Summer 2007 - SCANA Corporation

CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL // REWRITING HISTORY // GRANT: ‘WE’RE HIRING’
A publication of SCANA Corporation
SUMMER 2007
Among the visual delights
that visitors to the Francis
Beidler Forest can enjoy
are the Indian Pinks, which
flower from May to June in
the oak-hickory forest of the
bluffs overlooking the swamp.

FROM THE CHAIRMAN
All about customers
As we go about our work
at SCANA, we are focused
on the SACRED values
that are at the heart of
everything we do. These include: Serve our community,
Achieve, Communicate openly and honestly, Respect
diversity and care for each other, Excel in customer
service and safety and Do what is right.
So “excel in customer
service” is not just a goal but
one of our corporate values.
Whether we’re delivering
energy to your home or office
or working with a large
industry, our commitment is
the same.
In this issue of Insights, we
are pleased to focus on two
areas of customer service that
are very different but both
reflect our dedication.
The Edison Electric
Institute, representing
electric utilities from across
the nation, recently honored
two of our employees whose
jobs are dedicated to working
with national accounts — the
big brand businesses that
make their energy decisions
hundreds of miles away.
Primarily via the phones
and the Internet, these
companies rely on our national
account managers to help
meet the energy needs of their
restaurants and stores in our
area.
These big brand companies
cast their ballots at an EEI
workshop, recognizing
SCE&G’s customer service as
the best in the business.
Large industries are
another customer segment
where our service excels,
having earned national
recognition for many years.
Our economic development
team works with local and state
government officials to attract
new and expanding industries
to our region.
Once an industry begins
operations, our large customer
group representatives take
over, helping provide the high
level of service that these
customers need and expect.
Recent recruitment efforts
resulted in a decision by
Ontario-based Grant Forest
Products to build not one but
two plants in South Carolina.
A state-of-the-art,
environmentally friendly
facility is now producing
oriented strand board in
economically depressed
Allendale County.
Reliable, cost-effective
energy was a factor in
their decision. They have
commended the quality and
reliability of their electric
and natural gas service since
opening. Read more about their
story in this issue of Insights.
The theme that you will
find in all of these stories is
a high level of service and
commitment to our customers,
from major manufacturers to
individual homeowners. It’s
a reflection of our values and
focus on serving you.
W.B. Timmerman

InsideSUMMER 2007 • VOLUME 20, NUMBER 2
Editor
Mary Green Brush
Corporate Communications
and Philanthropy Manager
Therese Griffin
Marketing Communications
Director
Cathy Love
Insights is produced quarterly
by the SCANA Public Affairs
Dept. SCANA Corp is a
$10 billion energy-based holding
company with subsidiaries
providing electric, natural
gas and telecommunications
services.
Call 803-217-8833 if you have
any comments, questions or
ideas for articles, or e-mail
mgbrush@scana.com.
Insights can be viewed on
the SCANA home page at
www.scana.com/insights.
Mail Code 063
SCANA Corp.
Columbia, SC 29218
© 2007 SCANA Corporation.
All rights reserved.
Printed on recycled paper
2 Electric rate filing
SCE&G asks the S.C. Public Service Commission for
rate increases to cover the cost of serving customers
4 How do you spell success?
You know them. You use them. You see them
everywhere. Golden Arches. Easy Buttons...
8 ‘We’re hiring’
A new industry in rural South Carolina gives
an economic boost to the region
14 All creatures great and small
From listening to birds to watching fighting lizards,
learning is fun in the Francis Beidler Forest
20 Rewriting history
The Topper archeological site provides evidence of
humans in North America 50,000 years earlier
26 Blue Ribbon School
SCE&G bucket truck captures Seven Oaks Elementary
students spelling out school name for TV flyover
28 NEWS
Storm watch Use new tool to
check power outage status
Safety tips Follow these steps
during stormy weather
Customers in need SCANA
Energy chosen again as
Georgia’s regulated provider
All product and company names herein may
be trademarks of their registered owners.
SUMMER 2007 • INSIGHTS 1

A message for our
customers
SCE&G filed an application June 15 with the Public
Service Commission of South Carolina requesting an
overall 6.75 percent increase in retail electric base
rates — the company’s first such request since 2004.
If approved, the monthly bill of a residential
customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity
would increase $7.62 beginning in January 2008.
The company also filed for an overall 1.33 percent
increase to natural gas rates under the terms of the
Natural Gas Rate Stabilization Act.
That request, if approved, would go into effect in
November; residential customers would pay about
$19.70 more a year for natural gas based on average
annual usage.
Public hearings on both requests will be held in
the fall.
SCE&G President and Chief Operating Officer
Kevin Marsh said electric rates are going up because
the company’s cost of serving customers safely and
reliably has gone up.
“The only reason we would ever go in for a rate
increase is because we think it’s essential to our
ability to continue providing our customers with safe,
reliable service,” said Marsh.
BUILDING AND MAINTAINING THE SYSTEM
Marsh said there are a number of key issues
driving the electric rate request, not the least of
which is a substantial increase in costs associated with
building and maintaining SCE&G’s transmission and
distribution system. He said the company has spent
more than $300 million in this area since 2004.
“Our efforts to support the state’s rapidly rising
demand for power have included placing more than
52,000 new poles in the ground; completing nearly
50,000 new service installations; installing more than
20,000 street lights; and adding more than 1,000 miles
of line to our system,” said Marsh.
“Unfortunately, the cost of materials associated
with all that infrastructure — the steel in our
transformers and meters, the copper in our conductors,
the power poles we put in the ground — has risen
tremendously. We’ve seen a 30- to 45-percent increase
in the costs of underground and overhead transformers
and pole hardware since 2004. Wire and cable is up
about 170 percent for that same period.”
Marsh said SCE&G also has made major capital
investments in its generating plants, particularly in the
area of environmental upgrades. “We’ve invested more
than $100 million in clean air technologies at our coalfired
generating plants since our last rate case,” he said.
“While we are certainly committed to conducting
business in an environmentally responsible manner and
to meeting all local, state and federal environmental
requirements, it’s important to understand that there
is a significant cost associated with meeting that
commitment.”
Some have asked whether this rate case includes any
costs associated with SCE&G’s announced plans to build
a new nuclear plant. Marsh said new generation is not
a part of this rate case, and that recovery of any costs
related to construction of a new nuclear plant would be
handled through future rate proceedings.
SCE&G SYSTEM GROWTH & EXPENSES SINCE 2004
$300 million 48,277 30-45 $100 million
Dollars spent on building
and maintenance costs for
SCE&G’s transmission and
distribution system.
New service installations
since last rate case.
Percent increase in costs of
underground and overhead
transformers and pole
hardware.
Invested in clean air
technologies at SCE&G’s coalfired
generating plants.
2 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2007

