Protection expanded for extremely rare local plant

A property in Travelers Rest once slated for subdivision development has been acquired by the SC DNR Heritage Trust and added to the adjacent Blackwell Heritage Trust Preserve. Upstate Forever and other partners opposed the development, called Bluestone Ridge, because it would have seriously threatened the survival of the bunched arrowhead, an extremely rare plant only found in four counties, including Greenville.

One of the world's rarest endangered plant species, the bunched arrowhead is extremely sensitive to changes in water level and to pollutants from stormwater and lawn care runoff. The colony in Blackwell Preserve is fed by clean water from a seep that starts on the Bluestone Ridge property, and would have been heavily disturbed by the development.

Also, because a portion of the Preserve was created as federal mitigation for impacts on wetlands by the South Carolina Department of Transportation, the proposed development would have damaged or destroyed a state funded mitigation project that was put in place to offset damage caused by one of SC DOT’s road projects many years ago.

By working with the local citizens and by submitting a series of comments, Upstate Forever and partners like the SC Native Plant Society and SCELP raised sufficient concerns that the developer dropped its plans to develop the site.  

In the ensuing year, DNR pursued a grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire the property, and Naturaland Trust worked with the owner to conduct an appraisal and develop a relationship to lead to a sale for conservation.

In May, we received the great news that the Bluestone Ridge property has officially been added to the Blackwell Heritage Trust Preserve, creating very substantial connectivity between two Heritage Trust sites (Blackwell and Bunched Arrowhead) and building on the work of many Upstate stakeholders to create a connected area of greenspace and wetlands.

In addition, Greenville County has added regulations to its planning code to give greater protection to sites like this one. Upstate Forever is grateful for the tireless efforts of everyone who worked to ensure the protection of this important ecological area.