News & Media

Upstate Forever's Land Trust closed several significant conservation easements towards the end of 2018, bringing our total protected land to 21,949.7 acres across the Upstate. Included in these new easements are two permanently protected properties will be added to expand Paris Mountain State Park, thanks to generous support from Michelin in the form of an Environmental Stewardship Grant. Other protected lands include Oconee Town, 55 Camperdown in Falls Park, Altamont Fields, and Hartwell Headwaters. read more

We have just completed our two-year grassroots citizen education and community visioning initiative in Boiling Springs, a rapidly developing bedroom community in unincorporated Spartanburg County. The citizen-led community group Heart of Boiling Springs will lead efforts to ensure the initiative's outcomes inform future Area Performance Planning for the Central Region of Spartanburg County. A summary of the process and outputs was just presented to Spartanburg County Council on Oct. 15. read more

Nearly 200 attendees gathered at the Kroc Center on Friday October 19 for a Greenville County Housing Forum hosted by Upstate Forever in conjunction with numerous community partners. Forum attendees learned how shifting demographics are leading to increased demand for walkable, affordable urban living. They also explored how “missing middle” homes types could help meet that demand by expanding housing diversity at a variety of price points, while also using land efficiently – protecting rural character and preserving critical natural resources. read more

During monitoring yesterday after heavy rains, Upstate Forever discovered a dangerous gully forming in the pipeline right-of-way that would eventually threaten the structural integrity and safety of the newly-constructed pipeline. “We have had continual problems with Dominion’s construction quality and impact on streams throughout this project,” stated Shelley Robbins, Energy and State Policy Manager, “but this is the first one that is a safety threat.” The gully, which has encroached to within mere feet of the buried pipeline, was discovered during inspection of the right-of-way along Hobbysville Road near the historic Price House in southern Spartanburg County. read more

Upstate Forever now protects nearly 500 acres on two tracts —the 353-acre Grassy Knob tract in Pickens County and the 135-acre Gilkey Creek tract in Cherokee County— through wetland and stream mitigation partnerships. Working closely with the SC Department of Transportation, Upstate Forever identified strategic projects that would satisfy the mitigation requirements for the impacts to waterways by local highway improvements, helping keep the much-needed infrastructure projects on-time and on-budget while protecting local headwater streams and critical habitat areas.  read more

Hollingsworth Funds has awarded Upstate Forever a grant for $75,000 to empower and equip Greenville’s community leaders, citizens, and quality-of-life stakeholders with land use solutions to help address the most urgent issues facing our community. read more

Upstate Forever is thrilled to announce it has received a $1 million gift in honor of Marjorie E. Schmidt, a longtime Greenville resident with a heart for nature and a humble, giving spirit. The gift will be used to advance Upstate Forever’s mission to protect land, water, and the unique character of the Upstate in the face of skyrocketing growth and sprawling development. read more

The first phase of mountain bike trails on Stumphouse Mountain in Oconee County is officially open! Six miles of trails are already accessible and ten total should be completed by the end of the year, linking the town of Walhalla to the Palmetto Trail. The Trail is built and managed by Palmetto Conservation Foundation. Upstate Forever holds the park land under a conservation easement, which permanently protects the property from development. We are honored to have worked with many sponsors and partners to complete this exciting project to improve access to nature in the Upstate. read more