Norman Pulliam to receive the Tommy Wyche Land Conservation Champion Award

Norman Pulliam is being honored with the Tommy Wyche Land Conservation Champion award at Upstate Forever's 2020 ForeverGreen Awards Luncheon. This award recognizes Mr. Pulliam for his visionary leadership as SC Department of Natural Resources board chair.

Norman Pulliam was appointed to the SC DNR Board of Directors by Governor Mark Sanford in 2006. He was appointed chair by Governor Henry McMaster in 2017. During his tenure as chair, Mr. Pulliam has overseen and in some cases directly shepherded several critical conservation projects in the Upstate, including:

• The completion of the observation tower in 2019 at Sassafras Mountain, South Carolina's highest peak and from which the tremendous viewshed benefits of conservation easements can be readily understood.
  
   
• The permanent protection of the 56-acre McKinney Tract in Travelers Rest that adds to the protection of the critically endangered Bunched Arrowhead. DNR worked with Naturaland Trust to negotiate the sale of the property, that had been slated for development, to DNR's Heritage Trust Preserve program and successfully secured funds from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete the purchase in early 2019.
   
• The permanent protection of the 1,757-acre Tall Pines tract in northern Greenville County, now serving as the Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area and including about a mile of South Saluda river frontage. DNR supported the project's application to the SC Conservation Bank and on Mr. Pulliam's direction, provided the final $1M to bring the project to fruition in early 2019.

As DNR chair, Norm holds an ex officio position on the SC Conservation Bank Board and also worked extensively on the successful reauthorization of the bank, culminating in it being made a permanent agency in 2018. Norm and his wife Jo also graciously agreed to host a gathering at their home on behalf of Upstate Forever prior to the launch of the Crossroads Campaign, further solidifying UF's presence in Spartanburg and enhancing our organizational ability to continue protecting critical lands in the Upstate.

Named after visionary conservationist Tommy Wyche, this award recognizes a business, organization or individual who has made a significant contribution to the protection of farmlands, forest lands, natural areas and other special places in the Upstate. 

Tickets are on sale now for the luncheon, which will take place Monday, February 24, 2020 at the Embassy Suites on Verdae Boulevard in Greenville. You can read about the other award recipients at our blog. For more information about this event, please contact Murray Dorn at murray@smoakpr.com.