The Land of Trembling Earth

By: Kyle Dubois

And

Matt Dziubinski

The Great Okefenokee Swamp, one of America’s most

fascinating natural areas, is the largest Swamp in North

America!

The swamp is relatively low in diversity of plants because of the acid water, low nutrient levels, and sandy soil. There are no known endemics (species found only in the Okefenokee Swamp).Approximately 600 species of plants are found in the Okefenokee swamp.

Animals of Okefenokee SwampAn estimated 425 species of vertebrate animals have been found in the Okefenokee, including 39 fishes, 37 amphibians, 64 reptiles, 235 birds, and 50 mammals.

• Bobcat•Raccoon•Florida Black Bear•River Otter•White Tailed Deer•Red Wolf•Panther•Barred Owl•Sand Hill Crane •Cottonmouth SnakeAnd the list goes on. There are many more species living in the Okefenokee Swamp

The People Who Inhabited Okefenokee

It appears that Indians occupied the Okefenokee around 4,000 years ago. The population reached a peak between around A.D. 500 and A.D. 1200. A band of Timucuans fled into the center of the Okefenokee as refugees from Spanish Florida during the 17th century.

The earliest white settler documented who was associated with the Okefenokee was Israel Barber. He moved to the Georgia Bend (the tip of Georgia, created by the St. Mary’s River, which dips into Florida) in 1807.

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Endangered Species In Okefenokee Swampland

The slow-moving waters of the Okefenokee are tea-colored due to the tannic acid released from decaying plants, which also makes swamp water about as acidic as cola.

Alligators are under a great threat of endangered species because many years ago, people went “Gator Hunting” and lowered the amount of gators significantly. Osprey are also an endangered specie. As far as plants go, Sun Dew are endangered because insects tend to eat away at them.

Much of the old growth cypress has been logged out of the area.  There have also been attempts to drain the swamp.  A sill along the Suwanee River is also impacting the natural environment.

Man’s ImpactMany of the swamp area and forest has been polluted and trashed due to the human population. The pollution has been lessening every year as humans have become more aware of their wrong doing’s and began cleaning the areas.

Fun And Interesting Facts!

An unusual UFO was sighted on the east side of the swamp in May 1998, the description varies. The sighting was observed over a several mile area in a north to south direction. The editor of a local newspaper gave a brief description of the UFO in an editorial. The UFO was described as a large shiny black object, which hovered for some time then, broke apart into quite a few smaller objects, which flew, away in different directions.

An Okefenokee area ghost tradition, this one dating to the 1930s, owes its existence to the railroad. A man fishing along the tracks at Henson Creek, near Manor, fell asleep one night with the rails as his pillow. A train appeared, sounding its whistle frantically, but there was no response. Steel wheels kept on rolling. The legend is that the body can be seen walking the rails at night swinging a phantom lantern in search of its head. Kevin Dial claims that his grandfather went in search of the “shade” one night. Sure enough, it approached, solid white and six feet tall, walking directly toward Gramps, who fired a futile shot before fleeing.

 

How to Help Keep Okefenokee Clean

Humans need to be more respective of the environment and this would help prevent great amounts of pollution at Okefenokee.

Fund’s can be set aside to help have some money to allow for annual cleaning of the Okefenokee Swamp. Also, more garbage disposal areas could be put into the camp sites to help campers toss their trash away.

For years, educator and legendary folk hero, Okefenokee Joe has captivated school children and adults with his songs about life in the Okefenokee Swamp and the importance of nature and wildlife. His music, CDs, videos, public TV programs and personal appearances, all carry the message of the beauty and the wonders in the natural world, creating a positive and lasting affect upon people of all ages.

The Okefenokee Swamp is a National Wildlife Refuge so that helps protect the swamp. Also, GOAL (Greater Okefenokee Association of Landowners) is another organization that helps.

Okefenokee Organization’s

Improvements In The Environment

Students can turn off their lights when they are not using the electricity. Also, humans should use less vehicle transportation and more transportation via a bike or walking.

Humans can also try and recycle everything they don’t need anymore such as containers to motor oil. Keeping the environment clean by not littering would also help a great amount.

Future Outlook Of Okefenokee

If humans are not careful, many of the plant and animals in the environment can become extinct. Water may become contaminated and that would lead to animals dying because they would not have a water supply.

Eventually, pollution will make the land humans live on not suitable for living.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

•www.google.com

•www.okefenokee.com

•www.sherpaguide.com