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^ ffMm i ;jf^^K|3|p= JiiW Tr^?^l y^lSalP I BW?iR8SCSHSi|fe^' jdjUm8 *H Columbia firemen began rolling up hoses after a fire broke out at the former Highway downtown. Swamp develop purchase stil By Peggy Brady Gamecock Staff Writer Plans for the development of the Congaree Swamp National Monument are underway even though TiP0ntiaHnnc fnr 4L ? 1 1 1 ..VQV~Uv.v.w (luivuaoc ui uk ltuiu nave noi teen concluded, Robert S. McDaniel, superintendent of the Congaree Swamp National Monument, said Thursday. The Congaree Swamp, a floodplairi bounded by bluffs, is located in Richland County 20 miles south of Columbia and is, according to McDaniel, "the last major tract of virgin hardwood found in the Southeast." The United States has been negotiating with the Beidler family of Chicago, which owns a large portion ftf fhp Pnncfaraii fl4 ? 1 * * * ?/ vvugui "uv iiuuu[/i<iuit LU purcn&S &DOUI 15,000 acres of their land to preserve as a national monument. So far, negotiators have been unsuccessful in reaching a "fair market price," said McDaniel. THE POSSIBILITY of preserving a part of the Congaree Swamp was investigated by several Columbia citizens in the 1950s, one of whom was Harry Hampton, a decendant of the original Hampton family of Columbia. "I wrote to the Beidler's manager in 1953 and asked him if the Beidlers would be interested in donating their land in the Congaree Swamp to the state as a national monument in their name," said Hampton. 'The manager replied that my suggestion could not be accepted or considered." In the early 1960s the National Park System, NPS, visited the Congaree Swamp to study the area, and concluded that the swamp was one of the last major remnants of old growth bottomlands in the Southeast. They recommended the addition of over 20,000 acres of the swamp to the NPS. But the proposal was never acted on. Jim Elder, a Columbia resident, became interested in the swamp in 1974 and was appointed president of the newly formed Congaree Swamp National Preserve Association. In 1974 ElHi?r hw?nn a campaign to publicize the swamp and arouse public interest. The swamp was declared a National Landmark in 1974. IN DECEMBER 1975, Elder prompted another study of the swamp by the NPS which reconfirmed the value of the swamp and also found that one-fourth of the tract owned by the Beidlers had been cut since 1969 and two unique forests out of 11 had been significantly altered or destroyed. Largely by Elder's efforts, a bill was introduced to Congress for the federal purchase of the land as a national monument. After a long battle, the resolution was passed by Congress in 1975 and was signed into law by President Gerald R. Ford in January 1976. However, Ford lowered the maximum purchase price from the original $35 million to $12 million which has caused significant problems in the negotiations for the swampland. The resolution also stated that within three years from the effective date of the act, a generalmanagement plan for the use and development of the ^F ; m jr pf&&? /?? i 7 Fred Rolllton ? GAMECOCK ftermath i in a clean-up operation Saturday evening Department Building on Assembly Street tment planned; II unresolved monument must be formulated and must state the specific location of the land intended for use, the number of visitors and types of public use it would be designed for, and the location and estimated cost of the facilities necessary to accommodate such visitors and uses. When a "fair market price" could not be agreed upon with the Beidler family, and tree cutting resumed on the property, the federal government acted seizing more tyian 360 acres in a court action in April 1977. This placed the land in control of the NPS. In February 1978 the NPS and the Beidler family went to U.S. District Court to try and reach a settlement. The NPS temporarily obtained 15,000 acres of the land after agreeing to pay the Beidlers an initial $2 million. This agreement, according to the State newspaper, actually amounts to a one-year government lease of the property. DURING THE rest of this year, government attorneys will continue multi-million dollar purchase negotiations and will seek additional funds from cm uj uuy una maintain uie uongaree Swamp. If funds from the park are not forthcoming, revealed the State, the $2-million payment will be considered rent on the property. