News Release: National Water Trail Designation for Okefenokee Trails

NEWS RELEASE

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
2700 Suwannee Canal Road
Folkston, GA 31537

http://www.fws.gov/okefenokee



For Immediate Release Contact: Art Webster (912) 496-7366 ext. 233 Arthur_Webster@fws.gov

Date: July 19, 2012

National Water Trail Designation for Okefenokee Trails

On Monday, July 16, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar designated the wilderness canoe trail system at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge as a National Water Trail.

"Restoring our nation's rivers and expanding outdoor recreational activities on them is one of the major goals of President Obama's America's Great Outdoors Initiative," Salazar said. "Through a national network of National Water Trails, we are not only connecting people to the outdoors and supporting conservation efforts for our scenic rivers, but also supporting tourism and the recreation economy in nearby communities."

Water trails are recreational routes on waterways with a network of public access points supported by broad-based community partnerships. They provide both conservation and recreational opportunities. The National Water Trails System is a network of exemplary water trails that are cooperatively supported and sustained.

The 120-mile-long Okefenokee Wilderness Canoe Trail offers a unique experience in a National Wilderness Area. Refuge staff are actively clearing and opening trails after two years of drought and damage from the Honey Prairie Fire. Visitors will find multiple trails available for varying degrees of experience; from one to five days in length. Each trail provides abundant opportunities for viewing wildlife.

A canoe trip through the Okefenokee Swamp is an experience that you will remember for a lifetime. Alligators glide through the water stained dark with tannic acid. Herons and sandhill cranes wade through tall grasses and water lilies. Bears meander through hammocks and islands. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a haven for these and other animals—over 402,000 acres of wet prairies, cypress forests, and pine uplands.

Since the Okefenokee Swamp serves as the headwaters for the 130-mile-long St. Marys and the 230-mile-long Suwannee River there is potential to expand the National Water Trail designation for a network of trails from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico.

"In addition to the possible expansion of the designated water trail," Refuge Manager Curt McCasland said. "We are interested in strengthening the coordination of local and federal agencies to monitor, restore and conserve water resources in the St. Marys and Suwannee River watersheds."

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov. Connect with our Facebook pages at www.facebook.com/okefenokeewildliferefuge or www.facebook.com/usfwssoutheast, follow our tweets at www.twitter.com/usfwssoutheast, watch our YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/usfws and download photos from our Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwssoutheast.

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