statute is designed to reduce volatility of customer rates
by allowing for more efficient recovery of the costs that
regulated utilities incur in expanding, improving and
maintaining natural gas service infrastructure to meet
the needs of customers. The law also works to reduce
customer rates when a utility’s earnings exceed the
range authorized by the PSC.
“Customer driven growth is the key driver behind
this filing,” said Marsh. “Increasingly, industrial
customers and businesses throughout the state are
demanding availability of natural gas, as are residential
developers and their customers. The requested rate
increase will allow us to continue making the capital
investments that are necessary to expand and safely
operate our natural gas system.”
REGULATORY REVIEW
Marsh emphasized that all the details supporting the
requested increases to electric and natural gas rates will
be examined by the South Carolina Office of Regulatory
Staff and the PSC as part of the regulatory review and
approval process.
“It’s a thorough and transparent process that
balances the needs of our company with the best
interests of our customers and the overall welfare of
South Carolina,” he said.
COMPETING FOR INVESTMENT DOLLARS
According to Marsh, rising inflation and interest
rates also are an underlying factor in this rate case.
Changing financial markets have made it more
challenging for SCE&G to compete for the investment
dollars the company needs to continue building and
maintaining its system.
“In the 12 months leading up to our last rate case
filing, the Federal Reserve had not raised interest rates
even once,” he said. “Since that time, though, rates have
been raised 17 times. Our cost of capital is much higher
today than in 2004.”
To address this, Marsh said SCE&G is asking that
its authorized return on equity be increased from 10.7
percent to 11.75 percent.
NATURAL GAS RATE STABILIZATION ACT
SCE&G filed for an incremental increase to natural
gas rates under a new law that went into effect in 2005
called the Natural Gas Rate Stabilization Act. The
Payment option
Avoid fluctuations in your bill
Some SCE&G customers may be eligible to participate
in the company’s Easy Payment Program. When you
sign up for EPP, your energy usage is estimated based on
historical data from the previous 12 months (if available),
and divided into 12 equal payments. The average is the
amount you pay each month. The amount is “trued-up”
on an annual basis to reflect actual usage and costs. With
EPP, you don’t pay less, but you always know what your
payment will be. It can be a helpful budgeting tool for
customers on a fixed income.
SUMMER 2007 • INSIGHTS 3

How
success?
do you spell
You know them. You
use them. You see them
everywhere. Golden Arches.
Easy Buttons. The Low
Prices smiley face. That red
bulls-eye. You know...
McDonald’s. Staples. Wal-Mart.
Target. To you, they’re probably
a place to get a Big Mac (with
fries and a Coke, please), printer
paper and discount anything and
everything. But to SCE&G’s Kim Lucas and Penny Stevens, each
one is a VIC (Very Important Customer) — which means the same
people who say “How may I help you?” to you are getting the same
question asked of them.
“We’re their single point of contact,” explained Lucas, an SCE&G
national accounts manager in charge of “big box” businesses, such
as discount retailers, grocery and department stores.
“Take Wal-Mart for instance; they have 65-plus stores in our
service territory alone. So, in addition to calling other utilities
across the country, they’re calling us and when they get us, they
don’t want to have to deal with 20 different people to get their
billing, rates information and new service information.”
In other words, Lucas and Stevens are responsible for everything
relating to energy — whether a company is opening a new store,
BY ASHLEY MONTS //
PHOTOS BY JOHN ZICH AND ROBERT CLARK
Photo by John Zich
4 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2007

Penny Stevens, an SCE&G
national accounts manager,
meets with Steve DePalo,
national energy manager
for McDonald’s USA at the
company’s 50th anniversary
restaurant in downtown
Chicago.
SUMMER 2007 • INSIGHTS 5

