Paddling the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a genuine wilderness experience. Nature has inherited a designated Refuge that is relatively unmolested by mankind. But upon closer look, everywhere the Okefenokee bears signs of human presence. The current generation’s incursions into the Swamp are largely responsible, planned efforts focused on conservation and ecotourism. Miles of manicured canoe trails cross from east to west and prescribed burns in the upland areas help reduce the threat of wildfire. But the Okefenokee also has a long history of human interference and exploitation. In the early 1900’s, logging small logging towns popped up around and even within the Swamp. Nearly all of the giant cypresses were hewn down and removed. Saw mills and railroad engines once puffed and whined in the center of the swap. But now those environmental abuses of previous generations are largely healed over and are but mere, minor scars on the once-again pristine Okefenokee Swamp.
Okefenokee Photography Project by William Wise 