Okefenokee Wilderness is a 353,981 acre (1,432.5 km²)

U.S. Wilderness Area The National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) of the United States protects federally managed wilderness areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. Activity on formally designated wilderness areas is coordinated by the Na ...

located in southeastern Georgia in the

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a 402,000‑acre (1,627 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in Charlton, Ware, and Clinch Counties of Georgia, and Baker County in Florida, United States. The refuge is administered from offices ...

. It was established and governed under the

Wilderness Act The Wilderness Act of 1964 () was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected 9.1 million acres (37,000 km²) of federal land. The result of a lon ...

of 1974 when were designated as wilderness b
Public Law 93-429
The wilderness area is located entirely within the state of Georgia, even though small parts of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Okefenokee Swamp both extend southward into the state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Located in the heart of the

Okefenokee Swamp The Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000-acre (177,000 ha), peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida line in the United States. A majority of the swamp is protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Okefenokee ...

, this tract of land has been set aside for

future generations Future generations are cohorts of hypothetical people not yet born. Future generations are contrasted with current and past generations, and evoked in order to encourage thinking about intergenerational equity. The moral patienthood of future ge ...

to enjoy. No further uses such as timber harvesting, farming, or road building will be permitted. While the public is invited to engage in recreational opportunities such as fishing, hiking, canoeing, and wildlife observation, all uses are primitive and nondestructive and all access is by either foot traffic or boat. Boats having 10 hp or less are allowed and can be rented along with canoes at the two main entrance ways on either side (West or East) of the swamp.

External links

Wilderness.net

Recreation.gov overview

Okefenokee Swamp Park homepage
{{Protected Areas of Georgia (U.S. state) Protected areas of Charlton County, Georgia Protected areas of Clinch County, Georgia IUCN Category Ib Protected areas of Ware County, Georgia Wilderness areas of Georgia (U.S. state) Protected areas established in 1974

See also

External links