SCE&G Wins J.D. Power Business
Customer
Satisfaction
Award
If one award is exciting, two is
even better. In March, J.D. Power and
Associates named SCE&G the highest
ranking utility in the South for business
customer satisfaction.
The study was based on interviews
with representatives from more than
12,900 U.S. businesses that spend
between $500 and $50,000 per month
on electricity. J.D. Power measured
customer satisfaction through six
factors: power quality and reliability,
customer service, company image,
billing and payment, price, and
communications.
SCE&G improved 43 points from the
year before to beat out Duke Energy,
Progress Energy and Southern Company
in its region. The score was also good
enough to place the company third
in the country for business customer
satisfaction.
shutting one down or trying to find a more cost-efficient
rate plan, that call goes to them.
Now, multiply those needs by 100, which is roughly
the number of large, national accounts Lucas and
Stevens handle proactively, and you get an idea of the
workload. But you don’t get a true snapshot of the job
until you add in the pressure of having customers who
deal with dozens of other utilities on a daily basis.
“They get to compare us to every other utility in the
country,” added Stevens, national accounts manager in
charge of large hotel chains, restaurants, pharmacies
and banks. “They get the big picture.”
And so do these women. Both SCE&G employees for
more than 25 years, they know the company, they know
the business and they know their customers — and while
the first two are impressive, it’s the last one that seals
the deal.
“I seem to know them on more
of a personal level,” said Tom Goetz,
corporate director of engineering
with Dillard’s. “Everyone knows
everyone by their first name and
I can’t say that I know that many
people to that depth in other
utilities.”
“Their attention to customers
is amazing,” added Steve DePalo,
national energy manager for
McDonald’s USA. “I couldn’t do my
job without people like Penny. Not
only is she passionate about helping
customers, she’s accessible and
responsive when we need her.”
Call it southern charm, call it
people skills — whatever you call it,
the bottom line is that it’s friendly
customer service. Actually, it’s
award-winning, friendly customer
service — according to the very
people who matter most, the
customers.
In March, those same big-name
companies cast their ballots at
Edison Electric Institute’s national
accounts workshop in Phoenix,
Ariz. Twenty-five national chain
customers voted on the best
customer service among 101 utilities
— selecting winners in large,
medium and small categories.
“We were having breakfast with
Larry Fichuk, our account contact at Papa John’s, and
when it was time to present the award in the medium
category, he got up and said, ‘See you in a little bit,’”
Stevens recalled. “We didn’t think anything about it
until he got up to the podium and started talking about
two individuals and communications, and then he said
‘South Carolina Electric & Gas’ and we just looked at
each other and thought, ‘No way!’”
“The customers vote on it, so it’s coming from the
right source,” added Lucas. “They tell us that we do a
good job, we know we do a good job, but still… it was a
shocker.”
Perhaps the only SCE&G employee not surprised was
their manager, Steve Chapman. Chapman, who heads up
customer service engineering, learned about the award
SCE&G’s Kim Lucas talks with a Dillard’s employee. Lucas works with
“big box” businesses.
6 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2007

the night before and was asked to keep it quiet until the
next day.
“I thought to myself, ‘How am I going to do this?’
I’m surprised they didn’t figure it out because the night
before the awards we were out entertaining customers,
and I kept saying, ‘We need to go ahead and call it a
night. We don’t want to miss the meeting tomorrow
morning,’” laughed Chapman. “I’m just so proud of them
— all of customer service engineering is proud of them.
They work hard and do a really good job.”
Lucas and Stevens knew they worked hard — you
didn’t have to tell them that — but winning the award
showed them something they didn’t know — just
how much that hard work was appreciated. From
picking up the phone to let their customers know
about approaching storms to finding a better rate for
an individual store, the EEI award proved it’s the little
things that sometimes make the biggest impact.
“It was so exciting to see them win because they
constantly make me feel like I’m the most important
customer. This is proof that they’re giving this same
level of customer service to everyone, not just me,” said
Dillard’s Goetz.
“SCE&G winning is because of their dedication to
national accounts,” said DePalo. “They really stand out
because of their proactive communication, which is
what we need.”
Now all Lucas and Stevens have to do is keep it up
— and as easy as that sounds, they both know there’s
no “easy button” when it comes to excellence in
customer service.
“We keep going back thinking, ‘What exactly did we
do last year?’ because we did it without thinking about
it,” laughed Penny. “We’ll just keep doing what we’re
doing because obviously they appreciate it.”
Photos by Robert Clark
McDonald’s honors account manager
Penny Stevens joins elite team as energy efficiency ambassador
One trademark of excellent customer service is going
above and beyond the customer’s expectations. So, when
McDonald’s approached Penny Stevens about joining
their extended energy team, she didn’t think twice about
the extra hours or travel, she just said “yes.”
Stevens is now one of just 15 account executives
from utility companies around the country who act
as an energy efficiency ambassador for McDonald’s.
In that role, she travels to the company’s national and
international conventions educating franchise operators
on energy usage and ways to use energy more wisely.
“She has great interpersonal skills, communications
skills, as well as a wealth of knowledge,” said Steve
DePalo, national energy manager for McDonald’s USA.
“Her professionalism and knowledge about the industry
were key to her being invited to join the team.”
McDonald’s bases selection on three factors: the
utility company must be large enough to serve a
significant number of local restaurants; the account
executive must demonstrate a willingness to help
customers; and the executive must have strong
knowledge of the industry, as well as an understanding
of the McDonald’s culture.
Stevens, it seems, has all three.
SUMMER 2007 • INSIGHTS 7

‘We’re
hiring’
A new industry in
rural South Carolina
gives an economic
boost to the region
Grant Allendale is
hiring in a corner of
Allendale County in
South Carolina.
Grant Forest Products’ announcement
in 2005 of plans to invest $260 million in a
new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility
came as great news to this county, which
at the time had an unemployment rate of
12 percent and an average annual wage of
about $9 per hour.
SCANA economic development
representatives and engineers, S.C.
Department of Commerce officials and the
Southern Carolina Regional Development
Alliance worked closely with Grant to
secure and develop an appropriate site,
according to Alliance Executive Director
Danny Black.
BY MARY GREEN BRUSH //
PHOTOS BY ROBERT CLARK
8 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2007

