Lowcountry national forest marks 75th anniversary

WAMBAW, S.C. (AP) — The Francis Marion National Forest outside Charleston is celebrating its 75th anniversary and expects to host several hundred thousand visitors this year.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reports (http://bit.ly/t9Gnwc) that’s more people than lived in the three counties around Charleston when the forest was created in 1936. At the time the quarter-million acres northeast of Charleston was considered unwanted land.

Now hundreds of thousands of people camp, walk and ride its trails. It’s also one of the most ecologically diverse areas in the Southeast with 1,600 species of plants and 170 species of reptiles and amphibians and 36 species of mammals.

The popularity of the forest has also brought concerns. Forest Service Supervisor Paul Bradley says 20 years ago, forest rangers didn’t have to deal with hidden meth labs.

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Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com