South Carolina
Conservation Bank

      The South Carolina Conservation Bank is the realization of many years’ persistence by conservationists, business leaders and interested citizens from around the state. The South Carolina Conservation Bank Act had been hotly debated for two legislative sessions and was signed into law in April of 2002, thanks to the outpouring of support from citizens throughout the state, including many Upstate Forever members. By December 2007, the Bank had approved leveraged $70 million to protect over 134,000 acres of land in our state!

Funding from the SC Conservation Bank helps protect ecologically-sensitive areas, farmlands, forests, recreational resources, and historic sites in the Upstate and throughout South Carolina.

The Bank provides a dedicated source of revenue to acquire, or protect through conservation easements, a broad range of resources in our state—environmentally sensitive areas, farmlands, forests, and historic sites. It also can be used to acquire lands for parks, hunting and fishing areas, greenways and open spaces for public use and enjoyment. All transactions are between willing sellers and buyers. The Bank is funded entirely by a small portion of the real estate transfer fee that is collected every time land is sold in the state, so no tax increase is involved. It is an eminently sensible source of funding that is widely used by many other states and localities throughout the country.

As the Bank’s website explains, this act was passed partially as a response to our state’s tremendous rate of converting land to development and the need to protect our unique natural resources. In past years, there were threats to take some money from the Bank for other programs, and we are thrilled that these actions were soundly defeated. Now, conservationists are lobbying to increase the Bank's funding to keep pace with our state's overwhelming needs.

To date, Upstate Forever has protected 15 properties, comprising over 3,100 acres, with the help of funding from the SC Conservation Bank. Click here to view a map of all projects funded by the SC Conservation Bank.

Additional Information & Resources

• SC Conservation Bank
• Governor Sanford calls the Conservation bank a “real win” in his 2005 State of the State address
• 2005 SC House Bill descriptions from the Conservation Voters of SC
• Conservation Bank Act Passes the House!
  Upstate Update 30, February, 2002
• A Great Day for Conservation
  Upstate Advocate, Spring, 2005