Upstate Forever News
2005 Annual Meeting and Awards

     Celebrating this year’s accomplishments at the beautiful Asbury Hills Retreat and Conference Center on November 5, many Upstate Forever members, staff, and guests enjoyed the Annual Meeting, lunch, and hikes amidst the vivid fall colors.  A highlight of the meeting was the presentation of our Annual Awards:

Our 2005 Annual Awards winners (seated, left to right): Madelon Wallace, Richard Dillard of Milliken & Company; (standing, left to right): Carlton Owen, Burnie Maybank, and Dan Roberts.

Land Steward of the Year:
Madelon Wallace 

Madelon Wallace had a vision to protect the 1,260-acre Fairview Farm, a place of great biological diversity and stunning scenic beauty in northern Spartanburg County. The site of a Revolutionary War battle, the property has substantial frontage on the Pacolet River and will soon be traversed by the “Mountains to the Sea” Palmetto Trail. When the owners were not interested in preserving the property, Madelon put her own money at risk in securing an option to purchase and then assembled a group of buyers in an extremely complex conservation deal. The success of that project led to the establishment of three more major easements in the Landrum/Tryon area, with over 2,500 acres now permanently protected.

Innovator of the Year:
Milliken & Company 

Headquartered in the Upstate, Milliken & Company employs 16,000 people in 65 plants in 12 countries. Beautiful landscaping is a hallmark of all their facilities; their wonderful campus in Spartanburg comprises 600 acres populated with “Noble Trees” and is open to the public. Before most people had even heard of the term “sustainable development,” Milliken was actually implementing it, tracking water and energy use company-wide since 1971. They now recycle 100% of their paper waste and 98% of all waste and have reduced the use of chemicals by 88% in the last 10 years. Milliken is setting the standard for other corporations in the efficient use of natural resources. 

Public Servant of the Year:
Burnie Maybank

The Director of the South Carolina Department of Revenue until January, 2006, Burnie earned national distinction as a moderate voice for reform in response to some highly publicized, abusive conservation easements.

Recognizing that questionable transactions hurt the work that good land trusts do, he launched the first statewide audit of land trusts in the nation and later testified before Congress on changes needed in the system. As DOR Director, Burnie published guidebooks outlining the tax benefits of conservation easements. A long-time ally and friend of conservation, Burnie has a distinguished record of public service to our state, including serving on the DHEC Board, the Public Service Commission, and as General Counsel to the Secretary of State. He received the Order of the Palmetto, the highest award that can be given to a civilian in South Carolina.

Extraordinary Leadership Award:
Carlton Owen

A member of Upstate Forever’s board since its inception, and chair since 2002, Carlton is only the second person ever to receive this award. Upstate Forever is a much stronger, more efficient and more effective organization because of Carlton’s superlative leadership. Carlton recognized the need for more structure as Upstate Forever grew in membership and staff size. Because of his leadership, the organization has implemented staff goals and objectives, established values and policies, and established an investment policy for its endowment. Other projects and initiatives that have benefited from Carlton’s talents include: Upstate House (see page 9), the Rail-Trail project connecting Travelers Rest to downtown Greenville, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and its “Acres for America” project that has preserved more than 300,000 acres across the nation. 

Volunteer of the Year:
Dan Roberts

Dan has shared his numerous talents and skills with Upstate Forever in a variety of ways. An accomplished writer, Dan researched and wrote several items for the monthly Upstate Update. An expert in computers, he spent countless hours training our staff and keeping our computer system humming. When Upstate Forever moved to its new office, Dan recruited other volunteers and got our system up and running again very quickly.