A federal agency is proposing an expansion of the Okefenokee Swamp's vast wildlife refuge. That could lead to a buyout offer for property that would otherwise be used for mining project conservationists have fought for years.

A company's plan to mine minerals just outside the famed Okefenokee Swamp and its federally protected wildlife refuge is a big step closer to being approved by regulators in Georgia. The state's Environmental Protection Division released a draft plan Thursday for how Twin Pines Minerals would operate its proposed mine and mitigate potential impacts to the swamp.

A U.S. government agency is being sued over its decision to allow a proposed mine outside the vast Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to move forward without federal permits.

It’s not hard to meet a gator in Georgia. Waterways in South Georgia are full of them. But there’s a lot we don’t know about these big reptiles. GPB’s...