Conservation group makes $60M land deal to end mining threat outside Okefenokee Swamp
June 20, 2025
A conservation group says it will pay $60 million to buy land outside the Okefenokee Swamp from a mining company that spent years battling environmentalists over its plans to extract minerals there. The Conservation Fund announced the deal Friday, saying the purchase of 7,700 acres ends what it called an “existential threat” to the largest federally protected wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi Rivers. Twin Pines Minerals had been seeking permits to mine less than 3 miles from the refuge since 2019. Scientists and conservationists warned the project could cause irreparable damage to an ecological treasure. Twin Pines President Steve Ingle confirmed the sale but declined further comment.