Friends of Congaree Swamp is hosting a research symposium focused on celebrating 50 years of environmental and cultural research at Congaree National Park. This event will take place at the University of South Carolina Pastides Alumni Center Ballroom.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2026
9:00-9:15 AM – Welcome Opening remarks and World Wetlands Day commemoration John Grego (Friends of Congaree Swamp), Kim Connolly (University of Buffalo)
9:15-9:45 AM Five Decades of Research at Congaree Swamp John Cely (Friends of Congaree Swamp): 50 Years of Changes at Congaree
9:45-11:00 AM Session 1 — Upland and Bottomland Forest Ecology (Chair: John Kupfer) David Stahle (University of Arkansas): Dendrochronology of Baldcypress in the Deep South Kimberly Meitzen (Texas State University): Floods, Forests, & People: A Spatial and Temporal Perspective on Environmental Change and Riverscape Conservation Ray Torres (University of South Carolina School of Earth, Ocean & Environment) Floodplain Water Storage: Lessons from the Congaree River System
11:15-12:30 PM Session 2 — Cultural Interpretation, Social Practices and Land Use (Chair: Tameria Warren) Aby Sène-Harper (Clemson University): African American Cultural Resources of Congaree National Park: An Ethnographic Overview Rhonda C. Grego (Midlands Technical College-Retired): Edward C. L. Adams and Tales of the Congaree: A Review of Recent Scholarship Neal Polhemus (University of South Carolina): Status and Inventory of Old-Growth Bald Cypress in Congaree National Park
12:30-2:00 PM Lunch & Poster Session (Lunch Included with Registration)
2:00-3:15 PM Session 3 — The Meaning of Wilderness and Traditional Landscapes (Chair: Greg Cunningham) Jess Riddle (City of Atlanta): Are there other Congarees? Exploring the old growth bottomlands for forest giants Mark Kinzer (National Park Service-Retired): The Wilderness Act and the Congaree National Park Wilderness
3:15-4:30 pm Session 4 — Future Challenges to Congaree National Park (Chair: Neal Polhemus) Bill Stangler (Congaree Riverkeeper) Jeffrey Hunter (National Parks Conservation Association) Bob Janiskee (University of South Carolina)
Welcome Jonathan Manchester (Congaree National Park)
Biosphere Introduction Cliff McCreedy (National Park Service)
Four Decades of the Congaree Biosphere Region (Chair: Carson Lillard)
Fran Rametta Interviews (Congaree National Park) Origins of Congaree Biosphere Region Application
Impact of Biosphere Designation
Biosphere Partners
Role as Educator and Interpreter
Rachel Post (Department of Defense-Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation): Congaree Biosphere Region Periodic Review
David Shelley (US Forest Service): Congaree Biosphere Region 2016-2021
Guillermo Espinosa (SC Department of Transportation): Congaree Biosphere Region 2022-2023
Session 1: Biodiversity and Conservation Research (Chair: John Kupfer)
Toby Feaster (USGS): An Overview of the USGS streamflow network and the importance of long-term records
Janet Steele (Clemson University): A thorny predicament: Assessing Eleagnus management strategies in wooded areas
Joe Quattro (USC): Population genetic structure for the synchronous firefly-Photuris frontalis
Session 2: Integrating Local Communities in Research and Monitoring (Chair: Tameria Warren)
Jessica Elfenbein (USC): Shifting the narrative: How researching Congaree’s lumber, wood products and forest conservation changes what we know about SC’s history
Robert Reese (Town of Eastover): The Lower Richland CEAL collaborative: A STEM social justice initiative
Kirstin Dow (USC): Heat mapping in the Columbia Metro Region
Session 3: Towards Environmentally Sustainable Regional Development in the Congaree Biosphere Region (Chair: John Grego)
Jeremy Dertien (University of Leipzig, Natura Connect): An integrated spatial prioritization for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services
John Kupfer (USC): Spatial patterns of conservation benefits, priorities, and barriers
Lauren Doran (Green Infrastructure Center): The Green Heart: Protecting and connecting the Congaree Biosphere Region for wildlife and people
Session 4: Monitoring Data and Park Management Panel (Chair: Greg Hauburger)
Fran Rametta interview (Congaree National Park): Synchronous fireflies and the park as a destination
Gregory Cunningham (US Forest Service) Jonathan Manchester (Congaree National Park) Claudia Santiago (US EPA) Liz Struhar (US Forest Service)
Session 5: The Future of Congaree Biosphere Region Panel (Chair: Cliff McCreedy)
Tameria Warren (South East Rural Community Outreach) Aric Jensen (Richland County) Quinton Epps (Richland County) Gregory Sprouse (Central Midlands Council of Governments)
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Opening Remarks Acting Superintendent Gregory Cunningham (Congaree National Park)
Review of Congaree National Park research David Shelley (Congaree National Park)
Tribute to Will Graf and Rebecca Sharitz
Kimberly Meitzen (Texas State Univ, Dept of Geography and Environmental Studies) Laura Stroup (St. Michaels Univ, Dept of Geography Loretta Battaglia (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Dept of Life Sciences)
Session 1—Cultural History (Chair: Neal Polhemus)
Robert Greene (Claflin Univ, Dept of History): The Black history of Congaree Swamp: From the colonial era to Jim Crow