Canadian-based Grant Forest Products chose South Carolina as the
location for new state-of-the-art oriented strand board production
facilities. The Allendale site is currently in production, and a sister
plant in Clarendon County will open later this year.
SUMMER 2007 • INSIGHTS 9

High speed blades
shave debarked
logs into six-inch
strands, which
are used to make
oriented strand
board.
He said the Allendale County location fit the
company’s site requirements, including a flat terrain,
location on an accessible highway and availability of
all utilities, including a high pressure natural gas line.
SCE&G played an important role in the recruitment,
providing utility engineering support and financial
assistance for infrastructure needs.
Site Manager Van Chatraw, who joined the company
from Weyerhaeuser Corp. after the plant was built,
said, “The company wanted to put the plant where the
resources are, which include resin, trees and people.”
Grant Forest Products, based in Ontario, Canada,
chose Allendale and Clarendon counties in South
Carolina for its new oriented strand board (OSB)
facilities. The abundance of “plantation” pine — trees
10 to 20 years old — was a major factor, Chatraw said.
Most of the pine trees are grown within 70 miles of the
plant. They are considered a renewable energy source
because they grow in a relatively short period of time
as compared to a hardwood tree that might take 75-100
years to reach the age of harvest.
In addition to buying pines grown specifically to
be cut and used while young, the company also buys
similarly sized pine trees that have been cleared as part
of thinning during forest management projects. These
trees previously had little market value.
Grant Allendale is a state-of-the-art facility, the
largest of its kind in the world. Last year the plant
produced more than 850 million square feet of OSB. “We
have the fastest line speeds in the world,” Chatraw said.
But while many of the plant processes are automated,
people are still needed to run it.
“We also moved here because the people are
a resource that is untapped. There is not a lot of
manufacturing here, and people are transitioning from
agriculture as a major employer,” he said.
The plant continues to hire in positions from
management and engineering jobs to maintenance and
production employees. Most training takes place on the
job. “We’re looking for high energy, innovative thinkers
who can handle change. We incent for performing in
innovative ways.”
ORIENTED STRAND BOARD SUPPLIES BUILDING TRADE
Grant Allendale uses pines and people to produce
OSB, an engineered wood panel made from resins and
multiple layers of wood strands. Each six-inch strand is
oriented perpendicularly to the layer above and below it,
resulting in a product similar to the strength and quality
of plywood. OSB is used in the construction industry as
an economical alternative.
10 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2007

Van Chatraw, site
manager at Grant
Allendale, explains
a process to Sid
Ballentine, SCE&G
account manager.
Chances are if you have a newer home that this
product may be used in your roofing, siding and
subflooring.
In fact, Grant Allendale produces OSB in lengths
from eight feet to 10 to accommodate the higher
ceilings that are standard in many homes today.
Committed to environmental sustainability, Grant
Allendale uses all of the trees it purchases from area
growers. Even the scraps on the floor are used to fire
the high-temperature wood-burning furnaces that heat
the dryers used in the production process.
RELIABLE ENERGY A REQUIREMENT
While the furnaces are fueled by wood, with natural
gas as a backup source, the plant’s sensitive electronics
and automated processes rely on a reliable supply
of electricity. Chatraw has found SCE&G to be very
responsive when a problem occurs. In one instance,
SCE&G personnel were on site within 15 minutes. The
plant also has backup generators available in case they
are needed.
Natural gas is used to burn off contaminants in the
plant’s air cleaning system, assuring that the company’s
high environmental standards are met with only steam
released to the environment.
Chatraw has been pleased with the energy supply
and service at the new plant. “We’re a 24-hour-a-day
operation. Power is essential. People don’t run a plant
24 hours a day unless there is an opportunity for profit,
so the more we can keep it running the better. Keeping
the plant running is essential to our success.”
SERVING A WAITING MARKET
Buyers are waiting for Grant Allendale’s OSB as
soon as it is produced. In fact, most of the merchandise
in the plant warehouse at any single time is already
pre-sold.
The boards come off the manufacturing line, are cut
into lengths, bound, stamped with the company logo
and loaded onto trucks, headed to housing markets
along the S.C. coast, apartment complexes being
developed, and a host of other buyers.
“We’re located near our market, which is the
Southeast, one of the fastest growing regions in the
country. Our sales force sells to wholesalers and
brokers as well as major suppliers buying in large
volumes,” Chatraw said.
To help accommodate this market, Grant Allendale
has a sister plant under construction in Clarendon
County, also an economically depressed area of the state.
Grant Allendale came on line first, producing its first
board Oct. 30, 2006. Now those employees are helping
the Clarendon plant get off the ground. Employees from
the two plants are working closely together to bring
Clarendon County on line in the fourth quarter of 2007.
Grant Forest Products pursued a strategy of building
two identical plants near each other so that they can
share resources and skilled labor. Any associate will be
prepared to work at either plant.
SUMMER 2007 • INSIGHTS 11

It starts
with a
tree...
Major steps in creating oriented
strand board include:
1
The process starts with a log,
which is debarked and then
shaved into six-inch strands using
high-speed blades.
2
The strands are sent to a
high-temperature dryer
to remove moisture. (Trees are 55
percent water. The goal is to get the
strands to 4-5 percent water.)
3
In the blending process, the
strands are mixed with glue
and wax (resin), then transported
to a forming line where a process
begins that is much like making a
six-layer cake.
4
Strands are cut into a mat
size of 12 feet by 26 feet
and loaded into an oven on shelves.
They go into a press where heat
and pressure cure the resin and
wax and condense each mat from
eight inches thick to one-half inch
thickness.
5
The mats move down the saw lines, where they
are cut into boards that are four by eight feet,
nine feet or 10 feet.
A BOON FOR THE ENTIRE REGION
Grant Allendale is a boon for local mom-and-pop
businesses, and new companies are springing up to
provide such services as saw blade sharpening, machine
work and trucking, Alliance Director Black said.
Most of the plant’s employees live within the fourcounty
area around the facility. “My wife and I enjoy the
area,” said Chatraw, who moved from Kentucky. “The
people are friendly and the community really opened
up to the Grant people who moved here.” The plant
currently employs 130 people.
12 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2007

