Did you know that there’s a movement to preserving and protecting a strip of land and water in central Georgia around the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park? The ONPPI, or Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative, is a group in middle Georgia that aims to “expand the current site of the Ocmulgee National Historical Park into the first National Park and Preserve east of the Mississippi River.” Doing so would protect the rich and historically vital areas, giving it federal protections and providing fresh boosts into the local economy through tourism and other eco-friendly options.
The Ocmulgee is home to over 900 historical sites representing 17,000 years of history, the homeland of the Muscogee Creek Nation and home to a unique bear population in Georgia and many other forms of plants and wildlife. Additionally, due to the lack of national parks in the South, a successful initiative would create powerful local economic impacts, including an estimated six-fold increase in visitation contributing over $200 million in annual economic activity and the creation of over 2,500 jobs.
However, we need your help to make this a reality. Go to https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5e55f35b8e344bf2a104ec7ffa42a81e and enter your comments online. Furthermore, if you can, please write a letter to the National Park Service (address below) and explain why the Ocmulgee should be a national park.
National Park Service
Denver Service Center
Attn: Ocmulgee River Corridor SRS
12795 West Alameda Parkway
PO Box 25287
Denver, CO 80225-0287