Join us for our May meeting on Saturday, May 12 in the beautiful Okefenokee Swamp! We will be meeting at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge near Folkston, GA.
The meeting will begin at 1:00 PM in the auditorium of the Richard S. Bolt Visitor Center inside the Okefenokee NWR. We will have a short meeting followed by an educational program by one of the park rangers. The Richard S. Bolt Visitor Center has many hands-on and educational displays throughout the center, as well as a covered wildlife viewing platform. Also located inside the Okefenokee NWR is the Chesser Homestead, built in 1927 which serves as a living example of what life in the swamp was like for early settlers, and Swamp Island Drive, which takes you on a tour of the refuge past alligator ponds and timber stands. Unfortunately the boardwalk that leads to the observation tower was destroyed in recent wildfires and is not accessible at this time. There are hiking trails throughout the refuge that will provide you with an up-close look at the abundant wildlife.
The Okefenokee NWR is also the location of one of the least-visited virtual caches in the state, GCAA78, and is only accessible by boat. Should you desire to visit the location of the virtual cache, you may bring your own canoe/kayak or rent one from the outfitter on site. There is a 90-minute guided group boat tour available as well, that will take you into the swamp and right by the location of the virtual cache.
*****Note: If you would like to take the guided boat tour, you will need to be at the dock at 9:45 AM to get the boats loaded and ready to leave at 10:00AM. We will need a headcount for the outfitter, so please indicate in your "will attend" log if you plan to do the boat tour. They are giving us a discounted group rate of $16+ tax for adults, but we must all arrive and pay together.
Again, this is totally optional, you are welcome to bring your own vessel if you prefer to paddle. Don't forget to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, a hat, and insect repellent! (The outfitter also recommends you wear lightweight long sleeves and pants and no open sandals, as it is yellow fly season.) There will be plenty of time to have lunch between the boat tour and the meeting. The park has a cafe on site, and there are plenty of picnic facilities if you prefer to bring your own lunch.
We hope to see you in the swamp! For more information about the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, please visit: www.fws.gov/okefenokee
Please see our GGA web site at: www.ggaonline.org.
You can also join our forum discussion at: http://ggaonline.org/groupee
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We hope to see you there!!!
