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35-640: Coharie also refers to the Coharie Formation , named for the creeks, a terrace, and shoreline at about 215 feet above sea level on the mid- to southern East Coast. The name Coharie was adopted by the Coharie Intra-tribal Council, Inc. , a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina . The tribe claims "descent from certain tribes of Indians originally inhabiting the coastal regions of North Carolina." In 1910, residents of Herrings Township along

70-512: Is famous for its amphibians and reptiles such as toads , frogs , turtles , lizards , snakes , and an abundance of American alligators . The oldest known alligator, named "Okefenokee Joe" after environmentalist Okefenokee Joe , died in September 2021, at almost 80 years of age. The Okefenokee Swamp is also a critical habitat for the Florida black bear . More than 600,000 acres (240,000 ha) of

105-576: Is now Leon County, Florida during the Pleistocene epoch . Repeated growth and retreat of the North American glacial sheet resulted in fluctuations of sea level over several thousand years. Florida submerged and emerged several times leaving behind established terraces assigned by mineral deposits and maximum sea level relative to the current mean sea level . These marine terraces and shorelines were named by various geologists, verified and mapped by

140-559: Is well developed in northeastern and extreme northwestern Florida. At this time the county is mostly dry except for the southern coastline. The Cody Scarp is a shoreline of the Wicomico as well as the aforementioned Okefenokee. The Ocklochonee River empties into a large, wide estuary or inlet leading to the sea. The ground for what will be the Tallahassee Regional Airport remains underwater. The Penholoway terrace and shoreline

175-589: The Okefenokee Wilderness . The Okefenokee Swamp is considered to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia and is the largest " blackwater " swamp in North America. The swamp was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974. The name Okefenokee is attested with more than a dozen variant spellings of the word in historical literature. Though often translated as "land of trembling earth",

210-601: The Suwannee River both originate in the swamp. The Suwannee River originates as stream channels in the heart of the Okefenokee Swamp and drains at least 90 percent of the swamp's watershed southwest toward the Gulf of Mexico. The St. Marys River , which drains only 5 to 10 percent of the swamp's southeastern corner, flows south along the western side of Trail Ridge, through the ridge at St. Marys River Shoals, and north again along

245-582: The USGS . Each glacial retreat caused sea level to rise less than the previous warming event, giving an extremely accurate depiction of the appearance of Florida. Leon County was studied in detail by C. W. Hendry and C. Sproul in 1966. The Hazelhurst terrace and shoreline (formerly the Brandywine) was assigned by C. W. Cooke and includes Vernon's Coastwise delta plain and MacNeil's high Pliocene terrace. Deposits are found between 97 and 65.5 meters (320–215 feet). During

280-467: The 438,000-acre (177,000 ha) Okefenokee, sending volumes of smoke across the southern Atlantic seaboard and with an unknown impact on wildlife. With the drought still continuing, the massive Honey Prairie fire continued to burn at only 75% containment. On April 17, 2012, the Honey Prairie Fire was finally declared out. Thousands of firefighters, refuge neighbors, and businesses contributed to

315-561: The Coharie creeks identified as being of Croatan descent. Coharie could be an Iroquoian , perhaps Tuscarora language , word that translates as driftwood . This article about a location in Sampson County , North Carolina is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Coharie Formation Leon County Pleistocene coastal terraces and shorelines were the geologic result of warming and cooling periods in what

350-581: The Coharie is included with the Sunderland terrace in USGS mapping. One ancient island appeared in the extreme northwest portion of the county near the junction of Meridian Road and County Road 12. The second island was located in the general vicinity of U.S. 319 and Sunnyhill Road just south of the Florida/ Georgia border. The third of the northern islands of the Coharie was located in extreme northeast portion of

385-715: The Early Pleistocene glacial retreat. The Okefenokee is defined by sediments at 52 to 30.5 meters (170–100 feet) above current mean sea level. The dry land mass left behind can best be described as an oddly shaped peninsula overlaying the islands of the Coharie as well as added land that is connected to adjacent peninsulas in other counties. During the forming of the Okefenokee, the Ochlockonee River began to take shape as did rivers in other counties in Florida. The large inlet in

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420-549: The Okefenokee Refuge. However, in 2022, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff blocked the proposed titanium mine after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service warned of severe potential damage to the wildlife refuge. The Okefenokee Swamp was listed as one of America's Most Endangered Rivers in 2020 and again in 2023 on account of the mining threats. The Okefenokee Swamp is part of the Southeastern conifer forests ecoregion . Much of

