By Jill Nolin and Maya Homan, Florida Phoenix
An Alabama company that was close to receiving the final go-ahead from the state of Georgia to mine near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has decided to instead sell the land to a nonprofit focused on conserving at-risk sites.
Twin Pines Minerals, which first proposed the controversial mining project in 2019, is in the process of selling about 8,000 acres near the refuge to The Conservation Fund. Twin Pines’ president Steve Ingle confirmed the sale through his public relations firm but declined further comment Friday.
The nearly $60 million land deal will halt a mining project that became the poster child of the first Trump administration’s move to scale back federal protections for the nation’s waterways. That left the decision on whether to approve the project in the hands of state regulators, who issued draft permits early last year that were close to being finalized.
The sale presents a second time a mining proposal near the swamp was thwarted due to public outcry. A DuPont proposal in the 1990s near the refuge faced intense pressure, and the company eventually dropped the project and sold the land to The Conservation Fund.
Stacy Funderburke, who serves as vice president of The Conservation Fund’s central Southeast region, said efforts to buy the land around Trail Ridge — the mineral-rich target of mining companies that is seen as an important barrier for the swamp — had been in the works for roughly three years. The deal includes the mineral rights for the site.
“This is the most important conservation project that we’ve ever worked on because of how imminent the threat was, not only to this site, but to the entire Okefenokee Swamp,” Funderburke said.
The sale is set to be completed by the end of July, though The Conservation Fund hopes to continue raising money from private donors and foundations. Currently, there are between 10 and 15 major donors who are funding the project, and more expected to contribute down the road, Funderburke said.
Funderburke also credits environmental activists across Georgia for their work drawing awareness to the swamp, which he said was a key factor in acquiring the philanthropic backing needed to purchase the land.
“The public response since this threat started six years ago — all the work that’s been done, and all the voices of people across Georgia that have come out and said that it’s not worth the risk to a place like the Okefenokee to have mining immediately next door — that is why I think funders and others have been willing to step up to the table,” he said. “It’s really hearing the loud voice of everyone who wants to see this protected.”
The refuge has also been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which would cement its status as an international tourist destination on par with the Grand Canyon and Galápagos Islands. It spans 402,000 acres in southeastern Georgia and North Florida.
‘Settled in a good way’
The mining proposal sparked a public outcry and was at the center of a yearslong debate at the state Capitol, where lawmakers from both parties pushed for protections for Trail Ridge.
Rep. Darlene Taylor, a Thomasville Republican who has become known as one of the swamp’s chief defenders at the statehouse, said Friday that she was delighted by the news.
“Protecting the swamp was what it was all about, and I just feel so much better knowing that it’s going to be secure,” Taylor said.
Taylor said the announced land deal is an ideal compromise.
“It was settled in a good way,” she said. “I think everybody in it can be pretty calm about it at this point. [The Okefenokee Swamp is] being protected, they’re being compensated for it, and we can move forward now.”
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, had opposed the project from Washington.
“This step toward protecting the Okefenokee Swamp is great news for all Georgians and our beloved natural treasure,” he said in a statement. “For years, I’ve been sounding the alarm that strip mining near the Okefenokee Swamp poses irreversible damage to an irreplaceable natural resource.”
‘A model for protecting Trail Ridge’
From the start, the mining project was met with concerns about the potential impact on the swamp’s water levels and an ecosystem that is home to thousands of species of animals and plants.
A broad coalition that included environmental groups, faith leaders, and others relentlessly warned of the project’s potential harm to the largest blackwater swamp in North America.
Those groups helped galvanize an army of Okefenokee Swamp fans who flooded state regulators any time public input was sought along the way.
“This is an incredibly special outcome and there is no place more deserving than the Okefenokee,” said Megan Huynh, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. “Georgians sent a clear message to Twin Pines Minerals that mining next to the Okefenokee is an unacceptable risk.
“This wouldn’t have been possible without a powerful coalition, and regular Georgians who were willing to stand up and defend a place as beloved as the Okefenokee,” Huynh said.
Rena Ann Peck, executive director of Georgia Rivers, said the deal will help pave the way to conserve more of Trail Ridge. There are still more than 25,000 acres left vulnerable to mining, Peck said.
“I think this is a model for protecting Trail Ridge, the outright land conservation through acquisition and conservation easements,” Peck said. “Retiring the mining rights is paramount to saving it in perpetuity.”
As an advocate, Peck was a vocal critic of the Twin Pines’ proposal. But she said her favorite part of the job is bringing potential land conservation buyers to the Okefenokee in hopes of helping them form a connection with the swamp.
“I show them the vastness,” she said. “I like to say that you can paddle these 120 miles of canoe trails and still only see 2% of the swamp.”
This story first appeared in the Georgia Recorder, a member with the Florida Phoenix in the nonprofit States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here. To support The Invading Sea, click here to make a donation. If you are interested in submitting an opinion piece to The Invading Sea, email Editor Nathan Crabbe at ncrabbe@fau.edu. Banner photo: The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (iStock image)
