Conservation group hosts Mardi Gras benefit night
The Georgia General Assembly underway and conservation organization Georgia Rivers seeks to keep Okefenokee protection in the spotlight with a special Mardi Gras Benefit Party, March 4.
The Mardi Gras Benefit Party will support efforts to pass meaningful legislation to protect Okefenokee’s Trail Ridge from mining and gather fellow swamp advocates for a good cause and fun party.
“Our annual Mardi Gras Benefit is much more than a party. We host this event in the middle of Georgia’s legislative session to keep advocates fired up about what issues are important to them,” said Georgia Rivers executive director Rena Ann Peck. “We have fought to protect the Okefenokee for five years and are determined to pass legislation this session to keep the wild heart of Georgia safe from mining threats.”
The Okefenokee Swamp, the largest blackwater wetland east of the Mississippi and home to the largest National Wildlife Refuge, is threatened by a mining proposal on Okefenokee’s Trail Ridge. Georgia Rivers is working with legislators to place a moratorium on mining Okefenokee’s Trail Ridge.
“Georgia legislators have an exciting, historic opportunity to act this session to stop the spread of mining on Trail Ridge,” Peck said.
Independent peer-reviewed scientific evidence shows mining on Trail Ridge will impact the hydrology of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Mining will impact the headwaters of the St. Marys River, which originates in the refuge, and triple both the frequency and duration of low water levels in the Okefenokee Wilderness Area Canoe Trails. These waterways within the swamp are the only way to access remote wilderness areas within the swamp.
The Mardi Gras Benefit Party will honor Representative Darlene Taylor and other legislators that are working to save the swamp, in addition to honoring leaders promoting recreation on water trails across the state.
Guests at the Mardi Gras Benefit Party will enjoy a low country boil, bonfires, brews and live music by Michelle Malone. Atlanta native Malone, along with Jim Woodcox and Rena Ann Peck, wrote an original song titled “Okefenokee” to further fuel the public outcry opposing mining on Okefenokee’s Trail Ridge.
'This is my war cry,' Peck says, 'Singing it fortifies the fire in my heart to save ... our Okefenokee Swamp.”
The event will take place at Fire Maker Brewing in Atlanta on Tuesday, March 4 from 5:00 - 8:00 pm.