455-539: The Okefenokee is a southern coastal plain nonriverine basin swamp , forested by bald cypress ( Taxodium distichum ) and swamp tupelo ( Nyssa biflora ) trees. Upland areas support southern coastal plain oak domes and hammocks , thick stands of evergreen oaks . Drier and more frequently burned areas support Atlantic coastal plain upland longleaf pine woodlands of longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris ). The swamp has many species of carnivorous plants , including many species of Utricularia , Sarracenia psittacina , and

490-561: The Okefenokee region burned from April to July 2007. Essentially the entire swamp burned, but the degrees of impact are widely varied. Smoke from the fires was reported as far away as Atlanta and Orlando . Four years later, in April 2011, the Honey Prairie wildfire began when the swamp was left much drier than usual by an extreme drought . As of January 2012, the Honey Prairie fire had already scorched more than 315,000 acres (127,000 ha) of

525-493: The Spanish as ferrymen across the St. Johns River , near the riverside terminus of North Florida's camino real. Modern-day longtime residents of the Okefenokee Swamp, referred to as "Swampers", are of overwhelmingly English ancestry . Due to relative isolation, the inhabitants of the Okefenokee used Elizabethan phrases and syntax, preserved since the early colonial period when such speech

560-692: The Talbot is better developed in Leon as well as Bay County , Wakulla , and Walton County . USGS Terrace and shoreline map of Florida. Okefenokee Swamp The Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000-acre (177,000 ha), peat -filled wetland straddling the Georgia – Florida line in the United States. A majority of the swamp is protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and

595-575: The center of the refuge on May 5, 2007, eventually merging with another wildfire that began near Waycross, Georgia , on April 16 when a tree fell on a power line. Named the Bugaboo Scrub Fire , by May 31, it had burned more than 600,000 acres (240,000 ha), or more than 935 square miles, and remains the largest wildfire in both Georgia and Florida history. In 2011, the Honey Prairie Fire consumed 309,200 acres (125,100 ha) of land in

630-426: The county and overlapping the county line between Leon and Jefferson County . To the south lay 3 more islands. The first was located generally north and near Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park and surrounding area. The second and largest covered the area where most of Tallahassee is today. It extended from near Interstate 10 in the north to the capitol complex in the south, to just east of State Road 263. The third island

665-517: The eastern side of Trail Ridge before turning east to the Atlantic. The earliest known inhabitants of the Okefenokee Swamp were the Timucua -speaking Oconi , who dwelt in or on the margin of the swamp. The Spanish friars built the mission of Santiago de Oconi in order to convert them to Christianity. The Oconi's boating skills, developed in the hazardous swamps, likely contributed to their later employment by

700-436: The giant Sarracenia minor var. okefenokeensis . A species of mushroom-like fungus Rogersiomyces okefenokeensis J.L. Crane & Schokn. 1978 is found in the swamp. The Okefenokee Swamp is home to many wading birds , including herons , egrets , ibises , cranes , and bitterns , though populations fluctuate with seasons and water levels. The swamp also hosts numerous woodpecker and songbird species. Okefenokee

735-534: The interface between the federal refuge and the surrounding industrial tree farms. Many visitors enter the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge each year. The swamp provides an important economic resource to southeast Georgia and northeast Florida. More than 600,000 visitors from as many as 46 countries travel to the Okefenokee refuge each year to enjoy its unmatched wilderness. This tourism supports over 750 local jobs and contributes over $ 64 million to local economies. A 50-year titanium mining operation by DuPont

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770-518: The interstadial period of late Pliocene to early Pleistocene epoch, the Hazelhurst terrace and shoreline was created in many counties east to west. Gadsden in particular had a very large land mass not only created by rising and lowering sea levels, but from depositions from the Apalachicola River on Gadsden's west side. Leon County remained completely submerged. The Coharie terrace and shoreline

805-436: The name is likely derived from Hitchiti oki fanôːki "bubbling water". The Okefenokee was formed over the past 6,500 years by the accumulation of peat in a shallow basin on the edge of an ancient Atlantic coastal terrace, the geological relic of a Pleistocene estuary. The swamp is bordered by Trail Ridge, a strip of elevated land believed to have formed as coastal dunes or an offshore barrier island. The St. Marys River and

840-402: The northeastern part of the county left the land capable of supporting a more recognizable Lake Iamonia . Eastern Leon had a large inlet reaching as far as the northeastern portion of the county. The Cody Scarp is the remnant of the Okefenokee. What would become Lake Lafayette is a Pleistocene river delta with the lake's eastern section accessing the sea. The Wicomico terrace and shoreline

