The Okefenokee Swamp is dear to Larry Woodward, deputy manager of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, even though he has only spent three of his 30-year career on its waters.
鈥淚t is beautiful, unique, and pristine,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t is still in its natural state, with the hydrology intact like it was 7,000 years ago when the ocean waters receded.鈥� It鈥檚 pristine because of its clean water, and the peat below, which is a big carbon sink. 鈥淭he amount of carbon stored in the peat-filled depths is monumental, the peat encapsulating over 140 million metric tons of carbon and 514 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, comparable to almost 8% of the annual U.S emissions of CO2.鈥�
鈥淥ver 620 plant species demonstrate that it is intact and clean,鈥� Woodward says. 鈥淔all is spectacular with all the cypress trees turning brilliant orange.鈥�
Woodward gets out of the office as much as he can, taking bird surveys, checking trails, and managing projects. When he does, he takes his camera. Woodward is soft-spoken, but his photos speak volumes.
鈥淚f you are patient and observant, you will see so much,鈥� he says.
Surprises abound, a small green anole hiding in a carnivorous pitcher plant Woodward photographed recently. 鈥淚t was in the middle of the swamp, in the middle of a prairie. How did it get all the way out there? That is why I love taking photos,鈥� he says.
