Fee Free Day at Okefenokee NWR

For Immediate Release                                                         Contact: Gracie Gooch

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

2700 Suwannee Canal Road

Folkston, GA  31537

Phone: (912) 496-7366 ext. 232

Fax:     (912) 496-3332

http://www.fws.gov/okefenokee

Date: January 11, 2013

 

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge Free Admission January 21

 

Monday, January 21 will be a fee-free day at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  All day-use entrance fees will be waived for visitors entering the Refuge at the East entrance, southwest of Folkston, GA, and the West entrance at Stephen C. Foster State Park, in an effort to encourage more Americans to get outdoors and visit their public lands.  The fee waiver does not cover user fees for things such as camping, boat launches, transportation, and special tours.

Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, announced that many of the lands managed by the Interior will participate in this national endeavor. Those offering free admission include all national parks, national wildlife refuges, and many areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Other dates of free admission are September 28 for National Public Lands Day, October 13-19 to celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week, and November 9-11 for Veterans Day weekend.

U.S. military personnel (with proper identification) and their dependents are eligible for a free annual pass that provides entrance to lands managed by the Service and other DOI land management agencies. The America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass Program also offers a free lifetime pass for people with disabilities, a $10 lifetime senior pass for those aged 62 and over, and an $80 annual pass for the general public.

Visitors can take advantage of the upcoming fee-free days at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge’s East entrance, located 12 miles southeast of Folkston, GA, off Hwy 121/23, and at the West entrance, located outside of Fargo, off Highway 177. Entrance fees are usually $5 for a seven-day pass or $12 for an Okefenokee NWR annual pass that expires one year from the date of purchase.

 

For more information, please contact the Visitor Center at 912-496-7836 or visit www.fws.gov/okefenokee.

 

-FWS-