The Upstate Update: February 2023

The Upstate Update is a digital newsletter curated and shared each month that offers insights into Upstate Forever's recent work, highlights upcoming events and volunteer opportunities, and shares other conservation and advocacy news.

We post the Upstate Update here on the Upstate Forever blog each month. If you would like to receive the Upstate Update directly in your email inbox, please sign up for the mailing list.

735 acres recently protected across the Upstate

In case you missed it, we recently announced the permanent protection of six properties totaling 735 acres in Anderson, Greenville, and Pickens Counties. These lands have been permanently protected through conservation easements, which are voluntary legal agreements between landowners and Upstate Forever's nationally accredited land trust. Read more

Read this month's newsletter

Also in the February Upstate Update:

• Volunteers needed! Saturday, 3/25
  Join us on Saturday, March 25 from 9:00 - 11:00 am for a morning of volunteer work at the Long Branch Mitigation Site on Woodside Avenue in downtown Greenville. We need your help to remove invasive plant species (like kudzu, English ivy, and Japanese knotwood) and litter from this urban greenspace protected by Naturaland Trust and Upstate Forever. Click here to register

• UF in the news
  As we enter Upstate Forever's 25th year, Andrea Cooper sat down with the Greenville News to discuss our work to protect the Upstate's critical lands, abundant waters, and unique character. She also shared the importance of now, and what the future holds for the organization as we chart the course for the next 5 years. Read the article

• Mark your calendar for these upcoming events
  The days are growing ever warmer and longer, and our calendars are heating up, too! We hope you'll join our staff for one of these spring events:

  • DIY Stream Bank Repair Workshop – Wednesday, March 1 from 9:00 - 11:00 am at the Boscobel Golf Club, Pendleton | Homeowners, landscape professionals, and more are invited to attend this $10 workshop to address unhealthy stream banks, erosion, and instability through hands-on practice along a small stream. Contact Rebecca Wade at rwade@upstateforever.org or (864) 250-0500 ext. 134 to register. Download flyer with additional details
  • Greenville Jewish Film Festival screening of Dead Sea Guardians – Thursday, March 9 at 6:00 pm, downtown Greenville | Following this documentary that explores how unexpected allies can join together to protect Earth's most precious natural resource, UF's Clean Water team will join Friends of the Reedy River & Save Our Saluda for a panel discussion about the issues and opportunities surrounding the Upstate's water resources. Purchase tickets
  • Oconee BellFest – Saturday, March 18, 2023 from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm at Devils Fork State Park, Salem | UF's Land Conservation and Clean Water teams will be at this annual celebration of the rare Oconee bell. Stop by our table to learn about conservation easements, funding opportunities for septic repairs and agricultural best management practices for local landowners (learn more and see if you qualify here), and how you can get involved with our work. Learn more about BellFest
  • Barrels & Beer Workshop – Saturday, April 1 from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm at Carolina Bauernhaus Brewery & Winery, Anderson | This fun event hosted by Anderson Soil & Water Conservation District and Anderson Regional Joint Water System is back for its fifth year! Participants will learn how to install a household rain barrel — and have the chance to paint it to their heart's content. Our Clean Water team will be on hand, too! Purchase your rain barrel ticket here

And more! 

Read this month's newsletter