Members, Volunteers & Interns

“I support Upstate Forever because of their efforts to preserve our beautiful Upstate area and to strategically manage growth.” — Ben Hines, Spartanburg

Volunteer Profile

     As one who has had a deep, lifelong respect for the natural world, Lynne Lucas discovered Upstate Forever shortly after its birth. Then a staff writer for The Greenville News, she was unable publicly to show her support for a local organization that could be perceived as taking sides on political issues. Upon leaving the newspaper staff after 25 years, one of her first acts of liberated delight was to carry a pro-tree ordinance sign with other Upstate Forever members at Greenville County Council meetings.

“What makes Upstate Forever so attractive to me is its holistic approach to sensible growth and conservation,” Lynne says. “The organization understands that it’s not just land-use planning and protecting pretty places that are keys to sustainable and healthy development, but also affordable housing and storm run-off and pedestrian/bike friendly communities. Everything is interconnected, and many single-issue organizations lose sight of that. Upstate Forever keeps the big picture out there, while working on the details that fill in and integrate the parts.”

Over the past few years, as a volunteer, Lynne has written for the Upstate Advocate and Upstate Update, delivered brochures on conservation easements, filed many newspaper articles for staff reference, stuffed and labeled envelopes for mailings, and integrated file cabinet contents after the office move. 

Thanks for all that you do for us, Lynne — you’re the best!

Hal Frampton: Where Is He Now?

     A native of James Island, South Carolina, Hal Frampton worked with Upstate Forever during his junior year at Furman University. As a major in urban studies, political science, and math-economics, Hal was keenly interested in the efficiency of local governments and their role in the economic aspects of growth and land use. He was assigned the daunting task of identifying the more than 100 special service districts in Greenville County, mapping their boundaries and obtaining annual budgets for each. Little did we know how difficult that would be! Hal spent many hours contacting and visiting these districts and researching their operations. His conclusion: “Our system of local government is, to say the least, a hyperfragmented quagmire. No wonder coordination and cooperation are so difficult.”

After graduating from Furman in 2002, Hal spent a year at the National University of Ireland on a George J. Mitchell Scholarship and earned a masters degree in geography. He is currently in his third year of Yale Law School and hopes to return to his home state one day to work on smart growth issues.