The Sites: Okefenokee Swamp

When you tell people you grew up in Florida, most people think of the beaches, the sand, and the ocean.  Truth be told, we never spent much time at the beach when I was younger - the Florida of my childhood is better characterized by the swamp.  Gators in the yard, sunning themselves on the banks of the neighborhood canals were commonplace; something about oppressive heat and humidity still feels like home.   I credit my status as a native Floridian for the fact that I am utterly incapable of resisting the lure of a swamp park.

Many of these are nothing more than cheesy tourist traps, where the handlers toss chicken to a bloated bull gator who knows that crowds of people equal food.  The snowbirds and spring-breakers "ooh" and "aah" over the giant reptile, then patter into the makeshift reptile house to look at a few snakes and lizards, one of them inevitably asking where they can find the gecko from the insurance commercials.  There's a time and a place for kitsch, but I'd rather spend time in those parks that work to preserve and conserve natural habitats, focusing the interactions with wildlife on educating the visitors about these creatures, their habits, and what we can do to protect them.

Southern pine forest, 2008; recovering from swamp fires of 2007

Straddling the Georgia-Florida border and covering over 400,000 acres, the Okefenokee Swamp is the largest blackwater swamp in North America; the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge protects the habitat from encroaching development while still allowing visitors to explore its waterways.  The swamp of southern Georgia is a bit different from the Everglades: instead of a river of grass, it is shaded and sheltered by the pole pines and towering cypress trees.  

Cypress forest

Along the waterways and in the gator ponds, cypress knees break the surface and the insects flit about amongst the water lilies and ferns.  It is an almost primeval place, forgotten by geology, and frozen in time.  Fires still rage through every few years, especially during severe droughts as in 2007, pushing the forest through its natural cycles of destruction and renewal. 

Park entrance

Located just outside Waycross, Georgia, the Okefenokee Swamp Park provides access to the swamp through tours and educational facilities.  The gators wander and float amongst the canals, mingling with visitors.  
 

Okefenokee Railroad Tour

Like any true swamp park, there is the requisite cheesiness - exhibits on how native tribes and settlers used the resources to live amongst the cypress and the dragonflies, complete with a miniature train that will allow you to tour some of the park grounds in style.  The park almost has a sense of humor about itself; at least, it provides plenty of opportunities to find humor while you're there, as if by acknowledging the kitsch, it allows their message of conservation and cohabitation to reach a wider audience through educative presentations and tours with guides that are incredibly passionate about their work.

Butterfly with azaleas

The animals that inhabit the park are, for the most part, free to wander in and out from the swamp itself.  The butterflies flock to the camellias and azaleas.  The turtles float in the ponds and you do have to keep an eye out for the occasional water moccasin that may be slithering by on the ground or in the canals.

American Alligator

American Alligator

Most of the resident gators can be traced in lineage to one male, Oscar, who passed in 2007.  They laze about the water's edge, merely feet away from passersby, most of whom keep their distance, but some of whom you expect to utter the phrase "Hey, watch this!" at any moment.  Alligators are not particularly active creatures, making them great subjects to experiment with capturing wildlife shots through your zoom lens (always through your zoom lens!).  If they are in the water, the light reflected from the surface plays with the light reflecting off their skin, adding another dimension.

Of course, their presence also provides a chance to capture a little unintentional humor: