IV 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 549 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 23, 2023 Mr. Carter of Georgia (for himself and Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a vital part of the ecology of Georgia and should be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

Whereas the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a wetland that protects over 400,000 acres in south Georgia on the border with Florida; Whereas the Okefenokee has been inhabited since 2500 B.C.; Whereas, in 1936, it was designated the Okefenokee by the Department of the Interior; Whereas the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge sees over 400,000 visitors a year, playing a vital role in the economy of south Georgia; Whereas, according to a United States Fish and Wildlife Service report authored in 2019, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge created $64,700,000 in revenue for the local economies; Whereas there are hundreds of different animal species that inhabit the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, including endangered species such as the indigo snake and the red-cockaded woodpecker; Whereas the Okefenokee has been on the U.S. World Heritage Tentative List since 2007 but has yet to be inscribed permanently; and Whereas the Okefenokee holds significant historical, cultural, and ecological benefit to the States of Florida and Georgia: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives supports the nomination of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.