One of the four species of pitcher plant in the Green Swamp. (StarNews file photo)
Don’t count on ever seeing Mickey Mouse in Brunswick County’s swampland.
The Green Swamp is made up of about 17,000 acres of protected land off N.C. 211 featuring dense evergreen shrub lands and longleaf pine savannahs.
Since 1977, it has been owned and managed by the Nature Conservancy, an organization that protects 119 million acres of land around the world.
Assistant County Manager Steve Stone said he’s heard the rumors about a Disney park coming there several times over the years, but doesn’t know where they come from.
“Brunswick County does not have a record of any contact from the Disney company regarding interest in a park,” he said.
He also said the county doesn’t seem like a good fit for such a park, lacking easy access to air transportation or interstate highways.
“It doesn’t seem credible,” Stone said.
As a matter of fact, don’t count on seeing any type of development in the swamp.
Sara Babin, conservation coordinator at the Nature Conservancy, said the organization wants to keep it protected into the future.
“We don’t intend on giving it up,” she said.
Disney representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Perhaps the rumor came about because of about 200,000 acres of protected land in Florida – also called the Green Swamp – about four miles west of Disney World. Beginning in the early 1970s when the Happiest Place on Earth was established, there has been considerable demand to develop the swamp.
Related link:
Date posted: January 7, 2011
User-contributed question by:
James Thomas Horn
Talk to us!
Have a comment about this post or know more about the answer? Use this form to let us know. Note that all comments are moderated and must be approved before they are posted, although you may see your own comments the first time you post them.