Interns, Members & Volunteers

Congratulations to Upstate Forever intern Colin Hagan, Furman University Class of 2007, who has been awarded a $36,000 Mentor Fellowship from the Compton Foundation. Colin will spend the next year developing “A South Carolina Guide to Climate Change.” Way to go, Colin!

Volunteer Spotlight: Mike Okupinski

Mike Okupinski was the Land Trust program’s “go to” person for maps during Erin Knight’s maternity leave earlier this year. A GIS professional, Mike shared his time and talents with us in preparing maps of significant properties in the Upstate. The maps were used in some of our South Carolina Conservation Bank applications and in our outreach efforts in Laurens County.?His expertise has also boosted our overall GIS capacity. Mike called last fall offering his help and has since become an important member of the Land Trust team.

Thank you, Mike, for all of your fantastic work!

INTERNS: Where Are They Now?

Meredith Walker had just graduated from Washington and Lee University with a BA in English when she returned home to Greenville for the summer of 2005 to intern with Upstate Forever. She monitored and researched conservation agreements for Upstate Forever’s Land Trust program, assisting with an ultimately successful application for funding to the SC Conservation Bank.

After a stint backpacking through Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji, Meredith relocated to Washington, DC, where she is now Development Coordinator at The Wilderness Society, working with major donors and foundations. She says, “The mission of The Wilderness Society stood out to me immediately, and the staff’s passion and enthusiasm here was contagious,
just as it was at Upstate Forever.”

Meredith adds, “During my internship, I learned how important and effective it is to bring several different interest groups together to identify, inventory, and protect our most special places. We may have different ideas about how best to use open spaces, but, as is often the case, clear communication reveals that, in fact, we really share similar concerns.”

MEET INTERN Mary Hays Huguley

Mary Hays Huguley has been an enthusiastic presence in Upstate Forever’s Greenville office, first as a volunteer, then as an intern beginning in the summer of 2006. Our Land Trust program has kept her very busy preparing Conservation Bank applications, forming grass-roots outreach groups in rural counties, and monitoring some of the properties under protection. The Columbia native will graduate from Clemson this summer with a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning, and plans to continue to use her talents working in the field of land conservation.

Mary Hays says, “I’m so grateful for my experience at Upstate Forever. When I started the planning program, I was unsure whether it was a good fit for me. It seemed like planners are constantly fighting a losing battle?with inappropriate development and sprawl. But working here renews my energy and enthusiasm on a regular basis, and reinforces that we CAN and DO make a difference.”

Why Do YOU Belong to Upstate Forever?

As a lifelong resident of the Upstate, I constantly grow in both awareness and appreciation of this special place we call home.

While “upstate,” “foothills,” and “piedmont” are geographical or political descriptions, we attach them to our home with a sense of pride and respect because they describe and bind us to the land and culture we know.

Upstate Forever is today’s special vehicle to help us “Upstaters” understand, plan and implement actions of responsible environmental and aesthetic stewardship of our home and for those yet to come.

Thank you, Upstate Forever.
-Dick Carr, Spartanburg