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Upstate Update 119:
January 31, 2012

1. Polar Explorer, Annual Awards Luncheon This Thursday!

From the North Pole to the South Pole to Mt. Everest to…the Upstate?  That’s right, Eric Larsen, the polar adventurer, dog musher and educator who has spent the past 15 years of his life traveling in some of the most remote and wild places left on Earth.

Larsen will be the keynote speaker at Thursday’s ForeverGreen Annual Awards Luncheon, where we’ll also present awards to six outstanding individuals and organizations for their contributions to land conservation, air quality, water quality, sustainable development, public service and volunteer work in the Upstate. Click here to purchase tickets now.

Many aspects about transportation planning cross governmental boundaries — from timing of traffic lights to streetscaping to routes for buses. The Upstate has taken a big step toward improved transportation planning with the formal adoption of a coordination agreement between three major planning organizations: Spartanburg Area Transportation Study, Greenville Pickens Area Transportation Study, and Appalachian Council of Governments.

This agreement formalizes staff-level communication between the three entities to make it easier to achieve a regional approach to planning. This relationship does not alter the decision-making authority of each entity, but it does make our area more competitive in obtaining federal grants for transportation and should improve the efficiency of transportation spending. The agreement can also be the foundation for revitalizing the entire Highway 29 corridor between Greenville, Greer and Spartanburg with a rapid bus transit system and transit-oriented developments. The agreement may also be updated and expanded to include other metropolitan planning organizations in the future.  

Upstate Forever is one of a coalition of groups that helped to develop and propose the agreement concept.  We are pleased to see this great step forward for regionalism and look forward to on-the-ground projects where this agreement takes shape. 

3. Spartanburg and Oconee Rural Properties Protected

Upstate Forever has partnered with landowners Don and Kay McClure to protect their 241-acre Pauline Creek Farms. The Spartanburg County tract is primarily forested, but also includes open fields, wildlife food plots, trails, and a garden. Pauline Creek, a tributary to Fairforest Creek, flows through the property.

Glenn Forest, a 153-acre parcel in the Oconee County community of Fair Play, is over 90 percent forested and provides excellent habitat for wildlife.   Owner Sam Glenn, Jr. has partnered with Upstate Forever to preserve the tract, which adjoins Beaverdam Creek.

These two properties are now permanently protected by conservation agreements.  A voluntary contract between a landowner and a qualified land trust, a conservation agreement retains private ownership for the landowner, who relinquishes some or all of the rights to develop a property.  Upstate Forever’s Land Trust program is proud to have signed agreements with the owners of 84 properties, protecting a total of 16,262 acres in the Upstate region.

4. Lawmakers Return to Columbia and Quickly Pass Three-Strikes Sewage Bill

The General Assembly reconvened on January 10, facing an improved budgetary outlook for 2012. Many important conservation-related bills are already moving, including the Three Strikes Sewage Polluter Bill (H.3617), sponsored by Rep. Mike Pitts of Laurens, which requires any wastewater utility with three major spills within a 12-month period to undergo a comprehensive audit of what caused the spill and to fix the problems identified, and represents a compromise between the conservation community and the 30 largest South Carolina wastewater utilities. The bill passed the House last year, the Senate on January 18, and now awaits the Governor's signature before becoming law.  This is a major victory for clean water!

For periodic updates and action alerts about the bills Upstate Forever is targeting this year, subscribe to our Conservation Legislative Alert. If you are interested in receiving more detailed weekly updates about all of the bills included in the conservation community’s statewide priorities, we encourage you tosubscribe to the Conservation Voters of South Carolina's excellent weekly Hotlist.

Upcoming Upstate Forever Events

Thursday, February 2, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
ForeverGreen Annual Awards Luncheon
Embassy Suites, 670 Verdae Blvd., Greenville
Cost: $50 per person; sponsorship opportunities available
Upstate Forever will hold the third annual ForeverGreen Annual Awards Luncheon to celebrate individuals and organizations for their significant contributions to the Upstate. Awards to be presented include the Tommy Wyche Land Conservation Champion (Bettina George), Sustainable Communities Champion (City of Spartanburg), Clean Water Champion (Partners for Trout), Clear Skies Champion (City of Greenville), Public Servant of the Year (John Frampton) and Volunteer of the Year (Jim Gossett). This year's keynote speaker is Eric Larsen, one of the world’s greatest explorers and the only person to have ever reached the North and South Poles and climbed Mt. Everest in one year.  In his riveting “Into the Heart of Cold” presentation, he will relate his experiences from these expeditions to real world issues and challenges. For tickets and sponsorship information, contact August Darnell at Crawford Strategy: (864) 232-2302 or august@crawfordstrategy.com.

Thursdays and Sundays, February 2 – 26
Flicks for Thought Film Series
Upcountry History Museum, 540 Buncombe Street, Greenville
Cost: $5 (for museum admission)
The Flicks for Thought independent film series is a partnership between Greenville Organic Foods Organization (GOFO) and Upstate Forever. Film screenings and a light reception will be held every Thursday evening in February at 5:30 p.m. and every Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. at the Upcountry History Museum.  Seating is limited. Visit www.flicksforthought.com for complete information on the films and to purchase tickets.

Thursday, February 16, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Stormwater Speaker Series: The Faircloth Skimmer-Surface Drains for Dewatering Sediment Basins
TD Convention Center, 1 Exposition Drive, Greenville
Cost: Free
Warren Faircloth, maker of the Faircloth Skimmer, will be discussing the new requirement for surface dewatering of the draft Construction General Permit. There is no cost to attend, and lunch will be provided. Seating is limited, so RSVP by February 6. Check-in and lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m., and the event will begin at noon. One Professional Development Hour will be available for engineers and surveyors. For more information or to register, please contact Erika Hollis at (864) 250-0500, ext. 17 or ehollis@upstateforever.org. This series is sponsored by Upstate Forever, Pickens County Stormwater Partners, the City of Greenville, and the City of Anderson.

Tuesdays, February 28 - April 17, 7:00 p.m.
Green Screen Film Series
The Showroom, 149 South Daniel Morgan Avenue, Spartanburg    
Cost: Free
This free series of green documentaries will run each Tuesday evening for eight weeks.  Each showing will feature a documentary film focusing on an issue related to conservation and the environment, followed by a panel discussion. For complete details, visit www.upstateforever.org/join_events.html.

Lots o’ Links

Documenting Environmental Issues. The Environmental Protection Agency is crowdsourcing a massive photo project to update a 40-year old agency project known as 'Documerica', which includes images of American environmental problems and everyday life.

Green Building Trending Up.  Thirty nine buildings in South Carolina were LEED certified in 2011, 15% more than 2010. Greenville and Spartanburg led the state with four new LEED certified buildings each.

Is Energy Efficiency the New Granite Countertop? Just as items that were once added to a new home or condo for an additional price are now standard, so too are energy-efficient equipment and design becoming standard features expected by the buyer or renter.

Regulations that Promote Sprawl Are Ebbing. The overall trend is toward a more place-based, character-based legal environment, according to a new study.

Quote of the Month

"2011 was a difficult year for much of the SC building industry, but in many areas, the hunger for sustainable development kept the markets moving."

— Melissa Le Roy, Executive Director of the U.S. Green Building Council–South Carolina Chapter, 1/13/12