Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Check out all that the Okefenokee Swamp has to offer @ VisitTheSwamp.com

Bring the kiddos out to the fishing derby at the Folkston Elementary School pond on Saturday morning!

JOB ALERT! The refuge is hiring an interpretive ranger/volunteer coordinator to be a part of the Visitor Services team. We are looking for a self-starter with drive, initiative, willingness to learn, and experience managing people is a PLUS! Contact us at [email protected] if you have questions about this position. Apply today, the announcement will be closing soon.

An Okefenokee exhibit in the Port Wentworth Welcome Center was a recent recipient of the GA Chamber and Visitor Bureau (GA CVB) TravelBlazer Award. "A travelblazer is innovative. Original. A pioneer. Someone who is instantly described as working to create a unique impact within the industry and for their community." Pictured are Patrick Simmons, Waycross Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Dana O'Quinn, Okefenokee Chamber of Commerce, accepting the award on behalf of the Okefenokee Partnership at a recent conference.

Bert’s Fishing Report

Check out this article about some of the recreational opportunities here at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge! #exploregeorgia #nationalwildliferefuge #getoutside

"Located in the southern part of the state, right on the Florida state line, the Okefenokee Swamp is likely the most popular and well-known of the Seven Wonders. Though a large part of Georgia is covered in similar swampy, marshy areas, the distinctiveness of these wetlands lies in their size and diversity." Read the article to learn more about the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia including the Okefenokee!

On Wednesday, January 27 at 1:00 p.m. (ET), join our livestream as NCTC hosts author, naturalist and Clemson University Wildlife Ecology Professor J. Drew Lanha...m will present The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature. Read here for more information: http://ow.ly/mcIG50DhmM7 To watch live on Jan 27: http://ow.ly/sRuW50DhmEL America's Wild Read Graphics: Richard DeVries/USFWS

Who has an aspiring Biologist or Ranger in your family? Well, here is a great activity designed for kids ages 6 and up, but can be for anyone wanting to learn a little more on your next visit to the refuge. Pick up the activity book at the front door of the Richard S. Bolt Visitor Center (books are in a holder outside the door; Center remains closed due to COVID) and have fun exploring and learning during your visit. When you (or your children) complete the book, send an email to [email protected] and we will be glad to send out badges and certificates!

Trying to "scope" out a good spot to see some birds? Come and take an early morning walk on the Chesser Island Boardwalk! The birds will serenade you along the 3/4 mile boardwalk to the lookout tower. Who could ask for a better morning? #okefenokeenwr #birding

This tour just left to enjoy a trip to Chesser Prairie with our guide, Jack. As of this post, the 2 pm and 2:45 pm tours are still available to be booked! Call us to reserve a tour and add a little swamp into your day! (912) 496-7156 www.okefenokeeadventures.com

As Santa shimmies down your chimney this Christmas Eve, he might notice some of these pipe-like structures on the bricks. Organ Pipe Mud Dauber (Trypoxylon poli...tum) nests are common in brick entryways, picnic shelters, and under bridges. This time of year, the muddy tubes are full of wasp pupae and the remains of spiders fed on by the wasp larvae. During the summer, female Organ Pipe Mud Daubers build these unique structures from mud. Inside each tube are a series of small chambers. After building a chamber, the female wasp searches for spiders. When she finds one, she gives the spider a paralyzing sting and then carries it back to the nest. After filling a chamber with several comatose spiders, the wasp lays an egg and then seals off the chamber with mud. After hatching, the wasp larva feeds on the comatose (paralyzed but still living, like when Frodo was in Shelob’s lair in Lord of the Rings) spiders and later overwinters as a pupa within the chamber. The next summer, an adult Organ Pipe Mud Dauber emerges from the nest chamber. Organ Pipe Mud Dauber Wasps are solitary and they have a black body with shiny, purplish wings. If you see one, have no fear. They are not aggressive and they rarely sting.

