Though this is somewhat old news as I write this, to those who fought the fight, it remains exceptionally good news. Our Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has officially been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The designation came a couple of weeks ago during a meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea.
Our Okefenokee is now in distinguished company, joining treasured American landmarks such as Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon, the Everglades and the Statue of Liberty.
Experts say World Heritage status should provide a significant economic boost. Today, the Okefenokee attracts about 800,000 visitors annually, generating more than $90 million for the local economy. According to projections from The Conservation Fund—one of the key organizations involved in protecting, preserving and promoting the refuge—that number could grow to 1.5 million visitors or more over the next decade.
President John F. Kennedy once observed, "Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan."
This achievement certainly had plenty of fathers—and mothers—including you, dear readers. Few issues I have written about over the years have generated as much response as the effort to protect the Okefenokee. It is clear this place holds a special place in your hearts.
Most of the orphans, however, were found in Charlton, Clinch and Ware counties, where the refuge is located. Some local officials wanted nothing to do with UNESCO and what they portrayed as a sinister United Nations takeover.
Ware County even passed a resolution affirming that it "shall not adopt, implement or enforce any rule, regulation, policy or mandate originated by, or traceable to, the United Nations or a subsidiary entity of the United Nations which infringes upon or restricts private property rights without due process in violation of the U.S. Constitution or Georgia Constitution."
Bless their hearts.
If it makes the Ware County Commission feel any better, I checked on Gardiner, Montana, the gateway to Yellowstone National Park, and everything seems to be just fine. No U.N. takeover there. The same goes for Ochopee, Florida, near the Everglades. No reports of property rights being trampled.
Tusayan, Arizona, outside the Grand Canyon, appears to be doing quite well, too. If the United Nations is secretly imposing its agenda there, the residents seem blissfully unaware. And, as far as I know, the Statue of Liberty is still proudly holding her torch on Liberty Island in New York.
Perhaps the anti-UNESCO crowd should have done a little homework before issuing such poppycock. Of course, the campaign was never really about the United Nations dictating the curriculum in Clinch County schools. It was about making it easier for timber interests to lease land on or near Trail Ridge for titanium dioxide mining under the guise of opposing a World Heritage designation.
Trail Ridge's roughly 8,000 acres adjacent to the refuge act as a natural dam, helping create the vast rainwater basin that sustains the Okefenokee. Both supporters and opponents of mining have produced studies claiming either minimal or significant impacts.
I'll side with Charles Seabrook, the longtime environmental writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, whose judgment I trust. As Seabrook put it: "Without Trail Ridge, the Okefenokee would cease to exist in its present magnificence."
In other words, leave Trail Ridge alone.
We can always whiten our teeth with baking soda.
It is important to note that while the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is now officially a World Heritage Site, the mining issue remains unresolved. It is unlikely to disappear until legislation permanently bans future surface mining near the refuge. Previous efforts to secure even a temporary moratorium failed to make it out of committee despite bipartisan support.
Gov. Brian Kemp has remained largely silent on the mining debate, though he praised the UNESCO designation as "a fitting recognition for the Okefenokee that will further strengthen rural communities that surround it."
Whether Rick Jackson or Keisha Lance Bottoms becomes Georgia's 84th governor in November, the political optics would seem to favor taking another look at a mining ban. Jackson doesn't need timber money, and Bottoms likely doesn't want it. Opponents of mining remain energized and determined to keep fighting.
As for the notion of a United Nations takeover, it is exactly that—nonsense.
Our Okefenokee is now a World Heritage Site.
Pogo the Possum says thank you.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at dick@dickyarbrough.com or P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, GA 31139.