Eight More Properties Protected By Upstate Forever

     2006 has been a banner year for our Land Trust Program, as we nearly doubled the number of protected acres! Upstate Forever is honored to have received eight new land preservation agreements since the publication of our previous newsletter. Following are brief descriptions of each of these important properties:

At 639 acres, Townes on the South Saluda is Upstate Forever’s third-largest protected property. Located on the border of Greenville and Pickens County, it contains 1.6 miles of frontage along the spectacular South Saluda River. The South Carolina Conservation Bank funded half of the value of the agreement and the landowner donated the other half, preserving forever this tremendous wildlife habitat and ecologically vital land.

Also using funds provided by the Conservation Bank, Naturaland Trust acquired the 175-acre Mountain Bridge Passage, also known as Camp Spearhead, and then signed a land preservation agreement with Upstate Forever to ensure that the property is never developed. This tract is located on Scenic Highway 11 in Greenville County and adjoins the protected Mountain Bridge Wilderness. The property will ultimately be open to the public for passive recreation and environmental education use, providing an opportunity for visitors to enjoy the mountain streams and waterfalls, the lush flora, and other scenic attributes. Camp Spearhead will continue to operate on the property until a new camp is completed at Pleasant Ridge County Park.

Timber Creek Farm, our first land preservation agreement in Laurens County, protects a 190-acre property containing a mixture of farm and forestland. This beautiful tract includes substantial frontage along the Warrior Creek, mature hardwood forests, and open fields.

Upstate Forever worked with Memorial Ecosystems, the owner of Ramsey Creek Preserve, to write and record the first land preservation agreement on a conservation burial ground in the world! This agreement will serve as a templatefor the protection of green burial grounds, which are increasing in popularity across the nation. Green burial grounds utilize the burial process as a means of facilitating ecological restoration and protecting and preserving valuable natural areas of distinctive beauty. Located in Oconee County, Ramsey Creek Preserve is 32 acres, contains over 220 species of plants, and has a quarter mile of frontage along Ramsey Creek, a tributary of the Chauga River.

Upstate Forever recorded its first land preservation agreement in Anderson County, protecting the 218-acre King-Masters Tract. This property contains important agricultural land and frontage along Bear Creek, significant hardwood forests, a variety of flora, and important wildlife habitat.

Lake Conestee Nature Park has expanded to include the 40-acre Forrester Tract, located adjacent to the old Greenville Braves stadium. The Conestee Foundation purchased the property with grants from the Community Foundation of Greater Greenville and the South Carolina Conservation Bank. The Forrester Tract contains frontage on Lake Conestee, Laurel Creek, and Mauldin Road and will likely serve as the site for a future environmental education center. With the new addition, the Conestee Foundation now owns 300 acres dedicated to passive recreation and environmental education.

The Greenbrier Farms Tract in Dacusville, Pickens County is a 124-acre active working farm producing herbicide- and pesticide-free “natural meats” and providing them to local markets. This parcel is part of a larger working farm, where an additional 117 acres are already protected under a conservation easement through the USDA/NRCS Grassland Reserve Program.

The Nalley Brown Nature Park encompasses 37 acres donated by Upstate Forever member Catherine Ladnier to the City of Easley, subject to a land preservation agreement. The goal is to establish a park for passive recreation and provide environmental education opportunities for school groups and the public.