Into the Swamp
Okefenokee - Spring/Summer 2020
It was okefenokee from the start.
When the original Adventure Term trip was born, its delusions of grandeur were fueled by late-night viewings of biologist Kent Vliet’s excursions into the ash-black waters of Okefenokee swamp in the 1986 National Geographic documentary Realm of the Alligator. Since 1937, this refuge of 402,000 acres has been protected as a home for iconic species such as American Alligators, river otters, and gray and red foxes, as well as many threatened and endangered species like wood storks, indigo snakes, and gopher tortoises.
Now, this unparalleled habitat is under threat by a proposed titanium mine which threatens the integrity of the ecosystem, and the survival of the hundreds of species of plant and animal that call it home.
Journey with us into an unknown world.
In the Summer of 2020, an Adventure Term team will travel to Okefenokee for an in-depth investigation of this important ecosystem, its inhabitants, and the threats which face them. We’ll explore the prairies and cypress forests by foot and by boat, searching for the most remarkable and enigmatic life within the swamp. We’ll speak with conservationists and local stake-holders to understand the conflict and the paths to solutions. And we’ll carry with us the tools to tell the tale.
Share the Stories of the Swamp.
If you have a passion for the environment and storytelling but don’t know where to start, we invite you to join us on this expeditionary course. Along the way, we’ll provide you the tools you need to tell nature’s story through writing, photography, audio, and film. At the end of the course, you’ll produce a final project with the support and guidance of our team of experienced instructors, possessed now of the tools to translate your experiences into a powerful piece of creative media, to inspire others on the path to preserving the last of these wild places.