Okefenokee competes for World Heritage Site status
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The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge could join the ranks of the Grand Canyon, Machu Picchu and other natural and manmade landmarks as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What's happening: Advocates for the black-water swamp stretching 640 square miles have been invited to compete for inclusion on the map of sites, which tells the stories of places and people around the world.
- If selected, the Okefenokee would be the first such site in Georgia and the only national wildlife refuge in the country — there are almost 600 — to claim the honor.
Why it matters: World Heritage Sites include famous locations like Yellowstone and the Great Wall of China and lesser-known spots like the Białowieża Forest, a primeval woodland straddling the border of Poland and Belarus.
- They are magnets for travelers seeking beautiful and historic places.
- Okefenokee's inclusion on the list could be an economic boon for cities surrounding the black-water swamp — home to countless alligators, bald eagles and bobcats.
State of play: Kim Bednarek of the Okefenokee Swamp Park, one of the bid's backers, told state lawmakers last week that the swamp's parks and attractions were adding new nature and cultural centers.
- Plans include an observatory for stargazing near Stephen C. Foster State Park in Fargo — Georgia's only designated DarkSky site.
By the numbers: 10% of the swamp's roughly 700,000 annual visitors are from other countries, Bednarek said. "We expect with World Heritage Site status that number could jump significantly," she said.
- "People normally visit the swamp twice," said Lance Gloss of the Conservation Fund, another bid supporter. "Once when they're kids and once when they have kids." The heritage status and improvements to the surrounding centers could create repeat and multi-night visitors.
Threat level: The bid comes amid a hotly contested proposal to permit a titanium dioxide mine a few miles from the refuge's eastern edge.
- The proposal has sparked an outcry of opposition stretching from the swamp's edge to the opinion pages of the New York Times.
What's next: Bid supporters are working on an economic assessment and branding for the Okefenokee region.
- The National Park Service will put forward a formal nomination in late 2024; new sites could be announced in summer 2026.