The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering a proposal to add approximately 22,000 acres to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southern Georgia, opening the door for land buyout negotiations with willing sellers. The proposed expansion includes land owned by Twin Pines Minerals LLC, the company that wants to excavate about 773 acres of land for titanium dioxide, a mineral found in sand along Trail Ridge. The ridge is one of several natural features that keep the storied Okefenokee Swamp contained and full of water. The swamp, which includes the largest federally designated wilderness area in the USFWS, is encompassed by the refuge, and it serves as the source of water for two important Southern Rivers – the St. Marys and the Suwannee. Titanium dioxide is used in a host of consumer products, including as a whitener in toothpaste, paint and paper.

Twin Pines holds about 7,800 acres of land on the eastern fringes of the refuge. For years now, biologists and hydrologists have warned that dragline mining on Trail Ridge could alter the region’s water table and have a significant impact on the water levels in the Okefenokee Swamp and in the St. Marys River. Despite the outcry from scientists, adamant opposition from the U.S. Department of Interior and overwhelming public opposition to the mining project, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division awarded Twin Pines draft mining permits last spring.

Twin Pines is now waiting for final mining permits and, according to Steve Ingle, the company’s president, mining is slated to begin once the state permits are in hand. Ingle told the Associated Press that he was unaware of the proposal to expand the refuge and potentially buy out willing sellers in order to protect the refuge from everything from wildfires to industrial development.

“We have not spoken with the US Fish and Wildlife Service,” Ingle said in a statement, “and our plans to commence mining upon permit approval are unchanged.”

The company still faces one hurdle, however. The USFWS exerted its control over the region’s water rights earlier this year. The mining process would produce about 1.5 million gallons of water a day from the Florida Aquifer during active mining operations. The Florida Aquifer is also one of the water sources for the Okefenokee Swamp, and the USFWS claims its water rights would be violated if mining were to move forward.

The refuge sees about 300,000 visitors a year, and is home to several threatened or endangered species, including red-cockaded woodpeckers, gopher tortoises and several species of carnivorous plants. It’s home to thousands of American alligators, white-tailed deer, river otters, black bears and wild turkeys.

The swamp is also a popular fishing destination for anglers seeking panfish like fliers and warmoth, as well as chain pickerel. Among fly rodders, the swamp is known for its prehistoric bowfin, an air breathing fish related to gar. Bowfin are surly fighters and, in the dark, tannic waters of the swamp, can grow to be more than 30 inches long and weigh upwards of 12 pounds.

The refuge is under consideration by the United Nations as a world heritage site, and its importance to water quality along the Georgia-Florida border can’t be underestimated, the USFWS says. The proposal to expand the refuge is now open for public review and comment.