around the Southlands: A death in the forest

A nature news roundup, plus a reflection on a historic death

Georgia’s Ocmulgee River may become the country’s newest national park / Photo by Lee Coursey, licensed under Creative Commons

On January 18, Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, a 26-year-old activist, was shot and killed by law enforcement agents in an Atlanta forest. This is the first known instance of an environmentalist being killed by police in the U.S.

If you care about Southern nature, this is a death you should be contemplating. I’ve got my own thoughts below the fold, but first I wanted to run down the latest Southern nature news.

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Georgia

Okefenokee mining

Last week Georgia officials released plans for a 773-acre “demonstration” titanium mine on the edge of Okefenokee, the largest blackwater swamp in the country. The mining company claims the mines will not impact the refuge, but the federal government has expressed opposition to the project. Public comment on the plan is open until March 20.

+ A new bipartisan state bill could help prevent any further expansion of mining in Okefenokee, though it won’t block this demonstration mine

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The next National Park?

Hopes are high that the National Park Service will create a new park this year, Georgia’s first, along the Ocmulgee River. Due to NPS delays, though, legislators may have to make the first move.