The plant has room for expansion in the future as
the 26-year-old Grant Forest Products continues to
grow as one of the world’s leading producers of OSB and
engineered wood products.
The success story began in Northern Ontario, spread
through Canada and now — with the addition of two
plants in South Carolina — North America.
Most of the oriented strand board produced at Grant Allendale is
already pre-sold and is shipped directly to waiting markets, primarily
in the fast-growing Southeast.
Visit www.scana.com/insights to view a video about Grant.
SUMMER 2007 • INSIGHTS 13

Photo by Mark Musselman
The Yellow-crowned Night Heron dines exclusively on crayfish while
nesting in the Francis Beidler Forest.
All creatures
great
and small
From listening to birds to
watching fighting lizards,
learning is fun in the
Francis Beidler Forest
BY MARY MARLOWE LEVERETTE //
PHOTOS BY ROBERT CLARK
14 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2007

Let children walk with Nature, let
them see the beautiful blendings and
communions of death and life… as taught
in woods and meadows, plains and
mountains, and streams of our blessed
star… John Muir, naturalist
The sunlight-dappled boardwalk offers a
view of two of our planet’s most precious
resources, the majesty of Francis Beidler
Forest and the wonderment of our
children. It is the fascination reflected
on each child’s face that reminds even
the most jaded observer that this serene
sanctuary is a special place.
The occasion is a visit to the SCE&G
Outdoor Classroom at Francis Beidler
Forest in South Carolina’s Lowcountry.
Designed to support the idea of teaching
children about nature in a natural setting,
the classroom provides ample space for
experiments and hands-on learning.
“We named it the SCE&G Outdoor
Classroom as an acknowledgement of
their many years of generous support,
including a major gift to our capital
campaign allowing us to purchase some
critical habitat to expand the preserve,”
SUMMER 2007 • INSIGHTS 15

Vance-Providence
Elementary School
students experience
the mystery and
beauty of the Francis
Beidler Forest.
explains Norman Brunswig,
executive director of Audubon
South Carolina.
Nestled among towering
trees, the screened, open-air
classroom is perched on the
edge of the swamp, creating
the perfect opportunity for
spontaneous observation
sessions.
Sixty children from Vance-
Providence Elementary in
Orangeburg County are here to
participate. Vance-Providence
has a long-standing relationship
with SCE&G as one of the more
than 30 SCE&G Homework
Centers in schools in North
Carolina, South Carolina
and Georgia.
Managed by the National
Audubon Society, Francis
Beidler Forest, a registered
National Natural Landmark, is
a part of Four Holes Swamp.
The forest covers the central
and southeast portions of the
swamp-stream system as it
meanders through Orangeburg
and Dorchester counties on its
way to the Atlantic Ocean.
In the 1890s Francis
Beidler, a lumber baron,
purchased a tract of land in the
swamp with the intention of
logging its cypress. But after
journeying west and visiting
Yellowstone National Park, Beidler became a champion
of conservation and steadfastly refused to log in the area.
Following his death in 1924, family members
maintained the integrity of the land, and in the 1960s
The Nature Conservancy and the National Audubon
Society combined their resources to purchase what is
now Francis Beidler Forest. An additional 909 acres
were acquired in October 2003.
Visitors wander past ancient trees, blackwater
swamp, clear pools and wildlife along a 1.75-mile
elevated boardwalk that starts and ends at the visitors’
center. Along the self-guiding trek are plenty of
benches to pause for observation and reflection of this
pristine sanctuary.
In the still, humid heart of the forest, ancient
groves of bald cypress trees stretch skyward their
shaggy, reddish trunks, towering over clear pools and
blackwater sloughs. Within its 15,000 acres stands the
largest virgin bald cypress and tupelo gum swamp forest
left anywhere in the world. Some of the sanctuary’s
cypresses have been dated at 1,100 years old and exceed
nine feet in diameter.
Species of oak, ash, tupelo and black gum make up
an understory that grows as high as 70 feet, filling the
vaulted spaces between the towering cypresses. The
characteristic “blackwater” is actually clear but appears
black due to the tannic acid in the bark and leaf litter on
16 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2007

Students from
Vance-Providence
Elementary School
enjoy learning about
the natural world
both in the outdoor
classroom at the
Beidler Forest and
on the boardwalk.
IF YOU’RE
GOING...
Francis Beidler Forest is located in
South Carolina’s Dorchester County
about five miles off Interstate 26 near
Harleyville. Beidler Forest is open
Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m.
until 5 p.m. and is closed on select
holidays. Admission is $7 per adult;
$6 for adult Audubon members; $3.50
per child 6–18 and children below 6
free. The Visitors’ Center offers helpful
naturalists, interactive displays, bird
identification computer stations and
amenities to enhance your visit. Canoe
trips and naturalist-guided walks and
programs are available seasonally
and by reservation. Call 843-462-2150
for directions or visit the Web site at
www.beidlerforest.com.
the swamp floor. In many areas, the water serves as a
near perfect mirror to the giant cypress knees rising like
wizened spirits.
Reptiles and amphibians — turtles, alligators, snakes,
lizards, frogs and toads — thrive in large populations.
While some may consider them merely pests, the
swamp is filled with delicate and fascinating creatures
that deserve a moment in the spotlight: spiders, beetles,
butterflies and grasshoppers, as well as the thousands
of microinvertebrates in streams and ponds teeming
with fish. Within the diverse topography of the forest,
mammals abound, including white-tailed deer, gray and
red foxes, otters, bats, beavers, mice, feral hogs and an
occasional bobcat.
As expected, birding in the forest is spectacular.
Every season offers a show as waterfowl, birds of prey,
wading birds, warblers and woodpeckers inhabit the
swamp. A familiar sight is the golden sprite of the
swampy woods, the Prothonotary Warbler. Its clear,
emphatic song breaks the stillness as it flashes high
among the trees. And, as twilight settles, the swamp
echoes with the rich baritone hoots of Barred Owls.
SUMMER 2007 • INSIGHTS 17

