Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge's Journal

EVENT WAS CANCELED
2020 Oke Critter Crawl 5K Run/Walk and 1-Mile Fun Run
Want to get out and enjoy your public lands and get a little exercise at the same time?? Run or walk the Oke Critter Crawl 5K/1-mile Fun Run on Saturday May 9! The route will be along the refuge's Swamp Island Drive, giving participants an opportunity to see a beautiful portion of the refuge while getting in shape.

Can't make the race on May 9, but still want to participate in the fun? Select the Virtual Race Option to sign up and complete your own virtual race. The best part about virtual races is that you can complete your 5K or 1 Mile Fun Run at your own pace, anytime you like! Sign up TODAY!

https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07egvdakp5b7d7afb0&oseq=&c=&ch=

Have you made a trip to the Okefenokee Swamp? Message me your blog or journal link through iNaturalist and we'll post a link here for all the community to see and enjoy this beautiful treasure called the Okefenokee.

I was just in the Okefenokee March 9-11 and had a great visit! Water levels did seem a little higher, and the current a little swifter on the red trail heading upstream from Billy’s Lake, but nothing outrageous. Compared to March visits in the last few years, the spatterdock and other submerged vegetation seemed less, and didn’t clog our electric trolling motor as much.

The bird numbers seemed lower, but the alligators were everywhere on Billy’s Lake, Minnie’s Lake and up on Big Water Lake; especially on March 11 when the sun came out and the gators all took to their logs and perches to gather sun.

Over the next several weeks I'll be getting my photos edited and posted here on iNat, and on the blog at https://okefenokee.photography/. If you have the time, March is a great time to visit the Okefenokee. Despite the wet conditions, the mosquitoes didn't bad at all except in the shady campground areas.

William

Okefenokee Swamp paddlers owe much to the federal and state park employees that keep the National Wildlife Refuges canoe and kayak trails clear, maintained and well-marked. When one visits today, direction signs label and point to Billy’s Lake, Minnie’s Lake, Big Water, Canal Run and more. Since cell phone and GPS signals can be unreliable in the heart of the swamp, the regular mile markers are a true blessing as well.

© Photographer: William Wise | Agency: Dreamstime.com
But it wasn’t always that way! Hamp Mizell writes in 1926 of his father: “It was in the early winter of 1874 that my father found Chase Prairie. He had determined to try a boat in an effort to get through the Swamp instead of the old way of wading and jumping from one clump of bushes to another, all the time bogging from knee deep to armpits, which was the old way of traveling in the great Swamp. ​Let me say right here that it is no small job to find the right course to take in the Swamp and the right route to take to reach the mainland. It is a dangerous thing for one not familiar with this Swamp to undertake, for one not familiar with it will surely get lost and begin to travel in a circle. Old-timers in the Swamp can even tell the directions by the growth of bark on the trees, etc., but it requires an expert to do this.” History of Okefenokee Swamp, 1926, AS McQueen and Hamp Mizell, pp. 31-36

​So unless you’re an Okefenokee expert, it would be a nice thing to thank the park employees if you encounter them on your journey, or during your stay in the wonderful Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge!

See the full text and photos at www.williamwisephoto.com.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service announced the modification of operations at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge’s Main Entrance, effective Tuesday March 24, 2020. The modifications to operations is supported by the onsite concession, Okefenokee Adventures. Hours of operation of the Main Entrance (Suwannee Canal Recreation Area) will be reduced to Tuesday – Sunday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Closed on Monday). On days when the refuge is open, Okefenokee Adventures will offer a “take out” lunch service from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Visitors can order lunch by calling 912-496-7156 or at the counter inside Okefenokee Adventures. No other services will be provided by Okefenokee Adventures during this time. The Swamp Island Drive, hiking trails, Chesser Island Homestead, Chesser Island Boardwalk, and water trails (day use only) are open for visitors to provide opportunities for recreation and relaxation. Please visit refuge information kiosks or brochure boxes for visitor information and refuge maps. All overnight camping permits are being cancelled and refunded and new permit reservations are not being made at this time. The Richard S. Bolt Visitor Center is closed until further notice.

Contact Okefenokee Swamp Park at 912-283-0583 and Stephen C. Foster State Park at 912-637-5274 for information on their hours and services provided.