Georgia lawmakers reintroduce bill to establish Ocmulgee Mounds as first National Park and preserve

Georgia lawmakers are once again pushing to make Ocmulgee Mounds the state's first National Park and Preserve.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)- Georgia lawmakers are once again pushing to make Ocmulgee Mounds the state’s first National Park and Preserve. U.S. Representatives Austin Scott and Sanford D. Bishop, along with Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, have reintroduced the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve Establishment Act.

“Establishing the Ocmulgee Mounds and surrounding areas as Georgia’s first National Park and Preserve remains a top bipartisan initiative for all lawmakers and stakeholders involved,” Rep. Austin Scott said. “The Ocmulgee Mounds are of invaluable cultural, communal, and economic significance to our state, and I am committed to keeping this initiative moving forward.”

The bill aims to protect the historic Native American site while boosting tourism and economic growth in Middle Georgia.

The Ocmulgee Mounds area has been home to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation for more than 12,000 years, dating back to the Paleo-Indian Period. Muskogean people built mounds for ceremonies, living, and agriculture, many of which still stand today and would be part of the proposed National Park and Preserve.