Okefenokee Species Spotlight: Double-crested Cormorant

I can’t recall a trip to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge when I haven’t seen a Double-crested Cormorant. Although more … More

The Okefenokee: an Uninhabited Wilderness

In the early years of our nation, the Okefenokee Swamp was thought to be an uninhabitable wilderness never to be … More

Overwhelming Okefenokee

Every time I dip my oars into the blackwaters of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, I am overwhelmed: overwhelmed by … More

Like Logs of Wood

A description of the American Alligator from an 1829 publication describing the wild animals in the zoos of London… “Alligators … More

Clean and Pristine Okefenokee

One thing that is pleasantly noticeable in the clean and pristine wilderness of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is the … More

It is spring in the Okefenokee…

A beautiful description of spring in the Okefenokee Swamp from Cecil Hulse Matchat’s 1938 novel, Strange Green Land: “It is spring … More

The ‘gator had the boy by the head

An old Okefenokee Swamper story as told by Owen Smith in the journals of naturalist Francis Harper, 1929: “Henry Bennett … More

Bellowing like a Bull

Excerpt from the 1926 History of the Okefenokee Swamp by AS McQueen and Hamp Mizell: “The alligators, especially at mating season, keep … More

Not a Pleasure Excursion

EXCERPT FROM THE 1875 OKEFENOKEE EXPLORATION BY THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION “We are receiving applications daily by letter and in person, to … More

Borders of a New World

An excerpt from the wonderful nature writings of naturalist and explorer William Bartram, published in 1791: “THIS little lake and … More