Lucky few get Congaree synchronous firefly tickets. New money may widen access
For years, the synchronous fireflies at Congaree National Park were a local secret. During a short window each spring, a special breed of firefly called Photuris frontalis lights up the national park with the beetles flashing in near-perfect unison.
But in the past decade, the fireflies have attracted tens of thousands of people to the protected swampland southeast of Columbia. Between 2017 and 2019, an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 people visited the park during the short window when the fireflies can be seen blinking in unison. In 2017, the park instituted a lottery, limiting the number of people who could get tickets to see the natural light show each year in order to protect the fireflies’ habitat.
But now, a local group is looking to spend over $300,000 to bring the fireflies’ natural light show to more people, with hopes of expanding the tourism impact the annual event has on the Midlands.
The Central Midlands Council of Governments, a regional planning commission, has received a $325,056 grant from the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission to lead “Lanterns in the Wild,” a 2-year planning effort to develop a tourism plan around the synchronous fireflies while working to protect their habitat.
The work will evaluate both the benefits and drawbacks of firefly tourism in the Congaree Biosphere Region, according to a news release.
“In recent years, it has become clear that there is high demand among the public for opportunities to witness the mesmerizing magic of firefly displays, especially synchronous fireflies,” said Richard Joyce, a conservation biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, in a statement announcing the grant Monday. “Rural firefly tourism has the potential to meet that demand while raising awareness of the need to protect and responsibly manage firefly habitats.”
The effort to expand tourism around the fireflies will include coordinating with academic, government and community partners, according to the news release. The work will include landowner outreach, firefly surveys, visitor research, community workshops and engaging small businesses.
A flyer attached to the news release asks landowners if the fireflies could draw paying tourists to their property, and notes that researchers will survey private land for the fireflies for free.
Thousands of people visit Congaree National Park each year to see the fireflies. The park holds a lottery each April, awarding 145 tickets per night for a short window each May. This year’s lottery has already been completed, with the fireflies event scheduled for May 13 through May 20.
“This is a powerful opportunity to inspire landowners and communities to protect these shared landscapes, turning wonder into lasting conservation for birds and biodiversity alike,” said Rebecca Haynes, Executive Director of Audubon South Carolina, via the news release.
Those interested in learning more can contact Jory Fleming, the regional environmental planner at the Central Midlands Council of Governments, at jfleming@centralmidlands.org or 803-898-4524.
