Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Map showing the location of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
Map showing the location of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
LocationGeorgia and Florida, United States
Nearest cityFolkston, Georgia
Coordinates30°44′11″N 82°07′19″W / 30.7363429°N 82.1220627°W / 30.7363429; -82.1220627[1]
Area402,000 acres (1,627 km2)
Established1937
Visitors400,000 (in 2007)
Governing bodyU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
WebsiteOkefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
Designated18 December 1986
Reference no.350[2]

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a 402,000‑acre (1,627 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in Charlton, Ware, and Clinch Counties of Georgia, and Baker County in Florida, United States. The refuge is administered from offices in Folkston, Georgia. The refuge was established in 1937 to protect a majority of the 438,000 acre (1,772 km2) Okefenokee Swamp.[3][4] Though often translated as "land of trembling earth", the name "Okefenokee" is likely derived from Hitchiti oki fanôːki "bubbling water".[5]

Nearly 400,000 people visit the refuge each year, making it the 16th most visited refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge System.[3] It is the largest in acreage of any that is not located in a western state. In 1999, the economic impact of tourism in Charlton, Ware, and Clinch Counties in Georgia exceeded $67 million.[3] The refuge has a staff of 16 with a fiscal year 2005 budget of $1,451,000.[6] The refuge also administers the Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
  1. ^ "Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  2. ^ "Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b c Federal Register Volume 70, No. 147, pp. 44355–44357 – Tuesday August 2, 2005
  4. ^ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, URL retrieved June 15, 2006
  5. ^ Handbook of North American Indians: Languages. Government Printing Office. 1978-01-01. ISBN 9780160487743.
  6. ^ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, General Brochure, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, URL retrieved September 7, 2023