The SCE&G
Outdoor Classroom
provides space for
experiments and
hands-on learning
about nature in a
natural setting.
18 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2007

LESSONS EXPERIENCED
The clearest way into the universe is through a forest
wilderness. John Muir
Once inside the SCE&G Outdoor Classroom,
Education Director Mark Musselman gives each
student a photo of a plant, insect or other animal. The
photos are used to create food chains and ultimately
a complex food web explaining the intricacies of the
forest eco system. Every child is given the opportunity
to participate, and excitement grows as it becomes clear
that all things in nature are linked and must coexist to
insure survival.
Musselman’s question, “Who likes snakes?” elicits a
noisy response. Although the majority of the students
indicate that they do not like snakes and offer some
creative methods of ridding the world of snakes, they
soon discover that the food web quickly falls out of
balance if all the snakes or any group of animals are
removed. While the lesson is designed to be a fun
learning experience, it is what happens next that
unleashes a child’s wonderment and curiosity about
nature.
The eager learners move outside to observe the
mysteries of the swamp and to look for relationships
between plants and animals. Using the information
they just learned, the children easily identify and find
examples of an animal’s basic needs — food, water,
shelter and space.
As Musselman points out insect holes in a decaying
cedar log and the precision-drilled woodpecker holes in
a nearby tree, the wide-eyed students see the evidence
of the web of life that must exist in a healthy forest.
With their eyes moving upward, the students see
the Southern birds of prey cousins — black and turkey
vultures soaring high above the trees. Spotting the
vultures offers an opportunity to discuss the birds’ use
of air currents and the importance of carrion eaters
within the food chain.
Just a few more steps and squeals incite a wave of
pointing fingers as a red-bellied water snake makes its
way through the dry forest bed, heading back toward
the water. While some seem to recoil in fear, others are
itching to give the snake a helping hand. The whoops
and laughter may have been a bit too much for a mother
deer and her fawn that leave only their tracks behind
while heading for thicker cover.
The children’s nearly all-consuming fascination with
Spiderman supports an appreciation of the forest’s wolf
spiders and their intricate webs designed for strength
and capture. “Use your superior
observation skills and height
advantage to study the forest floor,”
Musselman encourages.
He directs the children to look
for evidence of creatures unseen,
like the caterpillar-chewed leaves,
The lungs of the earth
Virgin forestland offers research opportunities
Four Holes Swamp holds the
mysteries of thousands of years deep
in its waters, flora and fauna. It is those
mysteries that have kept Norman
Brunswig’s passions fired, as his dream
of creating a regional preserve at
Beidler has become a reality.
Hired in 1973 as Francis Beidler
Forest’s first manager, Brunswig’s
persistence and his ability to articulate
his vision has created a sanctuary that
offers educational opportunities for the
community, influences local decision
makers, preserves and enhances
habitat, and functions as the core of
watershed conservation efforts.
“Forests are the lungs of the earth,
and it is our responsibility to keep
them healthy,” says Brunswig, now
executive director of Audubon South
Carolina. “Here in one of the remaining
virgin, old growth forests, students
of wildlife management, forestry and
plant ecology can conduct studies that
benefit woodlands and their inhabitants
worldwide.”
One important study follows the
impact of habitat destruction on
spotted turtle populations. Relying on
Canadian research begun in 1977 in
the northern region of their range, Dr.
Jackie Litzgus spent three years in Four
Holes Swamp tracking these swamp
denizens using radio transmitters.
all the while linking each discovery
into the food chain of life. With
all their senses heightened, these
children have begun a journey of
exploring nature. It will be through
their embrace that treasures like the
Francis Beidler Forest will endure.
A recipient of a National Geographic
Research Grant, Dr. Litzgus continues
to monitor the well-being of the Beidler
Forest spotted turtles from her home
in Canada, where the species has been
placed on the endangered list.
Scientists from Audubon, Clemson
University, Cornell University,
Mississippi State University and the
University of South Carolina have also
studied the Southeastern Big-eared
Bat, insects, fish, breeding birds and
their migration, other reptiles and
amphibians, botanical adaptations,
the impacts of hurricane destruction,
hydrology and seepage fins.
As part of a 29-year study by Dr.
John Morse, Clemson University’s
Department of Entomology, quarterly
benthic organism samples and water
samples are collected in the preserve.
Depending on the number and species
of organisms present, the staff can
determine if the water quality is poor to
excellent. The collected organisms are
sent to Morse along with water sample
data. Brunswig is pleased to report that
the water in the Francis Beidler Forest
portion of Four Holes Swamp continues
to be of high quality.
Visit www.scana.com/insights to view a
video about Beidler.
SUMMER 2007 • INSIGHTS 19

