All photos by Jonathan Schechter

These images accompany the Oakland Press column that will appear in the Sunday, April 22nd edition of Earth Day and profile Congaree National Park, a wilderness area in South Carolina that is part forest, part floodplain and part river.

exploring the base of a giant bald cypress tree

Barred owls are very much at home in the great swamp

"Come see the big woodpecker!"  

Note the pileated high above in the tree.

A slightly blurry close up of the same pileated woodpecker

One of the many large loblolly pines of Congaree

High winds and storms make for a need of boardwalk repairs.

Cedar Creek is used by adventuresome kayakers and canoeists. 

A clever way to update visitors on the mosquito conditions!