Bill Stangler, Congaree Riverkeeper
JOB: Both he and the nonprofit he runs are called Congaree Riverkeeper (congareeriverkeeper.org).
HOMETOWN: Grew up in Cary, North Carolina; stayed in Columbia after finishing grad school at USC and calls himself “nativized.”
AGE: 31.
PERFECT FOR HIS JOB: Stangler has loved being on the water since childhood. He studied geography, ecology and river science at USC, worked as a Midlands river guide through college, and says he’s happy to pick a fight with anyone who poses a threat to the rivers.
AWAY FROM THE WATER: Enjoys hiking, Gamecock football, Columbia’s craft beer scene, concerts, and spending time with fiancee Sara McGregor.
People drive across Columbia’s bridges all the time, rarely giving a thought to the three rivers that run below them. Bill Stangler knows them all by heart.
“The Saluda is a little more adventurous,” says Stangler, who has spent countless hours on these waters. “It’s got some of the best whitewater on the East Coast, and it’s cold year-round. Being able to run rapids, seeing that mist come off the water, being able to catch trophy-sized rainbow trout—it’s thrilling.
“The Broad has these beautiful shoals; it’s relatively free-flowing. And some amazing things—I always see river otters, bald eagles, Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies, and some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in the Southeast.”
After the Saluda and Broad meet to form the Congaree, Stangler says, “It’s like going back in time. It’s like what this state and what these rivers looked like hundreds of years ago.”
Trust Stangler to protect these enchanting beauties from pollution, sewage spills, intrusive development, and any other threats that might prevent them from being enjoyed by all. As the Congaree Riverkeeper—one of about 350 designated water watchdogs worldwide—he is their voice, guarding them on the public’s behalf.
Whether he’s collecting water-quality samples, organizing volunteer river cleanups, calling out polluters, training junior riverkeepers or testifying at the Statehouse, Stangler aims to not just safeguard the rivers, but to raise awareness about these state treasures.
“This water, all these rivers, these streams, these lakes, belong to each and every one of us,” he says. “And no one person or one business or one entity should be able to damage them so the rest of us can’t use them.”