Rewriting history
at Topper
Allendale dig dates
humans in North
America 50,000
years earlier than
common beliefs
When we
look to
history,
we often
find what we expect to find
— a neat timeline of cultural
advances.
We convince ourselves
through conventional
wisdom that we know all
there is to know about
science, technology… even
history. But sometimes
someone discovers artifacts
that have lain dormant for
tens of thousands of years,
and conventional wisdom is turned upon its head.
In Allendale County, professional and amateur
archaeologists and historians led by Dr. Al Goodyear, a USC
archaeology professor, are excavating what is commonly
referred to as the Topper site. More properly, it’s called the
Allendale Paleoamerican Expedition.
BY SAM MORTON //
PHOTOS BY ROBERT CLARK
20 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2007

Dr. Al Goodyear,
professor of
archaeology at the
University of South
Carolina, stands in
the “pit” at
the Topper
excavation, a fourmeter-deep
site that
represents nearly
50,000 years of
human history.
SUMMER 2007 • INSIGHTS 21

Archaeological
work at the Topper
site is slow and
painstaking,
although the tools of
the trade are simple.
For most of the 20th
century, archaeologists
believed that the first
people to inhabit North
America were huntergatherers
who migrated
over the frozen Bering
Strait bridge that
connected Siberia and
Alaska. These hunters
followed the big game
south and east.
They were known as
Clovis people following the
discovery in the 1930s of
complex spear points and
tools in an excavation near
Clovis, N.M. “For years
they have been the most
widely recognized human
culture for this continent,”
Goodyear said.
In 1998, Goodyear
led a group of amateur
archaeologists to a patch
of Allendale County
land owned by Clariant
Corporation, a Swissowned
chemical company.
He and the team had
intended to excavate what
he anticipated would be an
artifact-laden Clovis site.
Unfortunately, it had
been raining pretty heavily
and the soil the team
intended to unearth had
the consistency of peanut butter. It was impossible to
dig there. Still, Goodyear had a group of people who had
paid for the experience of excavating, so he picked an
alternate site on higher ground near the Savannah River,
known as Topper.
When he and his team had exhausted their finds at
the depth referred to as the Clovis level, they decided
to dig deeper. A few feet below Clovis — representing
thousands of years in time — the team began discovering
distinctly different artifacts.
Goodyear’s work at the Topper site has yielded
archaeological evidence that suggests that humans
may have been in the area as much as 50,000 years
earlier than previously thought. “It was not just that
the artifacts were older. They were much different than
what we would expect to find if we were just looking at
an older version of the same kind of tool.”
Clovis tools yielded blade-like slivers of flint, known
as prismatic blades. They were also long and often large.
The pre-Clovis scrapers and blades are shorter, lack
that distinctive appearance and tend toward beak-like
hooked points rather than arrowhead-shaped ends.
On the last day of the dig, the team found a charcoal
deposit that allowed for radiocarbon dating. The
Boulder, Colo. lab that tested samples from the deposit
dated it at 50,000 years old.
Working in open trenches under the hot summer
sun may not have dampened anyone’s enthusiasm or
22 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2007

Volunteers pay
to spend a week
excavating at the
Topper site each
summer, either
camping or staying
in nearby motels.
hindered any important discovery, but it made for
grueling labor. With a contribution SCANA made
through the Southern Carolina Regional Development
Alliance, Goodyear and his team were able to erect a
shelter over the dig, providing much needed relief for
the archaeologists and important protection for the
dig itself.
“It’s an impressive shelter,” Goodyear said. “Along
with a viewing deck that Clariant employees built on
their lunch hours, it provides a way for people to see
the work as it happens without injuring themselves or
damaging the dirt around the dig. Most important is
that it stands over what may
be the most significant earlyman
dig in America.”
The shelter is sturdy and
stands 50 feet by 70 feet. “It
more than covers the footprint
of our dig,” said Bob Cole,
an avocational archaeologist
who has been with Goodyear
since the discovery of the
Topper site. “We dug about 30
centimeters below the Clovis
level and came upon a feature
that looked distinctly non-
Clovis,” he said.
Cole said the heat on those
first digs was merciless. “The
sun was brutal. It felt like
it was 120 degrees, and we
didn’t have any cover.” The
team was easily dehydrated,
drenched in perspiration, and
the no-see-ums were so thick
and aggressive that you could
actually see them.
The shelter also performs
a function just as important
as protecting the excavators
— it protects the site itself.
The pre-Clovis artifacts are
about four meters below the
surface. “When it would rain,”
Goodyear said, “the runoff
would wash leaves and plastic
and other trash into the site.”
Danny Black, executive
director of the Southern Carolina Regional Development
Alliance, said the Topper discovery provides the region
with the prospect of tourism in the future. “From our
standpoint, having this site with its potential impact
on history has huge possibilities, from public tours to
museum exhibits of the artifacts.”
Goodyear said it is clear that people who came to
this site, Clovis and those before, came there to quarry
the rock. “They used it to make microlithic tools, that is
tools to make other tools out of bone or wood or antlers.
These people may have stayed for days or weeks at a
time,” he said.
These men and women from prehistory are
somewhat like Goodyear’s band of volunteers who
SUMMER 2007 • INSIGHTS 23

