Ossoff ‘cautiously optimistic’ that Ocmulgee Mounds will become a national park
Speaking at the Macon Rotary Club on Monday, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) said he remains “cautiously optimistic” that a bipartisan bill to make the Ocmulgee Mounds Georgia’s first national park will succeed.
Advocates hoped the measure would pass through both the House and Senate last year, but it stalled as the U.S. government shifted its focus toward Hurricane Helene relief funding, according to Seth Clark, Macon’s mayor pro tem and the executive director for Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative. It was part of a public lands package of legislation, which Clark said got shelved for more pressing issues during last year’s Congress.
But the measure is back to making its rounds on Capitol Hill. Ossoff was hopeful a Senate committee would revisit the proposal in the coming weeks.
“I think we still have the wind in our sails this year,” Ossoff said. “In fact, I think it’s likely that the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources will hold a hearing to consider, once again, this proposal in the weeks to come, and building on the momentum that we gathered last Congress, I’m cautiously optimistic we can make yet more progress.”
That same committee passed the bill last year, paving the way for it to be considered by the full Senate. Last year, a bill to ark the mounds as a national park was introduced to each chamber of Congress
Both bills were reintroduced in March this year. By May, 13 of Georgia’s 14 U.S. House members had signed onto the House bill, while both U.S. senators signed on the Senate version.
Ossoff is leading the effort, along with Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA), making it a bipartisan priority.
Ossoff noted how a national park would secure extraordinary natural, cultural and historic resources and artifacts, while also expanding outdoor recreation space, the tourism economy that would bring more jobs, opportunity and wealth to the community.
“It is a significant legislative undertaking, but we’ve made more progress in the last few years than we’ve seen in quite a while, so I remain optimistic and committed to trying to get it done,” Ossoff said.
Advocates say designating the Ocmulgee Mounds as a national park would help preserve land, protecting several different types of animals and mitigating environmental issues. Making the mounds a national park also would significantly boost tourism, according to a study commissioned by the National Parks Conservation Association.
Reporter Alba Rosa contributed to this story.
This story was originally published September 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
