CONGAREE NATIONAL PARK, S.C. (AP) - A timber company is selling some swamp and forest land to a conservation group that hopes to donate the land to the Congaree National Park in South Carolina.
Friends of Congaree Swamp bought the 214 acres (87 hectares) from Weyerhaeuser for $783,000.
The land near the national park east of Columbia is along Running Lake Creek and has trees so thick that areas remain darkened by shade in the middle of the day, The State newspaper reported.
“It’s just an incredible piece of property there,” said Dave Schuetrum, a Friends of Congaree Swamp member who has seen river otters, alligators, great blue herons and wood storks in the area.
Friends of Congaree Swamp used a combination of money from the state and federal governments, private donations and fines from wetland violations.
The federal government will have to approve the transfer to the national park near Columbia, which could take some time.
Weyerhaeuser leases land in the area to a hunt club, so securing the land on both sides of Running Lake Creek will make sure paddlers in canoes and kayaks don’t get in conflicts with hunters, said Patrick Moore, a project manager with the Open Space Institute, which helped broker the sale.
Congaree National Park Superintendent K. Lynn Berry said the land will help the park’s long-term goal of protecting old-growth forests.
“Running Creek presents great opportunities for improved access to outdoor recreation as well as natural resource conservation, which align with the park’s mission and goals,” Berry said in an email. “We look forward to working with our partners to achieve those goals.”
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Information from: The State, http://www.thestate.com
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