COVID Update on Operations: The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is excited to announce that hours of operation for the Main Entrance - Suwannee Canal Recreation Area have resumed seasonal hours of operation. Additionally, the refuge will resume issuing permits for overnight camping trips on Tuesday September 29. You must call the permit reservation phone line Tues-Thurs 7am - 10am to reserve your permit. The phone number is 912-496-3331. You must also have a profile in Re...creation.gov at the time of reservation. - - The onsite concession, Okefenokee Adventures, is offering private boat tours and canoe/kayak rentals at this time. Information on services and hours of operation for the concession can be found on their website www.okefenokeeadventures.com or by calling 912-496-7156. In addition, the following areas continue to be open and available for public access: Swamp Island Drive Hiking Trails Chesser Island Boardwalk Chesser Island Homestead grounds Boat ramp access to water trails for day-use Kingfisher Landing Suwannee River Sill The Pocket The health and safety of our visitors, volunteers, and employees remains our number one priority and the following facilities remain closed with no projected date of resuming operations at this time: Richard S. Bolt Visitor Center Photo Credit: D. Maupin/USFWS Volunteer

Today is National App Day! Did you know that Okefenokee has TWO apps that you can use to explore the refuge?? The first is "Discover Nature", which provides a fun and interactive scavenger-hunt-style game located along the refuge’s Swamp Island Drive. The second is the "Discover Nature Wilderness" app, which uses GPS to pinpoint your location within the swamp as you explore our water trails. Download these apps before you leave home and come explore the swamp! https://www.fws.gov/nwrs/threecolumn.aspx?id=2147588010

Happy National Bison Day! In celebration of this iconic species and it’s significance, we thought we would take this opportunity to tell you a little about the Department of Interior, whose logo features the emblematic bison!! When the Department of Interior was established by Congress more than 150 years ago, Interior (originally known as the Home Department) was something of a kitchen sink department where various agencies were placed to address domestic matters of one ki...nd or another. As a result, Interior was known during its early years as the Department of Everything Else, responsible for such things as the construction of Washington, DC’s water system, oversight of the District of Columbia jail, the colonization of freed slaves in Haiti, exploration of western wilderness, regulation of territorial governments, management of hospitals, universities and public parks, and basic responsibilities for Native Americans, public lands, patents and pensions. Today, the Department of Interior conserves and manages the Nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people, provides scientific and other information about natural resources and natural hazards to address societal challenges and create opportunities for the American people, and honors the Nation’s trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated communities to help them prosper.

Today we say, "See you later!" to our amazing resident volunteer, Scott. Scott volunteered over 800 hours of his time to the refuge, keeping it clean and safe for visitors and completing several maintenance projects. We are so grateful for Scott and hope to see him back on the refuge in the future!

The National Conservation Training Center has this great educational opportunity to learn about sturgeon happening in just a few minutes. Did you know that there are stugeon in Georgia’s rivers??

Fall is a fantastic time to paddle through the Okefenokee. This view of a blanket of coreopsis covering the swamp prairie is something you just really need to see for yourself! in Wildness is the preservation of the world ~Henry David Thoreau Photo credit: Jenny Smith

Sign up today for this fantastic nature photography workshop on Saturday November 14. Whatever your skill level - beginner to advanced...you are sure to have a great learning experience with award-winning photographer John Reed! Sign up by emailing [email protected] with your full name and phone number.

Who’s ready to get into the holiday spirit?!?! Check out the Okefenokee Swamp Park Light Show. They have a modified show this year due to COVID, but be sure to check out their holiday lights to start the holiday season off right! Check out their page or website for more information.

