The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 20, 1978, Page Page 6, Image 8
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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
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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
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* ?/ 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
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/?? 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
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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
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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
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jCkitMi Starting Soonl
711B Saluda Avenue
Columbia, South Carolina 29205
(603) 256-0673
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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.
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