{"id":13918,"date":"2022-06-04T10:20:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-04T14:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/?post_type=press-releases&p=13918"},"modified":"2022-06-04T10:07:34","modified_gmt":"2022-06-04T14:07:34","slug":"sen-ossoff-secures-restored-protection-of-okefenokee-national-wildlife-refuge","status":"publish","type":"press-releases","link":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/press-releases\/sen-ossoff-secures-restored-protection-of-okefenokee-national-wildlife-refuge\/","title":{"rendered":"Sen. Ossoff Secures Restored Protection of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sen. Ossoff succeeds after a year-long campaign to restore protections for Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge, Wilderness, and surrounding wetlands<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos and B-Roll<\/em><\/strong><\/a> of Sen. Ossoff at the Okefenokee last May<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington, D.C. \u2014<\/strong> U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff has successfully secured restored protection of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding wetlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yesterday, in response to Sen. Ossoff\u2019s year-long effort, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted Sen. Ossoff\u2019s request to restore key protections over the wildlife refuge, wilderness, and surrounding wetlands to protect them from proposed strip mining, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service warned posed a dire threat to the Okefenokee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Okefenokee is the largest blackwater swamp in North America. It contains a National Wildlife Refuge and U.S. Wilderness Area and is one of Georgia\u2019s top sites for outdoor recreation and tourism, drawing more than 600,000 visitors per year, and one of Georgia\u2019s most beloved and environmentally significant wild places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since inspecting the Refuge, Wilderness, and surrounding wetlands last year, Sen. Ossoff has relentlessly pressed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the EPA, and the U.S. Department of the Interior to restore protection of the Okefenokee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Friday, the Army Corps granted Sen. Ossoff\u2019s request<\/a>, reversing a prior decision that would have permitted strip mining around the Okefenokee. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of the Interior, responding to Sen. Ossoff\u2019s request for analysis of risks to the Wildlife Refuge, had warned that the strip mining risked permanent damage to the wetlands by reducing the water level, killing endangered wildlife, and causing destructive fires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the last year, I\u2019ve fought relentlessly to protect the Okefenokee from destruction. Today I am pleased to announce the restoration of protection for this wildlife refuge and its surrounding wetlands. The Okefenokee is a natural wonder and one of Georgia\u2019s most precious lands. I will continue fighting to protect it for future generations,\u201d said U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe celebrate the Biden administration\u2019s restoration of protections to nearly 400 acres of wetlands that sit at the doorstep of the Okefenokee Swamp, one of the most celebrated natural resources in the world,\u201d said Kelly Moser, senior attorney and leader of the Clean Water Defense Initiative at the Southern Environmental Law Center.<\/strong> \u201cSenator Ossoff led this fight, and we thank him for stepping up to protect this iconic place. Failing to consult with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation epitomizes the prior administration\u2019s unlawful exclusion of these wetlands from clean water safeguards, and today\u2019s announcement restores integrity to the federal process as well as protections for this ecological treasure admired by Georgians, visitors from across the country, and people worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSenator Ossoff first visited the Okefenokee within his first months in office to observe its impact on our local community and economy,\u201d said Kim Bednarek, Executive Director of Okefenokee Swamp Park. <\/strong>\u201cToday, Senator Ossoff is delivering on his promise to our community by protecting and investing in the health of the Okefenokee. We are proud to have worked with the Senator and his team to save our Refuge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional background on Senator Ossoff\u2019s year-long effort to protect the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n