Have you heard the fantastic news that Wisdom has returned to Midway Atoll? Birds depend on National Wildlife Refuges across the country for resting, nesting, and foraging habitat. We are so fortunate to have places like Midway Atoll NWR and Okefenokee protected for future generations!! U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

This fall, Okefenokee NWR hosted a photography contest for non-professional photographers, allowing visitors of the refuge to enter up to three photos taken of landscapes and wildlife of the Okefenokee. The judging was conducted by refuge staff and we are excited to announce the winning photo of a frog by Stephen Weiss from Atlanta, GA. This year’s photo contest had over 80 beautiful entries of a variety of wildlife and beautiful landscapes from around the Okefenokee. But we... could not imagine anything more fitting that featuring a frog on our 2021 entrance pass since the Okefenokee is the rumored birthplace of Kermit the Frog! states Refuge Manager Michael Lusk. Be sure to purchase the refuge-specific pass after January 1, 2021 to be able to visit the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge for a year for only $15, says Lusk. Mr. Weiss and his wife were looking for a way to enjoy the outdoors safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. I was happy to learn the Okefenokee Swamp Park was still open during COVID and had excellent precautions in place to make visiting safe, states Weiss. My wife, Phyllis, and I went on the boat tour and were excited to see gators, turtles and frogs, he recalled. The wildlife cooperated enough for Weiss to capture a great photo to be featured on our 2021 Annual Pass. This frog posed for us and seemed like he was the king of the swamp, surveying his realm, states Weiss. And if you are interested in photography, don’t miss out on the Fall Nature Photography Workshop with John Reed, Saturday November 14th, 2020. This full day workshop provides classroom and hands on learning opportunities for participants of all skill levels. Registration must be done in advance; cost of the workshop is $60/person. Please email [email protected] for more information or to sign up. To purchase a refuge-specific annual pass for only $15, visit Okefenokee Adventures at the Main Entrance near Folkston or the Stephen C. Foster State Park near Fargo. Questions? Call the Richard S. Bolt Visitor Center at 912-496-7836 or visit www.fws.gov/refuge/okefenokee/.

Don’t let this chilly morning stop you from coming out to the refuge!

Whooooooo knew the refuge hours change today, November 1st? Beginning today, the hours of operation for the Suwannee Canal Recreation Area are 30 minutes before sunrise to 5:30 p.m.

There’s nothing like a swamp sunset! Remember to set your clocks BACK one hour tonight! The time change takes effect at 2:00 AM on November 1! #okefenokeenwr

Happy Halloween!!! This fun little spider is in the Genus Phidippus, which consists of large jumping spiders with iridescent chelicerae (appendages at the front of the spider’s mouth). He hopes you have a faBOOlous Halloween! Share some spooky animal pictures with us to keep the Halloween spirit going! #okefenokeenwr #happyhalloween2020

You may have noticed some updates as you enter the refuge this week! We are very excited to have this new pay station installed at the entrance to the refuge, where you can purchase your daily or refuge annual pass. If you are an America the Beautiful passholder you just need to display it on your dash during your visit. If you are interested in purchasing any of the America the Beautiful passes, visit Okefenokee Adventures.

Why did the turtle cross the road?? We may never really know, but gopher tortoises are often seen crossing Suwannee Canal Road as you are entering the main entrance to the refuge. Contrary to popular belief that tortoises are slow, these animals can move quickly when they want to! But please drive slowly on all refuge roads and allow them to cross the road before continuing on your journey.

Spot the animal in this photo (not the human)! Encounters like this are reminders to keep your eyes open in the wilderness. You never know what you might see. #sundayfunday #okefenokeenwr

This beautiful new mural will be sure to help our travelers make their way to the Okefenokee entrance! Located on Main Street and Hwy 121 in downtown Folkston, this beautiful art piece was designed by Valdosta State University student Logan Lott with the assistance of her professor Evelyn Davis-Walker. Their efforts are due, in part, to a grant from the state of Georgia.

Notice: The Swamp Island Drive will be closed to all visitation on Friday October 23 and Saturday October 24 until 12 Noon each day for the annual Suwannee Canal Recreation Area lottery hunt. The drive will reopen at noon each day. Refuges strive to provide access to the public for a variety of recreational opportunities, including hunting and fishing.

#WildlifeWednesday Happy National Reptile Awareness Day! Created not only for reptile lovers to celebrate, this day also promotes education, conservation, and appreciation of reptiles...like this Eastern Fence Lizard. What is your favorite Okefenokee reptile?