Congaree National Park and Friends of Congaree Swamp are hosting the park’s third research symposium on Thursday, January 6, 2022 and Friday January 7, 2022. The symposium will focus on recurring themes in park research and feature a memorial session for Will Graf and Rebecca Sharitz. Participants may attend in-person or via Zoom.
Thursday, January 6, 2022 (University of South Carolina Alumni Center Ballroom)
6:00-7:00 PM—Reception
7:00-7:45 PM—Welcome and Research Reflection
Opening remarks and a review of Congaree research. Acting Superintendent Gregory Cunningham (Congaree National Park) David Shelley (Congaree National Park)
7:45-8:30 PM—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 (Southern Illinois Univ, Dept of Plant Biology)
Friday, January 7, 2021 (South Carolina State Museum Vista Room)
9:00-10:15 AM—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, Dept of History): Life and death on the edge of the swamp: Black farmers, White hunters, and the closure of the Congaree commons
10:30-11:45 AM—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
1:00-2:15 PM—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
2:30-3:45 PM—Session 4—Ecosystems/Ecology Chair: Loretta Battaglia Graeme Lockaby (Auburn Univ, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences): Biogeochemical investigations in Congaree Natinoal 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
4:00-5:00 PM—Session 5—Panel Discussion Moderator: David Shelley
Speakers discuss upcoming challenges and the future of research at Congaree National Park. Theresa Thom (US Fish and Wildlife Service) Cliff McCreedy (National Park Service, US Biosphere Network) Tim Watkins (National Park Service, Climate Change Response)
