Trail Ridge. This is a long raised area that was a barrier island in prehistoric times and now serves as a kind of eastern boundary to the marshes, retaining them rather than allowing water to seep through them. into the Atlantic. The company plans to dig about 50 feet into the ridge of the trail to extract titanium dioxide that can be used in paint, toothpaste and medical devices before backfilling the sand.

Twin Pines says it is “physically impossible” for Okefenokee to be harmed by this process. claimedbut hydrologists and the federal government disagree on the grounds that the company’s reasoning is believed to be flawed.

In a filing with Georgia’s Department of Environmental Conservation, which is currently considering permitting a 580-acre (235-hectare) mining project, National Park Service experts said the Twin Pines environmental assessment involved a “series of It has serious shortcomings,” he said. About the impact of the project. Another group of 45 independent scientists wrote it Mining “is likely to cause permanent damage to the swamp and surrounding areas”.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland sent a letter to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in November warning of the “unacceptable risk” the project poses to the Okefenokee people and their cultural values. Haaland put on Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Sitethe wetlands were part of Muskogee’s ancestral homeland, and past settlements and burial mounds have been found on some of the trail’s ridges. A treasure to the world,” she wrote.

The wetlands are the source of two rivers, the Suwannee River and the St. Mary’s River, with the St. Mary’s River forming part of the border with Florida. Essentially a shallow dish that receives about 80% of the water from rainfall. According to hydrologist Jackson, the Twin Pines mining pit filled with about a million gallons of water each day, which then evaporated, effectively depleting the wetlands of nutrients.

“When you remove the water that would have supported the wetlands, they are much more prone to drought,” he said. “When that happens, there are all sorts of social and ecological consequences. You won’t be able to paddle as often and you’re much more likely to catch fire.” I don’t think so, but it’s next to this pristine swamp, and this is what we left behind.”

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This place has been hit by wildfires before. From the giant blaze of 2011, ghostly dead trees stand. More frequent fires, however, would radically alter what is only a few feet of water in most parts of the region. predicted to experience more severe drought because of the climate crisis. “Fires seem to be more frequent these days,” says Lusk.

“The greater the dryness, the more fires will start and the more trees and wildlife will be killed. There is no chance of the ecosystem recovering. , every inch counts.”

A cypress forest in the Okefenokee Swamp.
A cypress forest in the Okefenokee Swamp. Photo: Stephen B. Morton/AP

a Coalition of over 40 organizations A recent public comment period was flooded with people begging Georgia to reject the proposal. A spokeswoman for Georgia’s Department of Environmental Protection said the evaluation of the project will take “days to months.” Twin Pines president Steve Ingle said it “provides the additional information needed to remove any doubt” about the impact mining will have on the marsh.

The battle, at least, caused something to the locals who, in the past, had taken the swamps for granted. He admired Oscar, the legendary 13-foot alligator who lived for nearly a century until his death in 2007.

When he heard about the threat of mining into the swamp, Nixon went to the shelter’s visitor center for the first time in years to see Oscar’s mounted skeleton.the bone is Showcase After the stomach of the animal, including part of the flagpole and at least one pet dog, has been vomited.

“Everybody knew Oscar. He was relaxing there, like he owned the place,” Nixon said. “I have found new value in the swamp, but it is underappreciated. Prioritize money.”

Nixon has campaigned in his swampy hometown of Folkestone and traveled to Atlanta to pressure lawmakers, all in an attempt to block the Twin Pines project. “It’s more spiritual to me than anything else,” he said. “It’s Eden. I literally feel bound to it, it’s a part of me. It consumes my mind.”

Summarize this content to 100 words H.Women, as a rule, are rather unfriendly to swamps. They are despised as rotten places that must be drained, literally to make way for farmlands and houses, or figuratively, to make way for demagogues. Behind this, he is one of the last large pristine wetlands in the United States, a pristine wetland unlike any other in the world, threatened by a planned mining project. being exposed.Okefenokee Swamp Georgia, may lack the fame of the United States’ legendary national parks, but it’s no less remarkable. The 440,000-acre (180,000-hectare) wetland, untouched by development, is a time machine of sorts, showing just how this mosaic of pine islands, teeming with wildlife, was formed nearly 7,000 years ago. will tell you what you can see.Rhett Jackson, a hydrologist at the University of Georgia, said: The hydrological plumbing of the Okefenokee River is still intact and relatively isolated, meaning it is free of invasive animals and plants. Unlike the larger and more problematic Everglades to the south. python and an iguana. “I have never seen a land this clean,” said Michael Lusk, manager of Okefenokee. National Wildlife Refuge”This is what a large wetland should look like. It’s unique.”A boat cruise over Okefenokee at dusk gives you a glimpse of it in all its glory. Spanish moss hangs from cypress trees and a crocodile snout protrudes from the tea-colored water blackened by the peat soil that underlies this vast ecosystem. An owl perched on one tree and a great spotted woodpecker perched on the other. Here he is home to over 200 species of birds, 40 species of mammals including bears and deer, and 50 species of reptiles.An American alligator bathes in lily leaves at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Photo: Stephen B. Morton/APThere are more than 600 types of plants, and lilies sway like cymbals when ships pass by. Known by our guides as Big Papa, the burly alligator is lounging by the water’s edge, soaking up the last of the sun’s rays. Crested ibises and egrets roost in nearby groves, resembling large fluttering balls of cotton. No sludge, no bad smell.Far from suburban tendrils and oil and gas drilling, swamps have endured early timber logging unhindered, even if their backwoods location offered a certain obscurity. Still, over 300,000 people visit each year. It is particularly popular with Germans, park officials said. It has been his national wildlife refuge since 1937, and in 1974 he was designated a National Nature Reserve, the highest federal reserve of 350,000 acres (142,000 ha). Do you protect this as much as the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone?” asked Rusk.While we may appreciate natural landscapes that have painstakingly evolved over thousands of years, on the other hand we have stripped places like minerals that can be used to put pigment into paints and toothpastes. There is also monetary value to mining.A map of the proposed Twin Pines mining projectTwin Pines wants to carve out and carve out a formation called Trail Ridge. This is a long raised area that was a barrier island in prehistoric times and now serves as a kind of eastern boundary to the marshes, retaining them rather than allowing water to seep through them. into the Atlantic. The company plans to dig about 50 feet into the ridge of the trail to extract titanium dioxide that can be used in paint, toothpaste and medical devices before backfilling the sand.Twin Pines says it is “physically impossible” for Okefenokee to be harmed by this process. claimedbut hydrologists and the federal government disagree on the grounds that the company’s reasoning is believed to be flawed.In a filing with Georgia’s Department of Environmental Conservation, which is currently considering permitting a 580-acre (235-hectare) mining project, National Park Service experts said the Twin Pines environmental assessment involved a “series of It has serious shortcomings,” he said. About the impact of the project. Another group of 45 independent scientists wrote it Mining “is likely to cause permanent damage to the swamp and surrounding areas”.U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland sent a letter to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in November warning of the “unacceptable risk” the project poses to the Okefenokee people and their cultural values. Haaland put on Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Sitethe wetlands were part of Muskogee’s ancestral homeland, and past settlements and burial mounds have been found on some of the trail’s ridges. A treasure to the world,” she wrote.The wetlands are the source of two rivers, the Suwannee River and the St. Mary’s River, with the St. Mary’s River forming part of the border with Florida. Essentially a shallow dish that receives about 80% of the water from rainfall. According to hydrologist Jackson, the Twin Pines mining pit filled with about a million gallons of water each day, which then evaporated, effectively depleting the wetlands of nutrients.“When you remove the water that would have supported the wetlands, they are much more prone to drought,” he said. “When that happens, there are all sorts of social and ecological consequences. You won’t be able to paddle as often and you’re much more likely to catch fire.” I don’t think so, but it’s next to this pristine swamp, and this is what we left behind.”Skip past newsletter promotionsEarth’s most important story.Get all the environmental news of the week, good, bad and importantPrivacy Notice: The newsletter may contain information about charities, online advertising and content funded by external parties. For more information, privacy policyWe use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google. privacy policy and terms of service application.After newsletter promotionThis place has been hit by wildfires before. From the giant blaze of 2011, ghostly dead trees stand. More frequent fires, however, would radically alter what is only a few feet of water in most parts of the region. predicted to experience more severe drought because of the climate crisis. “Fires seem to be more frequent these days,” says Lusk.“The greater the dryness, the more fires will start and the more trees and wildlife will be killed. There is no chance of the ecosystem recovering. , every inch counts.”A cypress forest in the Okefenokee Swamp. Photo: Stephen B. Morton/APa Coalition of over 40 organizations A recent public comment period was flooded with people begging Georgia to reject the proposal. A spokeswoman for Georgia’s Department of Environmental Protection said the evaluation of the project will take “days to months.” Twin Pines president Steve Ingle said it “provides the additional information needed to remove any doubt” about the impact mining will have on the marsh.The battle, at least, caused something to the locals who, in the past, had taken the swamps for granted. He admired Oscar, the legendary 13-foot alligator who lived for nearly a century until his death in 2007.When he heard about the threat of mining into the swamp, Nixon went to the shelter’s visitor center for the first time in years to see Oscar’s mounted skeleton.the bone is Showcase After the stomach of the animal, including part of the flagpole and at least one pet dog, has been vomited.”Everybody knew Oscar. He was relaxing there, like he owned the place,” Nixon said. “I have found new value in the swamp, but it is underappreciated. Prioritize money.”Nixon has campaigned in his swampy hometown of Folkestone and traveled to Atlanta to pressure lawmakers, all in an attempt to block the Twin Pines project. “It’s more spiritual to me than anything else,” he said. “It’s Eden. I literally feel bound to it, it’s a part of me. It consumes my mind.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/01/georgia-okefenokee-swamp-twin-pines-mining ‘Why are mines so close?’: Battle to save pristine Okefenokee wetlands | Georgia

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