LAKE CITY, Fla. -- Conservationists say a proposed mining project near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge poses a real risk for the more than 400,000-acre protected area.

It's the largest wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi, and it protects thousands of species.

A Trump administration rollback of federal wetland and waterway protections has removed a hurdle for Twin Pines Minerals, which intends to mine roughly 8,000 acres of the Trail Ridge for titanium.

But Christian Hunt, southeast representative for Defenders of Wildlife, said the Trail Ridge is a natural dam that plays a critical hydrological role, ensuring water is stored and flowing.

"It would result in a degradation of air and water quality," Hunt contended. "It would impact the wilderness and recreational appeal of one of our last great places here in the Southeast."

Hunt explained the Okefenokee is the last self-sustaining, large-scale wetland in the lower 48 states.

He added other wetlands, such as the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and North Carolina and the Everglades in Florida, have been compromised by industrial and agricultural development.

The Trump rollbacks removed protections for roughly 400 acres of Okefenokee-adjacent wetlands previously covered under the Clean Water Act.

This means Twin Pines' mining project requires no federal oversight, although Hunt pointed out they do still need state permits. Hunt remarked the company has a history of environmental noncompliance.

"Twin Pines, in short, is trying to avail itself of illegal rollbacks under the Trump administration," Hunt contended.

Hunt said the Okefenokee, located in North Florida and Southeastern Georgia, is among the top ten most-visited wildlife refuges in the country, and an economic anchor, contributing millions of dollars to the four counties surrounding it, including Baker County in Florida.

He urged concerned citizens to reach out to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD).

"Hold the Trump administration accountable," Hunt emphasized. "And then also encourage Georgia EPD to do right by this project, and to take action that's commensurate with the value of the resource at stake."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to use federal funds for a project to help keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes.

It is proposing using nearly $226 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for the Brandon Road Lock and Dam Project in Joliet.

Don Jodrey, director of federal relations for the Alliance for the Great Lakes, said carp crowd out native aquatic species, and have been moving up the Mississippi River system and into the Illinois River.

The project would modify the existing dam and locks to make it easier to detect invasive species.

"The Great Lakes have suffered over the years from invasive aquatic species, like zebra and quagga mussels and things like this," Jodrey explained. "The concern is, if the carp move into the Great Lakes system, that they're going to be detrimental to the fishing and recreational industries that are up there."

He added the Army Corps is testing relatively new technology, which could help other states tackle the problem of invasive species.

Fighting invasive species is not cheap. Jodrey pointed out the money is expected to cover the planning, engineering and design phases of the project, about $28 million, plus roughly $200 million for construction, which he noted could cost another $850 million.

"They're basically saying, as a matter of policy, that the administration supports the project," Jodrey stated. "It's a really important step, and it really tells us the project is going to get built."

For the remaining funding, the eight governors of the Great Lakes states have requested the project be included in the 2022 Water Resources Reform and Development Act.

Wildlife advocates see Teton County's upcoming revised Lands Development Regulation on feeding wildlife as an opportunity to set a national standard for how communities and wildlife can peacefully co-exist and thrive.

Kristin Combs, executive director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, said the lion's share of economic activity in the county is linked to income from people who travel from across the world to see wildlife in their historic habitats.

"People are coming to this area to see things like bears and wolves, to see our national parks," Combs observed. "The wildlife here is a big part of our community."

The county's planning commission is set to meet Monday to review a draft plan which includes rules aimed to help residents reduce the risk of attracting wildlife onto their property. The commission is expected to deliver the plan to Teton County commissioners for approval in February.

Combs pointed out people do not have to wait for the final plan to prevent encounters that can be dangerous for people and frequently deadly for animals.

To avoid attracting bears, Combs advised locking up your trash, picking up any fallen fruit, and only using bird feeders when bears are hibernating. She added if left accessible, beehives and chicken coops provide high-calorie grab-and-go meals bears cannot resist

"Really making sure that you have fencing that is high enough," Combs recommended. "The ideal situation is an electric fence. If bears get zapped, they learn pretty quick that that's not an OK food source. They are highly unlikely to return to that area. And the same with beehives."

The current Lands Development Regulation affirms Teton County values bears, moose, wolves and other animals that have called the region home for thousands of years, and Combs argued now is the time to set an example for communities across the nation, increasingly counting wildlife as close neighbors.

"Preserve these species who don't have that much area left to wander in the United States," Combs urged. "Give them a place where they can survive alongside of us."

A U.S. Forest Service timber-harvest proposal in Pocahontas County has conservation groups worried about potential harmful impacts to endangered freshwater fish species, like the candy darter.

Rick Webb, board member of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and the Allegheny Blue Ridge Alliance, explained dirt and gravel roads needed for logging also increase the risk of erosion and sediment in nearby streams, which can compromise habitat for brook trout, the candy darter and other aquatic life.

Webb wants the Forest Service to conduct more research to alleviate these concerns.

"An Environmental Impact Statement would provide an opportunity to look at the existing conditions," Webb explained. "What the sources of sediment are, and to specifically identify what needs to be done to prevent creating additional sources."

He added more data would help to ensure the project complies with the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act. The Forest Service maintains the project would improve forest health and future wildlife habitat, and be a source of future commercial timber sales and economic development.

Kent Karricker, board member and public lands committee chair for the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, said in the past, the Forest Service has done a good job of closing up paths used by loggers to move heavy machinery and timber.

"It's an issue we've been working with the Forest Service on for some time," Karricker noted. "They've been doing a lot of good work as well, decommissioning old skid routes."

Karricker believes the potential increase in sediment from the project could compromise critical habitat.

"Show us the evidence that this is going to work as planned," Karricker urged. "And if it's not going to work as planned, show us some protection measures that are going to mitigate or eliminate these impacts."

Webb argued West Virginians could benefit from a balanced approach to managing the state's national forests.

"The national forests are the best of what remains of our natural wild landscape," Webb pointed out. "Many species depend on that, and they're disappearing. Both the brook trout and the candy darter are greatly reduced from their original distribution."

The two species are both native to West Virginia streams.