在奧克弗諾基沼澤附近開礦的提議引發(fā)了古老的擔憂

在奧克弗諾基沼澤附近開礦的提議引發(fā)了古老的擔憂

The Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow wetland covering 438,000 acres across the Georgia-Florida line. The swamp, which is estimated to be about 7,000 years old, is home to eight different habitat types, ranging from prairies and swamp islands to four types of forests. There are more than 200 species of birds and dozens of species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish that live there.

奧克弗諾基沼澤是一個淺層濕地，橫跨喬治亞-佛羅里達線，占地43.8萬英畝。據(jù)估計，這片沼澤大約有7000年的歷史，有8種不同的棲息地類型，從草原、沼澤島到4種森林。那里生活著200多種鳥類和幾十種哺乳動物、爬行動物、兩棲動物和魚類。

Located in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the swamp is one of the National Park Service's National Natural Landmarks. It's also one of the world's largest intact freshwater ecosystems.

沼澤位于奧克弗諾基國家野生動物保護區(qū)，是國家公園管理局的國家自然地標之一。它也是世界上最大的完整淡水生態(tài)系統(tǒng)之一。

Photo: John Whitehill [CC BY-ND 2.0]/Flickr

But the swamp — which likely derives its name from the Choctaw words for "land of the trembling earth" — could be disrupted by an outside force. The Georgia Conservancy warns that a proposed titanium mine threatens the swamp's ecology.

但是這片沼澤——它的名字很可能來自喬克托語，意思是“顫抖的地球”——可能會被一種外力破壞。喬治亞州自然保護協(xié)會警告說，一座擬建的鈦礦威脅著沼澤的生態(tài)。

Alabama-based Twin Pines is seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to mine for heavy metals on a 12,000-acre tract near the southeastern edge of the swamp, according to the conservancy.

據(jù)美國自然保護協(xié)會稱，總部位于阿拉巴馬州的Twin pine公司正在向美國陸軍工程兵團申請開采重金屬的許可。

This isn't the first time mining has been proposed in the Okefenokee. DuPont proposed a similar plan to mine titanium dioxide in 1997 but abandoned the plan after protests from environmental groups who said there wasn't enough research to determine mining's possible impact on the swamp.

這并不是奧克弗諾基人第一次提出采礦計劃。杜邦公司曾在1997年提出一項類似的開采二氧化鈦的計劃，但由于環(huán)保組織的抗議，杜邦放棄了這一計劃。環(huán)保組織稱，沒有足夠的研究來確定開采對這片沼澤地可能產(chǎn)生的影響。

The Twin Pines process would involve digging down an average of 50 feet, which the conservancy says is deep enough to impact adjacent wetlands and permanently impact the hydrology of the entire swamp.

雙松的開采過程需要平均挖50英尺深，保護協(xié)會說，這一深度足以影響鄰近的濕地，并永久性地影響整個沼澤的水文。

Some are concerned that mining for titanium and zirconium could impact water levels, water quality and changes in groundwater flow in Trail Ridge. The group also believes mining could impact specific ecosystems — specifically, the removal of the minerals could affect the habitat of threatened species like the gopher tortoise and other species.

一些人擔心，開采鈦和鋯可能會影響尾跡脊的水位、水質(zhì)和地下水流量的變化。該組織還認為，采礦可能影響特定的生態(tài)系統(tǒng)，具體來說，礦物的清除可能影響到象地鼠龜和其他物種這樣的瀕危物種的棲息地。

"It's not, 'Here they come again threatening our precious Okefenokee Swamp,'" Chip Campbell, a longtime resident of the area and owner of Okefenokee Adventures, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "For those of us who are here, this is part of a larger discussion about mineral sand mining and the ecological impact it has on rivers and wetlands and the economic integrity of the region."

“這不是說，‘他們又來威脅我們珍貴的奧克弗諾基沼澤了，’”奇普坎貝爾對《亞特蘭大憲法報》說。“對我們在座的各位來說，這是一場更大范圍的討論的一部分，主題是礦物砂開采及其對河流和濕地的生態(tài)影響，以及該地區(qū)的經(jīng)濟完整性。”

At a public meeting in Folkston, Georgia, Twin Pines representatives explained how wetlands and plant life would be restored after mining is completed and endangered wildlife like the tortoises would be relocated, The Brunswick News reported. But some people were concerned that heavy metals from the mining could get into the nearby St. Marys River.

據(jù)《不倫瑞克新聞》報道，在喬治亞州福克斯頓的一次公開會議上，雙松公司的代表解釋了在采礦完成后，濕地和植物將如何恢復(fù)，以及象烏龜這樣的瀕危野生動物將如何重新安置。但一些人擔心，采礦產(chǎn)生的重金屬會進入附近的圣瑪麗河。

The Georgia Conservancy has requested that the Army Corps hold a public hearing on the mining permit application. The comment period has been extended until Sept. 12 for public input.

喬治亞州自然保護協(xié)會要求陸軍就采礦許可證申請舉行公開聽證會。征求意見的時間已被延長至9月12日。