In the heart of South Carolina lies an area of great biological diversity brimming with a rich historical and cultural legacy.

It is full of magnificent scenic vistas and beauty beyond description.

Home to South Carolina's only national park, as well as some of the most significant events that occurred in the state's rich history, is the COWASEE Basin named after the three rivers that hold it together - the Congaree, Wateree, and Upper Santee.

The COWASEE Basin encompasses a large area of about 215,000 acres that include part of four counties: Richland, Sumter, Kershaw, and Calhoun.

Most of it consists of the rich bottomland hardwood forests of the Congaree, Wateree, and Upper Santee Rivers, but it also includes the high hills and bluffs that border the rivers.

More than half a million people reside within or near the COWASEE Basin, yet much of it still retains a remoteness and solitude that is hard to find these days.

Many Midland residents live in cities and towns within or near the COWASEE Basin.

The COWASEE area includes the Congaree, Wateree, and Upper Santee r iver basins from Camden and Columbia to Santee. These include not only the familiar county seats of Columbia, Camden, Sumter, and St. Matthews, but the smaller communities of Boykin, Horatio, Stateburg, Wedgefield, Rimini, Lone Star, Eastover, Gadsden, Hopkins, Sandy Run, Fort Motte, and others.

Some people are very familiar with the COWASEE Basin. They may work in it, farm it, fish and hunt in it, visit historical sites and parks in it, and use its natural resources.

But there are also many within COWASEE Basin, and that includes some long- time residents, who know little about their own backyards - the history, the culture, the scenic beauty, and the biological treasures that make up the COWASEE Basin.

Over the next weeks this column will introduce you to the COWASEE Basin.

We will explore all aspects of this unique place and hope that in the process you will gain a greater appreciation for this wonderful area that lies on our backdoor steps.

Next Week:

Buddy Baker had a

plan