The Stunning Deal That Protects a Georgia Natural Wonder … for Now

This week, Scott's speaking with AJC environment writer Drew Kann about the historic Conservation Fund purchase of eight-thousand acres on the eastern edge of the Okefenokee Swamp. The Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals company had been working for years to obtain permits necessary to mine titanium from the sandy Trail Ridge area. Twin Pines had promised its mine would protect the swamp, but conservationists feared mining could irreparably damage the swamp, thus endangering North America's largest black water swamp. The Okefenokee could be named soon as a UNESCO World Heritage site, joining the likes of the Great Barrier Reef and Machu Picchu. The $60 million Conservation Fund purchase halts this mining effort, but others could follow. Tens of thousands of acres of privately owned near the Okefenokee could be attractive for future development.