Periodic fires are a natural part of the environmental cycle in the part of Georgia where the Refuge is located.If none occur the staff conducts controlled burns in limited areas.Controlled burns and wildfires open up roaming areas for wildlife by burning impenetrable scrub.They also add potash to the soil, reducing acidity; burn recesses in the peat, creating natural ponds; and destroy plants that compete with longleaf pines, the habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.
We had planned a trip to Folkston for late April of this year, and we discussed canceling the trip up until a few days before our arrival date.Since the fire was still on the western side of the Refuge, we decided to take a chance that the eastern entrance would still be open.Driving to Folkston we took one detour because of the fire, drove into Folkston, and ate in a downtown restaurant.
Also eating at the Okefenokee Restaurant in Folkston were out-of-town firefighters. We learned later that over 1000 visiting firefighters from as far away as Alaska were involved over the extended period of the multiple fires that broke out.Those who were not accustomed to the local wildlife felt threatened by snakes and alligators, especially when they learned that alligators are more aggressive in drought situations where food is scarce.
On April 28 we drove through the eastern entrance gate and were greeted by the sight of a Great Blue Heron, reposing at the Visitor’s Center.
Next we drove to the boardwalk.Along the road we saw abundant wildlife.Despite the fire raging on the western side, this part of the Refuge was much as it was the last time we visited.
Palamedes Swallowtails flocked to the low-growing native thistle along one part of the road.
Two kinds of Pitcher Plants flourished along the other side of the road near a ditch where Aromatic Waterlilies floated tranquilly.
The thrill of the day was photographing a barred owl that perched beside the boardwalk.
As we walked to the tower it posed on a limb overhead and allowed us to walk closer and closer, snapping one picture after another.Tiring of the attention it flew away.On the way back we found it on a different tree.Again it seemed not to mind our presence as we approached, but it finally decided that enough was enough.
When we returned from our trip, which also included a visit to a wildlife refuge in Florida, we learned that the fire had moved south and east.The eastern entrance had been closed, and we were told in a telephone conversation with Refuge personnel that part of the boardwalk had burned.The pictures that we took late in April are very valuable to us because they remind us of the pristine beauty of a unique place that for a while will be scarred by the devastating fires of 2007.One experienced ranger said in a newspaper interview that although the fire has caused difficulties for people, the creatures of the Okefenokee will survive.He said that if they didn’t know how to survive in that environment they wouldn’t be there.
On April 28 we drove through the eastern entrance gate and were greeted by the sight of a Great Blue Heron, reposing at the Visitor’s Center. 