875-470: The safe suppression of this fire. At the peak of fire activity on June 27, 2011, the Honey Prairie Complex had grown to 283,673 acres (114,798 ha) and had 202 engines, 112 dozers, 20 water tenders, 12 helicopters, and 6 crews with a total of 1,458 personnel assigned. Over the duration of the fire, there were no fatalities or serious injuries. Firefighters managed to contain most of the fire within

910-414: The swamp until 1942; some remnants remain visible crossing swamp waterways. On the west side of the swamp, at Billy's Island, logging equipment and other artifacts remain of a 1920s logging town of 600 residents. Most of the Okefenokee Swamp is included in the 403,000-acre (163,000 ha) Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge . The largest wildfire in the swamp's history began with a lightning strike near

945-506: The swamp. There are four public entrances: In addition, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, Okefenokee Swamp Park , provides the northernmost access into the Okefenokee Swamp near Waycross, Georgia . State Road 2 passes through the Florida portion between the Georgia cities of Council and Moniac . The graded Swamp Perimeter Road encircles Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Gated and closed to public use, it provides access for fire management of

980-552: Was applied by C. W. Cook in 1931 and was named for the Great Coharie Creek , a tributary of the Black River in North Carolina . It is associated with a Pre-Illinoian interglacial and was the third rise in sea level during the Early Pleistocene glacial retreat and left behind dry land in the form of six distinct islands. The Coharie is defined by sediments at 65 to 52 meters (215–170 feet) above current mean sea level. In Florida

1015-541: Was assigned by Cooke and is named for the Wicomico River in St. Mary's County, Maryland and Charles County, Maryland . The Wicomico is associated with the Sangamonian Stage between 75,000 and 125,000 years ago. and was the fourth rise in sea level during the Early Pleistocene glacial retreat. The Wicomico is defined by sediments located at 30.5 to 21 meters (100–70 feet) above current mean sea level. The Wicomico

1050-581: Was assigned by Cooke and named after Penholoway Creek in Wayne County, Georgia and is associated with the Sangamonian Stage. The Penholoway is defined by sediments located at 21 to 13 meters (70–42 feet) above current mean sea level. The seaward boundary is generally better defined than the landward boundary. In Leon County, the Penholoway is a reduction of the Wicomico. The Talbot terrace and shoreline

1085-515: Was assigned by Cooke and named for Talbot County, Maryland . The Talbot is associated with the Sangamonian Stage. The Talbot is defined by sediments located at 12 to 7.5 meters (42–25 feet) above current mean sea level. In Leon County the Talbot existed along the Leon/ Wakulla County line. The Talbot is not well developed in Florida as it is in Maryland and other states. However, within Florida,

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1120-574: Was common in England, well into the 20th century. The Suwannee Canal was dug across the swamp in the late 19th century in a failed attempt to drain the Okefenokee. After the Suwannee Canal Company's bankruptcy, most of the swamp was purchased by the Hebard family of Philadelphia, who conducted extensive cypress logging operations from 1909 to 1927. Several other logging companies ran railroad lines into

1155-410: Was set to begin in 1997, but protests and public–government opposition over possibly disastrous environmental effects from 1996 to 2000 forced the company to abandon the project in 2000 and retire their mineral rights forever. In 2003, DuPont donated the 16,000 acres (6,500 ha) it had purchased for mining to The Conservation Fund , and in 2005, nearly 7,000 acres (2,800 ha) of the donated land

1190-451: Was to the west and encompassed an area near Arvah Branch including I-10, U.S. 90, and north to Miccosukee Road. The Okefenokee terrace and shoreline was assigned by MacNeil in 1950 and named after Okefenokee Swamp . It includes deposits of the Sunderland terrace assigned by Cooke. It is associated with a Pre-Illinoian interglacial ( Yarmouthian ) and was the third rise in sea level during

1225-681: Was transferred to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. In 2018, Twin Pines Minerals LLC proposed another titanium mining operation near the Okefenokee Swamp. Over 60,000 people sent comments opposing the operation. Later, in 2020, a new rule by the first Trump administration reduced what was protected under the Clean Water Act , removing about 400 acres (160 ha) in the proposed mining site from federal protections. The updated plan would include mining 577.4 acres (233.7 ha) for titanium and zirconium, 2.9 miles (4.7 km) southeast of

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