The Congaree Swamp:
A National Monument and Much More
Did you know that there is a National Monument, and International
Biosphere Reserve, a Wilderness, a Natural National Landmark, and a Continentally
Important Bird Area within twenty miles of Columbia, SC? You can find all of these wrapped
up in one place: the Congaree Swamp National Monument.
Located on a Congaree River floodplain, this unique area is the
last significant tract of "old growth bottomland hardwood forest in the U.S."
Once there were great swamps from the Chesapeake Bay to east Texas, but in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries they were chopped down or lost underwater behind
dams. The Congaree Swamp is home to about ninety different species of trees as well as
many types of wildlife, such as bobcats, deer, and barred owls. While not a true swamp, it
is where you can find all "eight woodpecker species found in the Southeast"
In 2001, on October 18, the Harry Hampton Visitor Center was
dedicated at the Congaree Swamp National Monument. Hampton, a former columnist and then an
editor of The State newspaper, used his columns to bring the Congaree Swamp area to
the attention of the public and then to push for its preservation. In the 1970s, a group
of activists joined Hampton’s fight. On October 18, 1976, the battle was won when
legislation was signed making this area a park. The dedication of the Visitor’s
center and the story behind it was reported in The State Newspaper on October 14,
2001.
Some of the activists still reside in the area. Many are
members of the Friends of the Congaree Swamp. This group was established to preserve the
National Monument’s reputation with the public and with the government.
There is a long history behind the Congaree Swamp National
Monument. To learn more go to http://www.columbiasouthcarolina.com/congaree.html
and http://www.nps.gov/cosw/pphtml/facts.html.
To read The State newspaper article, either go to a nearby library or go online to
their archives.
The Green Team will be selling t-shirts on November 14th
and 15th while celebrating "America Recycles Day". Any profit from
the sale of the Green Team t-shirts will go to the Friends of the Congaree Swamp. |
| Backyard Toxic Waste: Plutonium and South
Carolina
Getting rid of Cold War weapons sounds like a great idea, but
when the plutonium is coming to your back yard, what do you think then? Since April, the
Savannah Morning News, the Charlotte Observer, and Columbia’s State
newspaper have been reporting the debate surrounding the plutonium to be
shipped to South Carolina. This issue has become quite a hotbed of contention.
The articles mostly mention political problems and maneuverings
with only a mention of the environmental groups as well as the anti-terrorist groups who
are against the shipping and possible long-term storage of plutonium. Apparently the
Savannah River Site (SRS) had an agreement with the Clinton administration for temporary
storage of plutonium. Now it seems as if the Bush administration wants to continue long
term or permanent storage at SRS.
Governor Hodges has taken a strong stance against the shipping of
plutonium to S.C. particularly since the federal government is planning to cut funding for
environmental cleanup at SRS (May 10, 2001, the State, Columbia, SC). Initially
funding was budgeted at $1.28 billion. Hodges has been criticized for political
maneuvering as he threatens to have State troopers block the roads so that the shipments
cannot enter. Senator Strom Thurmond wrote a Commentary column in The State on
August 21 urging temperance and negotiation, but acknowledged, "South Carolina should
be prepared to go to court."
As of Friday, August 24, plutonium shipping to S.C. has
been put on hold while an agreement with the federal government is worked out to
everyone's satisfaction.The original plan called for 33 metric tons of plutonium to
be processed into a mixed oxide fuel to be shipped to and used to power nuclear reactors,
while another 17 metric tons would be "immobilized in glass containers and eventually
buried in Nevada" (August 25, 2001, the State, Columbia, SC). As of
today the federal government has not budgeted money for either of these programs which is
the cause for so much concern in S.C.
While the debate is lively, the newspaper reports mostly deal
with politics and economics. Radioactive waste is toxic, and while it may be processed for
use in nuclear facilities to generate electricity, it cannot be "disposed of"
because it remains radioactive for millions of years. Ms. Karen Borg (Science Faculty)
reminds us: "Plutonium is a radioactive ion that seeks out bone tissue when it enters
the human body. It then emits radioactivity that destroys bone marrow causing anemia and
leukemia." For more information about plutonium, go to one of these sites: http://www.nonukes.org/metasec2.htm or http://plutonium-erl.actx.edu/. For more
information about the fight over plutonium in S.C., check the Savannah Morning News,
the Charlotte Observer, and Columbia’s the State newspaper. back to Green home page |
