A committee of 28 people, composed of mining interests and government and local interests, is considering the fate of the plan. In this overview of a wooden walkway at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, two people tour the swamp. Water movement in the swamp could be affected, upsetting its delicate ecological systems. Canoeing through these systems at a leisurely pace, one can easily see what's at stake. As inhospitable as the swamp can be to man, it teems with precious life.
Alligators sun themselves on banks of the hammocks and canals or glide through the waters.
Turtles balance on fallen tree trunks. Gopher tortoises waddle through the meadows. Partially submerged bullfrogs lurk in ambush of flying insects. Deer graze in the island uplands. Foxes gambol across meadows.