Volunteer
archaeologists with
the Allendale
Paleoindian
Expedition uncover
evidence of early
human civilization
beneath a shelter
that a SCANA
contribution helped
provide.
come for a few weeks to dig into the dirt to quarry
history. They range in age from retirees like Cole and
Ted Brown from Pascagoula to Paula Zitzelberger, a
high school classmate of Goodyear’s who read about his
discovery and spent her vacation at Topper , as well as
three University of Tennessee students — Betsy McLean,
Marina Margolin and Adam Russell.
Unwittingly, this group may have been in on the most
significant event at the site since the discovery of the
pre-Clovis artifacts in 1998. “It’s widely accepted that
about 13,000 years ago, mastodons, mammoths and the
Clovis people disappeared just like that,” Goodyear said
snapping his fingers.
One theory is that a large comet struck North
America and began another ice age, one that would
have killed mammoths, mastodons and Clovis man
alike. “Scientists came to our site and at the Clovis level,
checked the sediment for iridium, the tell-tale sign of a
comet strike. At that level at our site, they found iridium
in abundance,” Goodyear said.
He and 22 other scientists presented their findings
at a scientific symposium in Mexico earlier this year.
The journal Nature did a breaking news story on this
conference, which has given further momentum to the
comet theory.
With purpose and determination, Goodyear and his
volunteers are both discovering history and changing
our notions of it. Centimeter by centimeter they scrape
and brush away sand to uncover who we are and where
as a culture we came from. And with partners like
SCANA and others, their search for answers is done
more efficiently, and more comfortably, than ever before.
Archaeological projects at SCE&G
SCE&G has a long-standing history of involvement in
discovering and protecting archaeological sites around
the state.
One of the most significant projects to date is the
Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve, a 627-acre tract
of land purchased for the people of South Carolina in
1998 through the Governor’s Legacy Trust Fund, the
Department of Natural Resources’ Heritage Land Trust
Fund and donation of property by SCE&G valued at
$500,000.
Located in Cayce, S.C., the 627-acre preserve is
tucked away in a pristine setting where visitors can
enjoy bountiful wildlife, forest parks and 12,000 years of
history and pre-history.
Archaeological studies have indicated that Native
Americans moved through the area as much as 12,000
years ago, drawn to the clean, clear waters of the
Congaree River.
The first Anglo-Saxon settlement in the area was
established at Fort Congaree in 1718, followed by the
community of Saxe Gotha Township in 1731. Gradually
settlers migrated across the river to higher ground that
became the City of Columbia. By the mid-1700s Saxe
Gothe all but vanished until rediscovered during an
archaeological study funded by SCE&G.
Today, the area is managed by the Department of
Natural Resources and is open to the public during
daylight hours year-round. Visit www.dnr.sc.gov/
managed/heritage/congcreek/description for more
information and directions.
SCE&G continues to conduct archaeological surveys
as part of its hydroelectric relicensing projects. A
survey is currently underway on Lake Murray and the
lower Saluda River as part of the Saluda Hydroelectric
relicensing project.
Surveys completed in conjunction with the
relicensing of the Stevens Creek and Neal Shoals
Hydroelectric Projects can be found on the company’s
Web site at www.sceg.com/arch.
Visit www.scana.com/insights to view a video about Topper.
24 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2007

SUMMER 2007 • INSIGHTS 25

Seven Oaks Elementary earns
An SCE&G bucket truck was used
to photograph the Seven Oaks
students spelling out the school
name for a television flyover. The
school is located in Lexington-
Richland School District 5 near
Columbia, S.C.
Photos by Eric Alkire
26 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2007

Blue Ribbon School award
SUMMER 2007 • INSIGHTS 27

News
UPDATES FROM OUR COMPANIES & CUSTOMERS
Safety tips
Follow these steps
during stormy weather
Stay alert to storm advisories
and evacuate if told to do so.
Have flashlights and fresh
batteries on hand.
Turn off and unplug electronics
and appliances when a storm is
imminent.
Do not attempt to connect a
generator to your home’s main
circuit; instead, plug appliances
directly into the generator. Failure
to follow these instructions can be
harmful, even deadly.
Do not ever touch a downed
power line. Contact SCE&G
immediately at 1-888-333-4465 to
report it.
Never try to remove a tree
limb or any other object that is
in contact with a power line. Call
SCE&G for help.
For more information on
storm safety or SCE&G’s power
restoration process, visit
www.sceg.com/storm.
Storm watch
Check the status of a power outage from
work, a laptop or PDA with this new tool
The hurricane season is upon us, and SCE&G
wants to let customers know they have more
options this year when it comes to reporting
or checking the status of a power outage.
In addition to calling customer service at
1-888-333-4465, customers can also report an
outage and check the status of an outage online by going to
www.sceg.com/storm. While online, customers can also view
SCE&G’s outage map, which shows the number of outages
in service areas across the state. However, if Internet
access is simply not an option, this same information is also
available through the company’s automated voice response
system. In the event of a storm, the company will utilize its
high-volume call-answering system to effectively manage
the increased number of calls.
Serving customers
in need in Georgia
Georgia PSC chooses
SCANA Energy again
The Georgia Public Service
Commission announced June 19
that SCANA Energy will continue
to serve as Georgia’s sole
regulated provider of natural gas,
a role the company has had since
the regulated provider program
began in 2002.
“We are pleased to continue
our third term in this important
role of providing natural gas
service to the elderly and lowincome,
and to citizens who have
no other source for natural gas,”
said George Devlin, vice president
and general manager of SCANA
Energy.
“As Georgia’s first and
only regulated provider since
deregulation, people across the
state have come to rely on SCANA
Energy for providing affordable,
dependable natural gas to
Georgians who need us most.
“Our regulated provider
program has grown and evolved
with the needs of Georgia citizens,
and SCANA Energy is proud to
continue to serve the state in this
important role,” added Devlin.
For further information, call
SCANA Energy Regulated Division
toll free at 1-866-245-7742 or visit
www.scanaenergyregulated.com.
28 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2007

Moss-covered cypress knees give an
air of mystery to the National Audubon
Society sanctuary in Four Holes Swamp.
Photo by Mark Musselman

www.scana.com
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