Fall 2002
Contents

Message From the Executive Director:
* Beyond trees in parking lots

Articles:
* The 2000 Census numbers are in:
What they tell us about the Upstate
* Upstate Forever should be embraced
* Conference on the "Z Word"
is a great success!
* Restoring and protecting trout waters
in the Upstate
* Dorman HS: A casualty of "The Growth Beast"

Upstate Forever News:
* Field trips
* Volunteers
* Staff and Board

Upstate Forever Should Be Embraced

April is Earth Month around the world. Designated Earth Days involve millions of people in more than 180 countries. Participants attend rallies, conferences and forums on the environment. Others compete in bicycle races or join in group nature walks and hikes. Many more help remove litter from streets and streams, carpool to work, or remember to turn off the water while brushing their teeth.
     Former Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson conceived of Earth Day in 1969. A staunch environmentalist, he sought to raise the environmental consciousness of Americans. His efforts succeeded beyond his dreams.
In 1969 an estimated 20 million people participated in educational activities and other events centered on the environment. Congress recessed for Earth Day so that House and Senate members could speak about the environment and attend observances in their communities. Ten thousand grade schools and high schools, 2,000 colleges, and over a thousand communities also officially took part in the event.
     Today, Nelson remains an ardent advocate of environmental awareness and responsibility. He maintains a busy schedule of speaking engagements. Last April, he spoke at Furman’s Earth Day festivities, where he urged students to think globally and act locally.
     Among the local organizations engaged in environmental activism, none is so visible or respected as Upstate Forever, a nonprofit group formed three years ago by Brad Wyche, an attorney and conservationist.
     In 1993, Wyche helped found the Friends of Reedy River, a nonprofit group that strives to preserve and clean up the waterway that courses through the city and county. The success of the organization and the fulfillment Wyche felt from making a lasting impact on the community’s quality of life prompted a career change in 1998. He left the law firm and founded Upstate Forever.
     Working initially from his home, Wyche has helped Upstate Forever experience remarkable growth. Today, the group has over a thousand member-donors and employs four full-time staff members. More important, Upstate Forever has raised awareness of the dangers of unplanned urban sprawl.
     Unregulated land development, traffic congestion and other problems associated with a rapidly growing community are the most pressing environmental issues facing the
Upstate. The greater Greenville community has experienced explosive growth during the past five decades. In 1950, the six-county Upstate region had 535,247 residents. By 2010, the population will reach 1.3 million.
     The U.S. Department of Agriculture ranks South Carolina ninth in the country in the amount of land being converted to development. In the state, Spartanburg is rated first
and Greenville third in their rates of development.
     For decades some of our public leaders have adopted a “development at all cost” attitude. Such unregulated and unplanned growth has brought burgeoning investment in the Upstate. It has also helped diversify and transform our once agricultural and textile-dependent economy.
     But free-wheeling growth has also brought urban sprawl. Our remaining green spaces are being devoured by subdivisions and shopping centers. Our schools are clogged. Human services are not keeping up with the pace and complexities of such rapid growth. In many ways, Greenville and Spartanburg are beginning to mirror the horrors of Atlanta and Charlotte.
     By helping to change attitudes about how and where economic development occurs, Upstate Forever hopes to avoid the fate of our Interstate 85 neighbors. The group has protected nearly 2,000 acres through its conservation easement programs, hosted several public conferences to promote responsible land development, and encouraged the School District of Greenville County to adopt environmentally friendly techniques in its upcoming school construction program.
     Upstate Forever does not oppose economic development. In fact, many of its members are developers, bankers and investors. The organization and its members simply want to ensure that growth occurs in a responsible and enlightened manner that takes into consideration the long term implications of development for the community as a whole. Once a pasture is paved over for a shopping mall or subdivision, it is lost forever. Upstate Forever should be applauded for their efforts. And we–as proud citizens of the Upstate–should embrace their cause. If we do not work now to preserve our open spaces, they will not simply be “endangered”; they will be “extinct.”