ATLANTA — The Sierra Club Georgia Chapter and conservationists worldwide are celebrating the news that The Conservation Fund has purchased Twin Pines Minerals’ mining site on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp. With this purchase, The Conservation Fund has put an end to Twin Pines’ proposed mine and ended an existential threat to one of the most unique and ecologically diverse natural places in Georgia.
The Sierra Club Georgia Chapter is incredibly proud to have worked with our allies and supporters to fight this mining proposal for the last six years. The Okefenokee Swamp has significant historic, cultural, ecological, and economic importance to south Georgia and the state at large, and it is our responsibility to protect it.
While we celebrate this victory, we must acknowledge that the fight continues. Twin Pines wasn’t the first company to try to mine Trail Ridge — the natural dam that forms the eastern barrier of the Swamp — and it’s likely that they won’t be the last. The Sierra Club Georgia Chapter will continue to put pressure on officials at all levels of government to take action to ensure the Okefenokee’s permanent protection.
In response to this news, Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Organizing Manager Tasnim Mosabber (she/her) released the following statement:
"We’re incredibly grateful to our coalition partners and the hundreds of thousands of people who stepped up to help protect the Okefenokee over the years. Every public comment, every letter to lawmakers, every word spoken at legislative hearings and public meetings — all of these individual actions made this victory possible. The path was not easy, and the work to ensure the Okefenokee is protected for future generations will go on, but for now, we’re joining Georgians of all stripes in celebration."
About the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter
The Sierra Club Georgia Chapter is the largest grassroots environmental organization in the state, with more than 75,000 members and supporters. The Chapter supports a robust outings program and has active committees working on forest and coastal protection, transit expansion, and clean energy. For more information, visit sierraclub.org/georgia.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit sierraclub.org.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Ricky Leroux, Communications Strategist
404-607-1262 ext. 234 | ricky.leroux@sierraclub.org