Mark Kinzer (National Park Service): Old-Growth and old fields: Historic human land use in the Congaree floodplain
Neal Polhemus (Univ of South Carolina, College of Arts and Sciences): Life and death on the edge of the swamp: Black farmers, White hunters, and the closure of the Congaree commons
Session 2—Hydrology (Chair: John Kupfer)
Greg Carbone (Univ of South Carolina, Dept of Geography): Historical climatology and future projections in central South Carolina Ray Torres (Univ of South Carolina, School of the Earth, Ocean & Environment): Wetting and drainage of the Congaree River floodplain Celeste Journey (USGS, South Atlantic Water Science Center): Water quality in Congaree National Park: New technologies to track contamination
Session 3—Geomorphology (Chair: Kimberly Meitzen)
Ellen Wohl (Colorado State Univ, Dept of Geosciences): Geomorphic influences on river corridor resilience to disturbance Allan James (Univ of SC, Dept of Geography): Legacy sediment in the New World: Theoretical and practical concerns Enrica Viparelli (Univ of SC, Dept of Civil and Environmental Engineering): Measuring sediment fluxes between the Congaree River channel and its floodplain
Graeme Lockaby (Auburn Univ, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences): Biogeochemical investigations in Congaree National Park Will Conner (Clemson Univ, Forestry and Environmental Conservation Dept): Forested wetlands dynamics across an elevation gradient within a floodplain forest of the Congaree River Loretta Battaglia (Southern Illinois Univ, Dept of Plant Biology): Floodplain forest change along a post-Hurricane Hugo disturbance gradient
Session 5—Panel Discussion (Moderator: David Shelley)
Upcoming challenges and the future of research at Congaree National Park. Theresa Thom (US Fish and Wildlife Service) John Kupfer (Univ of South Carolina, Department of Geography) Tim Watkins (National Park Service, Climate Change Response)
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Opening Session-A Black History of Congaree: From Slavery to the Post-Civil Rights Era by Prof. Robert Greene
Welcome and Introductions and Session 1- Home is where the water is: Water, Culture and history in the COWASEE Basin
K Lyn Berry (Congaree National Park) TJ Wallace (SC Humanities) Janae Davis (American Rivers) Jon Manchester (National Park Service) Marie Adams (Southeast Rural Community Outreach) Mark Kinzer (National Park Service) Moderated by John Cely and John Grego (Friends of Congaree Swamp)
Creative Exercise-Communal Pen Workshop experience with Eboni Ramm
Quinton Epps (Richland County Conservation Department) Michael Dantzler (Get Involved Lower Richland) Jeff Duncan (National Park Service Wild & Scenic Rivers) Bill Stangler (Congaree Riverkeeper) Moderated by Greg Cunningham (National Park Service)
Session 3-It’s our water: Managing water at the local level
Synithia Williams (Richland County Stormwater Division) Alex Butler (SC Department of Health and Environmental Control) Guillermo Espinosa (Central Midlands Council of Governments) Gerrit Jobsis (American Rivers) Moderated by John Kupfer (University of South Carolina)
Session 4-What’s next? Spurred to action!
Robert Reese (Lower Richland) Matt Johnson (Audubon, SC) Stuart White (Congaree Land Trust) Dr. David Shelley (Congaree Biosphere Region, NPS) Carmony Adler (Gills Creek Watershed Association)
https://i0.wp.com/friendsofcongaree.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/national-park-service.png?fit=154%2C200&ssl=1200154adminhttps://friendsofcongaree.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/logo1.pngadmin2021-01-13 07:05:272021-01-13 08:51:22Water/Ways Virtual Symposium Video Sessions
Congaree National Park and Friends of Congaree Swamp are hosting the Smithsonian Water/Ways exhibit through January 13, 2021 under the sponsorship of SC Humanities. The park and Friends of Congaree Swamp will host a virtual symposium Thursday, January 7, 2021 and Friday January 8, 2021 inspired by the exhibition’s themes.
https://friendsofcongaree.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/logo1.png00adminhttps://friendsofcongaree.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/logo1.pngadmin2020-09-10 09:57:512020-09-10 11:22:46Recreation Fee Program
To celebrate National Public Lands Dayon Saturday, September 28, Friends of Congaree Swamp will host a trail-clearing. This will be our second year participating in National Public Lands Day, an event hosted by NEEF (National Environmental Educational Foundation) that is the largest volunteer service event held to support public lands. We will meet at the Visitor Centerat 9 AMthen select service activities (trail-clearing and perhaps others), depending on turn-out.
The park service will provide vests and additional tools, but if you have loppers, handsaws, or long-handled shears, please bring them along. We should be out no later than the early afternoon. In addition to trail-clearing tools, bring plenty of water, gloves, a snack and insect repellent. If interested, contact John Greg at or(803) 331-3366.
https://friendsofcongaree.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/logo1.png00adminhttps://friendsofcongaree.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/logo1.pngadmin2019-09-15 15:50:302019-09-15 15:51:56National Public Lands Day
