Fate of planned mine near Okefenokee left to Georgia agency By RUSS BYNUMJune 7, 2021 GMT FOLKSTON, Ga. (AP) — More than 160 years after her great-great-grandfather settled on a patch of land surrounded by water in the Okefenokee Swamp, Sheila Carter takes visitors on guided canoe tours for firsthand looks at the swamp’s abundant alligators and stilt-legged birds wading among blooming water lilies. Even when she’s not working, Carter often paddles the tea-colored waters to find peace amid the vastly unspoiled wilderness. She fears it could be irreparably harmed if a mining company is allowed to dig for minerals just outside the Okefenokee, home to the largest U.S. wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi River.