News
The Okefenokee Protection Alliance (OPA) has been named the 2024 Refuge Advocate of the Year by the National Wildlife Refuge Association. This award recognizes OPA's extraordinary accomplishments in protecting the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia from the threat of mining operations and their unwavering commitment to conservation.
The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, a crown jewel of the National Wildlife Refuge System, faces a critical juncture. A proposed strip mine, located a mere stone's throw from its borders, threatens to disrupt this irreplaceable ecosystem. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division recently released revised permits for the Twin Pines Minerals project after considering public comments from last year. These revised permits, however, do not adequately address the significant environmental risks the mine poses to Okefenokee NWR.
In the heart of south Georgia lies the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, a sprawling landscape of over 400,000 acres. With its vibrant ecosystem and unique history, the refuge is a treasured national resource. However, the company Twin Pines Minerals has threatened to destroy this vital national wildlife refuge.
The Okefenokee Swamp is one of the wild, pristine, and ecologically intact places in America, home to more than one thousand different species of animals and plants. It is also an economically important area for local residents and holds great cultural and historical significance, with Native American roots dating back thousands of years. This is why the National Wildlife Refuge Association, with partners; the National Parks Conservation Association, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Center for Biological Diversity, are taking legal action to protect the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge from the proposed strip mine from Twin Pines.
More than 30 national, state, and local organizations have joined forces in the fight to protect the Okefenokee Swamp. The new coalition, known as the Okefenokee Protection Alliance (OPA), recently formed in response to a new and alarming threat to the Okefenokee in the form of proposed heavy mineral sands mining adjacent to the swamp.
On Wednesday, May 13, from 2- 5 pm, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will be holding an online Public Hearing about the proposed titanium mine on the doorstep of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
Twin Pines Minerals of Birmingham, Alabama originally applied to the State of Georgia and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in July of 2019 for permits to begin strip mining on thousands of acres adjacent to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Opposition to the proposal was so fierce that the permit application was withdrawn.
