The Okefenokee Swamp is a vast expanse of mirrored waters, cypress trees draped in Spanish moss and rare birdlife that stretches over Georgia’s border into Florida. But a plan to mine titanium less than three miles from the southeast corner of the wildlife refuge could trigger severe droughts and wildfires, as well as threaten the endangered species that make the wetlands their home, say scientists, elected officials, environmental groups and neighbors who oppose the project.
Federal environmental officials have also weighed in, arguing the project proposed by Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals LLC could deplete water levels essential for maintaining the fragile ecosystem of one of the largest wetlands east of the Mississippi.
