A Year of Impact: Celebrating Upstate Forever’s 2025 successes

As 2025 draws to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on just how much our team, partners, volunteers, and supporters have accomplished together this year. From protecting treasured landscapes to strengthening water quality safeguards, empowering communities, and advocating for sustainable growth, it’s been a year full of meaningful wins for the Upstate.

Below, we’ve rounded up some of the achievements we’re most proud of — organized by program area so you can easily explore where your support has made a difference.

Can you help us carry this momentum into 2026? Give now to support our conservation and advocacy work in the New Year

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Land Conservation: Protecting Special Places for Future Generations

So far in 2025, our Land Conservation team has worked with private and public landowners to permanently protect more than 2,000 acres across the Upstate through conservation easements — and helped protect an additional 2,548 acres through partnerships with fellow conservation organizations.

Our Land Trust also attained its fourth national accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. This is a rigorous verification that our land trust meets the highest national standards of excellence and long-term stewardship.

Stewardship & Land Management: Restoring Lands We Protect

Conserving land is only the first step. Caring for it is a commitment that lasts forever.

To date, 368 acres have been managed or restored in partnership with dedicated landowners through application of prescribed fire and invasive plant removal, including:

• 168 acres of forest
• 150 acres of grassland
• And 31 acres of riparian buffer

Volunteers played an essential role as well, joining us for five workdays that resulted in thousands of native wildflowers, grasses, and trees planted and the removal of invasive species that threaten natural ecosystems. Stay tuned for information about 2026 volunteer workdays coming soon!

Clean Water: Safeguarding the Upstate’s Essential Resource

2025 was a watershed year (literally) for our Clean Water work.

UF staff have remained engaged in SC's water planning through the WaterSC working group. Throughout this process, UF’s Executive Director Aldon Knight, founder Brad Wyche, and Bill Stangler of Congaree Riverkeeper have been representing the Upstate's conservation community alongside stakeholders from public water supply, energy, industry, agriculture/forest, and tourism and hospitality.

We were invited by the US EPA to present at the national Land Trust Alliance Rally in Cleveland, Ohio in September. Clean Water & GIS Manager Katie Hottel and Clean Water Specialist Rebecca Wade shared how we integrate watershed planning with land protection to safeguard drinking water sources — a proud moment that placed our team’s work on a national stage!

We wrapped up a four-year Section 319 grant in the Tyger River watersheds, which supported 60 septic repairs or replacements, 2 agricultural improvement projects, and 140+ acres of forest protected. The result? Dramatic pollutant load reductions: 3.4 trillion fewer bacteria, 24 tons less sediment, 2,134 fewer pounds of nitrogen, and 800 fewer pounds of phosphorus entering waterways annually.

Along with other stakeholders, we celebrated the completion of the Upper Savannah and Saluda River Basin Plans, a two-year, collaborative effort to forecast water needs and strategies for the next 50 years. Now, we’re proud to announce that we have been awarded funds from SCDES to create a watershed-based plan (WBP) for the Tugaloo River and Choestoea Creek watersheds in Oconee County. What is a watershed-based plan?

And finally, our Clean Water team secured nearly $750,000 in new grant funding to support water planning in Oconee County and water quality improvements for landowners in Anderson and Pickens Counties.

As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, Upstate Forever relies on generous contributions from people like you in order to continue this important work. Please consider making a gift by December 31, 2025 to support our work.

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Land Planning & Policy: Advocacy That Shapes the Future

Thoughtful land use planning and smart policy are essential ingredients for a resilient Upstate.

This year, our Clean Water and Land Planning & Policy teams helped secure another major win: adoption of a 50-foot riparian buffer ordinance in Anderson County, protecting recognized “Waters of the State” from impacts of new development.

We also joined with partners and local residents to oppose the proposed Inn at Altamont at the base of Paris Mountain — an environmentally risky luxury hotel that would have bypassed critical zoning protections. Both the Travelers Rest Planning Commission and City Council ultimately rejected the annexation and rezoning requests, an outcome made possible by community voices and coordinated advocacy.

Our team also provided training and education throughout the region, including:

• 4 advocacy training events with more than 100 participants, and
• 21 new Citizens Planning Academy graduates, bringing the total to more than 200 Greenville County residents trained since 2019.

Energy: Empowering Communities in a Changing Landscape

The energy landscape in South Carolina is evolving quickly and this year, community engagement became more important than ever.

Following Duke Energy’s announcement of a proposed 1,400 MW natural gas plant in Anderson County, we strengthened outreach in collaboration with Conservation Voters of South Carolina and the SC Sierra Club. Listening sessions, community meetings, and webinars are helping residents understand the possible impacts and how to voice their concerns.

At the state level, we continued pressing for affordable and equitable utility programs at the SC Public Service Commission.

State Policy: Keeping You Informed and Represented at the State House

From January through May, we kept supporters updated on the SC Legislative Session with regular briefings and accessible analysis on bills affecting land, water, and energy through our State Policy work. Sign up for our Legislative Updates to receive email updates regarding legislative actions that affect the Upstate’s natural resources!

This year also brought significant progress on the SC Energy Security Act, which — thanks to collaborative advocacy — was improved to maintain transparency and safeguards for clean energy as South Carolina grows.

As Co-chair of the SC Conservation Coalition, we helped organize the annual Senate Briefing and guided teams of advocates during Conservation Lobby Day, ensuring the Upstate’s voice was heard loud and clear.

Other Major Milestones Worth Celebrating

After years of coordinated efforts and hard work, the Saluda Grade Trails Conservancy has officially purchased the rail corridor that will become the Saluda Grade Trail. We're grateful to the SC legislature, SC Conservation Bank, and Upstate Land Conservation Fund for helping fund that success. As the design and construction phase begins, Upstate Forever is no longer an official member of the Conservancy, but we remain tremendously excited about the trail, and supportive of our friends at PAL: Play. Advocate. Live Well. and Conserving Carolina!

After many months of collaboration with ALINE, A Marketing Company, we launched the new and improved upstateforever.org — designed to make it easier than ever to explore successes, get updates, and dive into our work.

And last but certainly not least: we closed our Generations Campaign $1.7 million above goal, raising an extraordinary $8.7 million for conservation and advocacy across the Upstate. This campaign will fuel our team’s work for years to come.

Looking Ahead

As we enter a new year, we’re excited to build on this momentum, tackle new challenges, and continue protecting Upstate SC’s critical lands, waters, and unique character.

Thank you for being part of this work. We truly couldn’t do it without you.