Long-time visitors to Okefenokee Swamp Park may remember the boardwalk leading to Skull Lake.
Unfortunately, the walkway has been closed since the fierce 2007 Bugaboo Wildfire, and has fallen into decay over the intervening years. The boardwalk will soon be open to the public again thanks to a $500,000 grant from the Expedia Trails Fund.
OSP announced it had received the funding to restore the boardwalk last week in a Facebook post.
“We can’t wait for visitors and regulars to get back out there and experience it firsthand!” the post read.
According to Hunter Barber, Director of Operations and Facilities at Okefenokee, the boardwalk was chosen “through a highly competitive process that considered trail and recreation projects from across the country.” The Skull Lake project was submitted through a partnership with the Conservation Fund's Activating the Natural Resource Economy program.
“Through its first 11 projects and $4.3 million in grants, Expedia is improving safety and access at iconic U.S. destinations— from Okefenokee and Yellowstone’s Paradise Valley to Hawaii’s Kealakekua Bay and natural areas near Seattle and Chicago—benefiting more than 1 million visits annually,” Barber said.
The restoration will not only repair the structure, but will also create new signage as well.
“This is $500,000 for our community — and it’s just one part of a much bigger vision for what the Okefenokee region can become,” the Facebook post continued. “We’re incredibly grateful to our partners at The Conservation Fund and Expedia for believing in the Okefenokee.”
Barber concluded, saying, “The Okefenokee Swamp Park (OSP) is creating experiences to immerse the public in one of the world's most important wetlands. Our goal is not simply to rebuild what was there before. It's to create a more accessible and educational experience that can serve visitors for decades to come.”
Construction is expected to begin in fall of this year, and conclude by 2027.