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for Tuesday to hear motions on the matter, said Alice Grindstaff, one of the attorneys in the case. Meanwhile, in keeping within the confines of the resolution signed into law by Ford, a statement for the proposed management of the Congaree Swamp National Monument has been prepared and is SVflilAhlo fr**? rvuKll/* ratrintu T-\~ ? * >V> |/uwuv iVT1GW UUUI L/CC, 11. The purpose of the park is, according to the statement of management, to "preserve and protect for the education, inspiration, and the enjoyment of the present and future generations an outstanding example of near virgin southern hardwood forest situated on the Congaree River floodpiain." Within the Beidler tract, trees of 10 species have been verified as South Carolina records and five as national records. At the present time, there are no public activities or facilities within the boundaries of the monument. Even after development, the visitors' experiences will be limited to recrational activities such as hiking, nature studv and nrimitiv* Mmnino --1J ? , , mvi/niubl saiu. Hunting and fishing will be permitted in the area in accordance with proper lease provisions, McDaniel added. He recognized that any planned development for visitors' use would have to account for the nature of the park and its imminent flooding conditions. The area is flooded about 10 times a year, according to the management report. ONE OF THE PRIME objectives, McDaniel said, is to protect the natural landforms, vegetation and wildlife habitat from human disturbance.4'We will work closely with the state," said McDaniel, "to assure protection of the monument resources from the adverse impacts of boating, industrial development and operations, urban development and other activities and uses." Fitness r for law o being de By Chris D. Porter umnsiuiK inn nrmr A physical-conditioning program to help law-enforcement personnel respond to emergency situations is still being designed, according to a USC official. Stan Leprotti, assistant professor in the College of Health and Physical Education, said although a lot of work has been put into getting the proposed five-year program off the ground, problems ( still exist. < 1 WE'VE YET to get the com- s Dlete Drocram ripsitfn nn noruar i O" ? } 1 and we don't have the money yet to < fund the program," he said, t Leprotti said he didn't know how much the program will cost. A six-month program, which 14 Special Weapons and Tactics, SWAT members of the Richland County Sheriff's Department completed in July, consisted of running, swimming, weight training and agility exercises. It was designed to help emergency personnel respond to crucial situations with great bursts of speed, strength and agility, according to Warren Giese, dean of the College of Health and Physical Education. "WITH NO facilities of their own, it's hard to stay in the kind of condition necessary to respond i zip kleenI I DRY CLEANING | I 1 hour cleaning I I 4 hour laundry I I 6 days a week I / ftur 0 r?vf HIKz uli&A P J ^ =7 | I TtST MKPAMTION I 1 SPtCIUISTI SINCE 1938 I iKflDiflMl t-, Educitlonil Cinttr 1 Ctll Otyt Ivtutof t I WhUh<i jj ORE : jCkitMi Starting Soonl 711B Saluda Avenue Columbia, South Carolina 29205 (603) 256-0673 If Of Inlotmilion tboutOth?i Crntrc. I In Mijoi US Citits I Abroad [ OuUid* NY Stilt I1, cui iou mil too m ix) I egimen officials signed when the timp enmps " Ho coi^ ? *?V UU1U . Leprotti, an instructor for the July program, said the program being designed now is much more sophisticated than any other program of its kind. "Theoretically," he said, "This thing will be a model for the nation. There's nothing else quite like it." Leprotti said the college hopes to ;et the program started at the end )f the spring semester. It will train >eopie who constantly face stress iituations in their jobs ? highway patrolmen, Richland county police ieputy sheriffs, city police, FBI igents and city firemen. ftjp^COKNtll ARMS PHARMACY/?/* PHONE 7B9-I5O0 * SUBTTR * PtNDUKMSTS. COLUMBIA.S.C. OPEN 7 AM - 9 PM WE CASH CHICKS Low, Fast Film Processing 196-19 - - 110-12 249 126-20 n iq 110-20 135-24 3.89 135-36 ?5.09 20 slides 1.89 Complete Line of Afro Hair Care Products L'Oreal Revlon Ultra Sheen Dax Ambl Esirg Long-Aid Vigorol BEER . Bud (Bottles) 2.09 Schlitz (cans) 2.09 Trojan Enzl 2's 2.96 irojon Plus 12's 3.43 incare Oval 4.25 Trial She Concaptrel 49" kelps cUar *p f. acne pi^P^9 ! kelps kMp I ski* of^rer N|H AmrmtMt oloficotlp SUPERIOR ACNE REMEDY5% BENZOYL PEROXIDE ItfC r A e>U I WW m V#f Jfl 1 I OPEN 7 AM - 9 PMl I I RjUpJcOKNttl ARMS fWRWCY/M I PHONE 769 1506 *' I | suPTTin ? ptwoitTOwm. cot.VMfiA,S.c. |j