Feds consider expanding Okefenokee refuge to include proposed mine

The Fish and Wildlife Service opened the door Friday to a future expansion of the 402,000-acre Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, including the potential addition of properties in and around land where a company wants to harvest. titanium.

In a new twist to a long-running debate over natural resources, the Fish and Wildlife Service invited public comment on the idea of ​​authorizing the expansion of the Okefenokee refuge by 22,000 acres.

If the idea proceeds, it will result in a redesign of the refuge’s boundaries. Private landowners within the refuge’s boundaries would still have the option of whether or not to sell their properties to the federal government.

“The proposed small expansion of the boundaries would allow the Service to work with willing landowners to explore voluntary conservation actions, including potential acquisitions, that would further protect the refuge’s freshwater wetland system and globally significant wildlife habitat.” , the FWS said in a statement.