When researchers flock to Congaree National Park, they don't come solely for the huge trees, the variety of wildlife and the wetlands wonderland. They're also drawn, in part, by the Old-Growth Bottomland Forest Research and Education Center.

By Joey Holleman, The State, Columbia, S.C. Feb. 3--From a mile of frontage on Little River in northern Richland County to an oxbow lake along the Congaree River in Calhoun County, the Congaree Land Trust snared conservation easements on a record 10,777 acres in 2007.

By Tim Flach, The State, Columbia, S.C. Oct. 9--Officials studying how flooding benefits forest Congaree National Park officials want more water flowing from Lake Murray 27 miles upstream to keep the swamp healthy.

By Joey Holleman, The State, Columbia, S.C. Feb. 4--Ann Jennings left the Congaree Land Trust at the end of 2006, ready for the next stop on an environmental trip that began with recycling drives before placing her in the middle of the fight to save Congaree National Park.

By Marjorie Riddle, The State, Columbia, S.C. Dec. 25--A task force working to create the state's first nature reserve outside the coast has more than 15,000 acres committed from landowners.