CAYCE, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has expanded its footprint in Cayce.
The Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve is over 1,200 acres, roughly doubling in size, after a recent $7.3 million land purchase.
Dick Moons said he likes to be in the forest, taking in all the elements of nature. A West Columbia resident for nearly 40 years, he said he comes to this Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve in Cayce at least three to four times a week.
"I'm literally in town; I'm a mile from the capital, right on the river in West Columbia," Moons said. "But I can hop on my bike and be on trails and never be on roads and ride for two hours."
He said it's an incredible asset to the city, and it's his escape from reality.
"This is my church. I love being outside," Moons said. "Yeah, I mean, it's just, it's what I do, it's stress relief, it's healthy."
Now that SCDNR has purchased the 644-acre Taylor Tract, doubling the land at this preserve, Moons and other locals can enjoy an even bigger area for hiking, kayaking, biking and fishing.
"This expansion will double the size of the Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve, making it 25% larger than Central Park and one of the largest urban preserves this side of the Mississippi River," state senator Nikki Setzler said in a press release from SCDNR.
Robert Baldwin, an endowed chair of forestry and environmental conservation at Clemson University, said there are several benefits to this expansion.
"Particularly in a place like the Congaree, the more natural areas, the better. It slows down the amplitude of the floods, makes them less severe," Baldwin said. "Plants release oxygen, so that's important, and they take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; that's how they grow."
The caveat is that no new development can touch these 1,200-plus acres. The preserve, 634 Old State Road, is open from dawn to dusk.
