Clean and Pristine Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message

American White Water Lily flower blooming on a lily pad in the Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia. Nymphaea odorata, also known as fragrant water-lily, beaver root, sweet-scented water lily, is an aquatic plant commonly found in shallow lakes, ponds, bog, swamp and permanent slow moving waters in North America. Medical uses by Native American Indians: rhizomes for coughs and colds, stem for tooth aches. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA.

One thing that is pleasantly noticeable in the clean and pristine wilderness of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge it the absence of pollution of all types. The  light pollution, noise pollution and 'people pollution' (trash) so common is our regular lives is rarely seen, heard or smelled in the Okefenokee Swamp.  

Until I attempted recording bird calls, I had no realization of how much noise surrounds us in every day life. Even in my "quiet" subdivision, I had a hard time getting a clean bird recording without the noise of leaf blower, barking dog or cars off in the distance. Except for the occasional airplane that passes far overhead, the noise of man's ingenuity is mostly absent. 

Until I got an overnight permit to stay at Big Water shelter, I had know real idea how dark "dark" could be, and how bright stars could shine. Without bright parking lots, shopping centers and cities shining nearby, the stars shine brighter in the Okefenokee Swamp. Those distant points of light, which are usually few and far between from an urban viewing point, were so many and so dazzling that even a cellphone camera could record them. 

And what a joy to paddle for miles and miles and never see a piece of discarded trash or floating plastic grocery bag. On my Saturday morning long runs through my home town, it seems the entire route is littered with trash, like a grotesque bread crumb trail leading to "civilization." Thankfully, it isn't that way in the pristine Okefenokee… and let's keep it that way! Remember to pack out everything you bring in. ​