Recent land conservation

UF’s nationally accredited land trust has worked with landowners and partner organizations to permanently protect more than 800 acres in Laurens and Union Counties. These recently protected properties include generational farms, wildlife habitat, and sensitive riparian corridors.

Thomason Farm

Laurens County | 219 acres

For more than a century, the Thomason family has called their 219- acre farm in Laurens County home, with four generations caring for the land since 1917. Today, Robin Thomason continues that tradition, raising cattle and cutting hay across a landscape of fields, forests and native grasslands. A spring-fed pond and streams provide clean water and habitat for wildlife, while the farm’s open fields and rural views help preserve the agricultural character of this rapidly developing area. Permanently protecting Thomason Farm will ensure this family legacy — and an important piece of Laurens County’s rural landscape — remains intact for generations to come.

Project funders include the South Carolina Conservation Bank (SCCB) and the Upstate Land Conservation Fund (ULCF).

Santuc Farm

Union County | 387 acres

For nearly a century, Santuc Farm has been part of the same family’s story, beginning as a dairy farm in the 1920s before transitioning to beef cattle. Today, the landowners continue that tradition, managing a working landscape of rolling pastures and forests while preserving the farm’s character, including a historic farmhouse and the old dairy parlor. The property’s streams and wooded areas provide important habitat and help protect water quality in the Tyger River watershed, while its open fields preserve scenic views along the surrounding country roads. Permanently protecting Santuc Farm will help keep this productive family farm intact and preserve a piece of Union County’s rural heritage for generations to come.

Project funders include the SCCB and ULCF.

Oak Grove Farm Mitigation Bank

Union County | 233 acres

This Union County property protects an important riparian landscape in the Tyger River Basin about four miles south of the City of Union. Long managed for agriculture and forestry, Oak Grove Farm Mitigation Bank includes wooded stream corridors, wetlands, and old farm fields that provide habitat for wildlife and help protect local waterways. This mitigation project will restore nearly 14,000 feet of streams, preserve forested wetlands, and enhance additional freshwater wetlands, helping restore natural functions to areas historically altered by farming and timber management. Together, these efforts will strengthen water quality and wildlife habitat while conserving an important piece of Union County’s rural landscape.

A conservation easement is a voluntary contract between a landowner and a qualified land trust like Upstate Forever. It allows the landowner to legally restrict certain undesirable land uses from occurring on their property. This agreement is permanent and remains with the land even after it has been sold or willed to heirs.

For more information about partnering with UF to place a conservation easement on your property, contact landtrust@upstateforever.org.