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Blog

Our Community

Conservation is about people as much as place. Meet the landowners, advocates, volunteers, and partners working to protect what makes the Upstate special.

Discover the people behind the progress below.

Blue Wall High

Blue Wall High
May 19, 2021

Dr. Drew Lanham — wildlife ecologist, birder, writer, Alumni Distinguished Professor at Clemson University, and recipient of Upstate Forever's 2021 Tommy Wyche Land Conservation Champion Award — shares a moment of reflection from his perch on top of the world at Caesars Head.

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Wounds & Wildness: A conversation with authors John Lane and Drew Lanham

Wounds & Wildness: A conversation with authors John Lane and Drew Lanham
November 12, 2020

Local authors John Lane and Drew Lanham reflect on the ways the world around them inspires their writing.

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Inspired: Stained Glass Artist Sherrill Hill

Inspired: Stained Glass Artist Sherrill Hill
October 21, 2020

In this essay published in the Fall/Winter 2020-2021 issue of the Upstate Advocate, stained glass artist Sherrill Hill shares how the soul and setting of the Upstate inspire her work.

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Inspired: Watercolor Painter Dwight Rose

Inspired: Watercolor Painter Dwight Rose
October 20, 2020

Watercolor painter Dwight Rose has visited and lived around the world, but found unique inspiration in Upstate South Carolina. In this essay published in the Fall/Winter 2020-2021 issue of the Upstate Advocate, Dwight shares the impact the region's natural resources have had on his art work.

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Inspired: Sculptor Yuri Tsuzuki

Inspired: Sculptor Yuri Tsuzuki
October 20, 2020

Sculptor Yuri Tsuzuki's body of work is heavily influenced by her Japanese heritage and world travels, reflecting traditional artforms, global experiences, and sanctitude she finds in nature. In this essay published in the Fall/Winter 2020-2021 issue of the Upstate Advocate, Yuri reflects on how these influences have inspired her art and why she is grateful to call Upstate SC home.

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Inspired: Fiber Artist Sarah Mandell

Inspired: Fiber Artist Sarah Mandell
October 19, 2020

Sarah Mandell creates realistic needle felted landscapes inspired by the beauty she finds in Upstate SC's mountains, lakes, farms, and forests. In this essay published in the Fall/Winter 2020-2021 issue of the Upstate Advocate, she tells us more about her work, process, and inspiration.

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Inspired: Contemporary Landscape Painter Jessica Fields

Inspired: Contemporary Landscape Painter Jessica Fields
October 19, 2020

When painter Jessica Fields moved to the Upstate from Texas nearly a decade ago, her work transformed. In this essay published in the Fall/Winter 2020-2021 issue of the Upstate Advocate, Jessica discusses the impact of this change in scenery on her painting and how she continues to find inspiration during the ongoing pandemic.

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Inspired: Weaver Nancy Basket

Inspired: Weaver Nancy Basket
October 19, 2020

Cherokee basket weaver Nancy Basket moved to the Upstate several decades ago to discover the land her ancestors once called home. Here, she found their stories, culture, and traditions of the Cherokee elders, as well as a material that inspired an unexpected new path in her basket weaving work. In this essay published in the Fall/Winter 2020-2021 issue of the Upstate Advocate, Nancy shares lessons learned from kudzu and the importance of nature.

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