News Release

Evening Closures For Ongoing Feral Hog Management Work

Date: August 10, 2023
Contact: Jon Manchester, 803-647-3964

HOPKINS, SC – Staff from Congaree National Park, alongside staff from USDA/APHIS, Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, will be conducting feral hog management work in the park August 27-28, a continuation of the work done at the end of last month.

The park will close at 4:00 p.m. the evenings of August 27 & 28, reopening each following morning at 7:00 a.m.  Frontcountry campgrounds will be closed during this time, and backcountry camping permits will not be issued. While this work is being conducted, signs will be posted in areas where active hog management work is taking place. Standard park operations will resume at 7:00 a.m. on August 29.

This ongoing work seeks to mitigate the widespread and increasingly visible damage that feral hogs have been causing around the Harry Hampton Visitor Center and the Boardwalk Loop Trail, one of the most heavily visited areas at Congaree National Park. Not only are these invasive animals impacting the visitor experience, they are causing damage not only to park resources but to land and water resources important to the residents of local communities as well. “By taking advantage of every opportunity to continue the work of managing and reducing the feral hog population, we are taking strides to protect park and community resources from the destructive impacts these invasive animals,” said park Superintendent Greg Hauburger.

Staff conducting this work will be using firearms, including high-powered rifles, in areas where recent hog activity is evident, which will require these areas to be closed to visitors. “It is very important that people respect area closures while this work is taking place,” said Superintendent Hauburger. "Disregarding posted closures means putting yourself and others at risk of serious injury or worse.”