Okefenokie Swamp

Illustration: Boaters in the Okefenokie Swamp State Park at
Waycross, Georgia.

 It's nighttime in the Okefenokie Swamp, and a symphony of trills, barks, and grunts pierce the darkness. The noises of 22 kinds of frogs and toads and alligators will continue until dawn. Frogs, toads and alligators are the loudest of the Okefenokee's wildlife. But the swamp is also home to nearly 100 other kinfd of reptiles and amphibians, 223 kinds of birds and 41 different mammals, including bears, otters, and bobcats.

The name Okefenokee comes from a Seminole Indian word meaning "trembling earth". There is a little solid land in the swamp; most of the countless islands are actually thick, floating mats of peat. In fact, the swamp is a broad slow-moving body of water, not unlike the larger Everglades. At it's heart is the wellspring of the Suwannee River, which drains the swamp to the south. For centuries, the Okefenokee was shunned as a frightening place- a hide-away for outlaws, renegade Indians, and runaway slaves. In the early 20th century, men invaded the swamp in search of lumber and alligator hides. But today, the Okefenokee is off-limits to plunderers. It is treasured as a unique wildlife refuge, filled with animals and plantlife found nowhere else.

DID YOU KNOW.... Nearly all of the Okefenokee Swamp is preserved within the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness Area and Georgia's Stephen C. Foster and Laura S. Walker state parks.

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