Congaree Land Trust to host author Billy Cate at Half-Moon Outfitters
September 23, 2021
Congaree Land Trust (CLT) will host a book sale and signing featuring noted conservationist and farmer Billy Cate on Thursday, October 7. The event will be held at Half-Moon Outfitters at 2912 Devine Street in Columbia from 5-7 pm. Proceeds from the book sale and signing will benefit Congaree Land Trust.
Cate’s new publication, The Farm – A family’s relationship with its land, debuted this summer to enthusiastic reviews from readers in the Midlands and beyond. Cate is a conservation easement donor, former CLT Executive Director and Board Member. Cate’s farm is roughly 1250 acres situated near the Wateree River in the heart of the COWASEE Basin in Lower Richland County, South Carolina in an area once flooded by sea water.
“THE FARM is about our family’s relationship with the land that makes up our family farm,” says Cate. “I like to think that it is more than that however, as I try to describe the massive landscape changes that have occurred from just after the end of the American Civil War to the present time, not just on our land, but on farms across South Carolina and the southeast. I attempt to show how these changes impacted not just the people living on the land, but birds and wildlife of all descriptions, both native and non-native.”
The book is intended to be a work of non-fiction, and the author credits sources wherever possible. Yet the book is also a work of oral tradition. “I must confess that many of the sources are from family legend or from things I have been told over the course of my life by friends, family, and various mentors that are no longer available. The reason that I am writing this book in the first place is that over the years, I have frequently been told, ‘Cate, you have got to write some of this stuff down.’ I have come to realize that I probably have more institutional knowledge than anyone now living, and if I don’t record what I know, much of it will simply become lost.”
CLT Executive Director Stuart White says “We are thrilled that Billy has chosen to support the mission of CLT through the proceeds of his book sales. Billy has a great passion for conservation in central South Carolina and we look forward to hosting him at this special event. We are also incredibly grateful to Half-Moon Outfitters for sharing their space with us and supporting this event.”
For additional information or to purchase a copy of The Farm, contact the CLT office at (803) 988-0000 or visit the website www.congareelt.org.
About Congaree Land Trust
The Congaree Land Trust (CLT) is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization committed to conserving the natural and scenic lands in central South Carolina. Since 1992, CLT has conserved more than 88,000 acres, representing 172 individual conservation easements across 14 counties. Conservation easements help protect the natural areas that fuel our state’s natural resource-based economy and define our way of life. Learn more about CLT’s work at https://congareelt.org.
