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The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge’s midwinter-spring visitation is on the upswing, and the east
entrance’s Richard S. Bolt Visitor Center is now open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will
remain open seven days a week until the end of June, when it will return to five days a week for the
slower summer season.
Even though the calendar says “winter” – signs of spring are everywhere in the refuge. Golden club, also
known as “neverwet,” has sent its golden flower spikes above the blackwater of the wetland prairies; red
maple is budding; and songs of common yellowthroats along the Suwannee Canal are joining those of the
Carolina wren and blue-gray gnatcatcher. The red-shouldered hawks are even checking out their previous
year’s nest, about a mile down the canal from the boat ramp.
Visitors can take a guided tour boat ride into the swamp, or can rent a kayak or canoe from Okefenokee
Adventures adjacent to the visitor center. There is a seven-mile auto/bicycle road with stops along the
way for hiking or watching gators and birds, as well as exploring the Chesser Island Homestead. And
there are ranger-led programs every Saturday.
The east entrance to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is located approximately seven miles
southwest of Folkston, Georgia, off Okefenokee Pkwy South (GA121/23). The visitor center is
approximately four miles west of the entrance at the road’s end.
State News
Okefenokee NWR Visitor Center Now Open 7 Days a Week Until June
- State News
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GOP charges into Ga. elections
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Hahiran pleads no contest
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Storm leaves thousands without power in coastal Ga.
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Insurgents attack military side of Afghan airport
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Trip to Georgia island like stepping back in time
Ten thousand intrusion-free acres of maritime forests and marshlands, seven miles of shell-strewn beaches, this extraordinary natural sanctuary -- among the last of its kind anywhere -- is how Little St. Simons Island welcomes guests to this virtually untouched island.
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Ex-NBA guard Blaylock injured in crash; 1 killed
Former NBA All-Star guard Daron “Mookie” Blaylock was on life support at a hospital Friday after his SUV crossed the center line and crashed head-on into a van in suburban Atlanta, fatally injuring a passenger in the van, police said.
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Report: Jekyll Island exceeded development limits
A decades-old state law passed to protect Jekyll Island’s unspoiled beaches, salt marshes and maritime forests seems simple enough, limiting development of hotels, golf courses and other amenities to just 35 percent of the island’s land area.
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Tri-state water feud plays out in Congress
The water dispute between Alabama, Florida and Georgia is provoking hardball politics in Congress, where Georgia lawmakers derailed a proposal that could restrict metro Atlanta’s water supply.
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Olens running for re-election
Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens made several stops in Valdosta Thursday, ending the day by speaking at the annual Valdosta Bar Association’s annual banquet.
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GOP charges into Ga. elections
