A national park in Hopkins, S.C., has expanded with the donation of the 200-plus-acre Running Creek tract, the National Park Foundation (NPF) said in a release. The Open Space Institute and Friends of Congaree Swamp joined in the announcement.
“The Running Creek tract serves a significant ecological function as a buffer for the park's wetlands,” Friends of Congaree Swamp President John Grego said in a release. The tract was previously owned by Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the globe's largest holders of timberlands. “Thanks to our partners, visitors to Congaree National Park will have another outstanding recreational destination along the U.S. 601 corridor at the eastern end of the park.”
The Congaree National Park received its national status in 2003. Valued for its cypress and tupelo trees, the site also offers unique recreation opportunities.
“The addition of this important acreage to Congaree National Park, home to one of the most biodiverse landscapes remaining in the eastern United States — and one of the largest old-growth bottomland hardwood forests on the entire continent — is a terrific conservation victory,” Open Space Institute Senior Vice President Nate Berry said.
Running Creek's preservation campaign drew numerous supporters and involved the Open Space Institute, which negotiated a contract to secure the land. The Friends of Congaree Swamp added generously to funds received from the South Carolina Department of Transportation and the NPF to obtain the property in 2019.
But that wasn't the end of the expansion effort. The National Park Service worked for years to adjust Congaree's boundary. Once accomplished, the Friends of Congaree Swamp gifted the property to NPS in September with financial support from NPF and the Open Space Institute.
“Thanks to this collective effort, paddlers, birders and anglers can now enjoy this spectacular waterway, all the while knowing that this habitat, providing an important buffer for a wading-bird rookery, is being protected as part of Congaree National Park,” NPF Vice President for Resource Management Jason Corzine said.
Running Creek extends for several miles inside the park, but until this point, the Park Service has been limited to caring for just the southern bank. With the north bank acquisition, the NPS can protect both sides of the creek, as well as dual lakes and habitat, while also opening the lower area for recreation, according to National Parks Traveler.
Congaree National Park is approximately 27,000 acres, which affords visitors a wealth of recreational pursuits. A feature in Southern Living points out just a few of the park’s features – like the 2.4-mile Boardwalk Loop Trail, the opportunity to cruise the Congaree River or coast through Cedar Creek, or even its primitive camping.
