Land deal protects Okefenokee

A six year saga drew to a close last week with the announcement that a conservation group had purchased the land bordering the Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia that had long been eyed by a mining company.  The Conservation Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to buying up at-risk lands, paid just under $60 million for 8,000 acres of land from Twin Pines Minerals, the mining company that sought to build a mine.  Local philanthropies, including the James M. Cox Foundation, contributed to the purchase, which they say will protect the Okefenokee and preserve it for generations of Georgians to come.  RISING…