Starting the year off on a good foot

Happy New Year! It’s 2023! Another opportunity to make new memories, accomplish goals, and make the world a better place. Many people kick off each new year with a special tradition. Whether that’s watching the ball drop in New York City or eating a meal with family and friends, we celebrate the start of another year and all the hope it brings. In my family, we welcomed the new year with a first day nature hike.

All across the country, people gathered to enjoy a first day nature hike at state and national parks. My family and I traveled to Stephen C. Foster State Park in the southern part of the Okefenokee Swamp. We were joined by a group of about ten others on a three-mile hike around the park. As we walked, we saw a couple species of woodpeckers, heard the unique “meows” of cowbirds, and learned about carnivorous pitcher plants.

Interestingly, there are many species of woodpeckers throughout the United States. Often when one thinks of a woodpecker, icons like Woody the Woodpecker come to mind. Woody the Woodpecker is a pileated woodpecker, the largest and most easily recognizable species. They are large birds with mostly black and white markings. They have a distinct tuft of red hair on the back of their heads and a pointy beak for picking out insects in the trees. Red-headed woodpeckers are similar in coloring and can be commonly confused with the pileated woodpecker. While on the hike, we heard light tapping in the distance from the woodpeckers – possibly downy woodpeckers – across the swamp. Along the trail, we also spotted damage to a tree from a large woodpecker.

Pitcher plants are a unique part of the swamp ecosystem as most plants use photosynthesis to create their food. Pitcher plants attract insects with their nectar which then fly or crawl into their stems to eat. Some even produce a toxin that makes the insects disoriented and lethargic trapping them inside the plant. Over time, the plant breaks down these bugs into a soil-looking substance and uses the nutrients from their food to live. Beware though, this “soil” can be stinky!

Along the path, there were also plywood boards laying in the grass. Interestingly, these boards are used to sample reptiles when they use them for cover, particularly during the summer months. Snakes are cold blooded; therefore, they are influenced by the temperatures that surround them. If they get too hot, they must find shade and these boards allow them and other critters protection from the heat. They also allow Georgia Department of Natural Resource biologists to conduct research. Due to so much traffic under these boards, the summer months allow biologists to survey different species of snakes including the threatened Eastern indigo snake.

Recently, there have been mining threats that would affect the Okefenokee. Twin Pines Mining Company is interested in mining the heavy metals from a nearby ridge. Mining, however, takes a great toll on the environment around these sites including habitat loss, possible release of toxins into the water, and changes to the Swamp’s hydrology. Advocacy efforts across the state of Georgia have pushed the government to not allow mining here – for now.

The Okefenokee is the largest swamp in the United States, a one-of-a-kind place! According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it is home to hundreds of vertebrate species, including 64 species of reptiles, 37 species of amphibians, 50 species of mammals, and 234 species of birds, and 620 documented plant species. It is so important that we protect this very special place. This year, we need to continue our support for no mining near the Okefenokee. Even though we had some success last year, the fight is far from over. I invite you to visit the Swamp and get involved in protecting it.  

In this new year, start off on a good foot. Be aware of how your actions influence the environment around you and support movements making change. Just like renowned activist Mahatma Gandhi taught, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”