Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge Postcard

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a 402,000 acre National Wildlife Refuge located in Charlton, Ware, and Clinch Counties of Georgia, and Baker County in Florida. The refuge is administered from offices in Folkston, Georgia. The refuge was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937 to protect a majority of the 438,000 acre Okefenokee Swamp. The name "Okefenokee" is a Native American word meaning "trembling earth." Nearly 400,000 people visit the refuge each year, making it the 16th most visited refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge System. It is the largest in acreage of any that is not located in a western state. In 1999, the economic impact of tourism in Charlton, Ware, and Clinch Counties in Georgia exceeded $67 million. The refuge has a staff of 16 with a fiscal year 2005 budget of $1,451,000. The refuge also administers the Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge.