Land & Water | Advocacy | Balanced Growth

Our Work

Upstate Forever is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects critical lands, waters, and the unique character of the Upstate of South Carolina. We focus our work on the ten counties of Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg and Union. 

Over the past two decades, we have worked to protect some of our region’s most important environmentally sensitive lands and assets in regards to water and habitat quality – our farmlands, forests, natural areas, healthy rivers, and clean air. We are committed to ensuring that our Upstate communities are vibrant and retain their natural areas, outdoor heritage, and unique identities in the face of rapid development and significant sprawl.

What’s Happening

Conservation

Conservation success

Upstate Forever worked with landowners, funders, and partners to facilitate permanent conservation easements on nearly 800 acres of forests, farms, and green space last year in Upstate South Carolina.

Legislative

Legislative Updates

While the SC General Assembly is in session from January to May, we provide weekly Legislative Updates on conservation-related bills and critical action alerts via email. Sign up to receive our weekly updates in your inbox.

The

The Upstate Advocate

The newest edition of our biannual print publication explores the ecosystems persisting within the urbanized landscape, in addition to sharing the latest news and updates from our team.

25

25 Highlights from 25 Years

Upstate Forever celebrated 25 years of conservation and advocacy in 2023. Join us in reflecting on just a few of the successes your support has made possible — and help us continue this work for future generations.

Saluda

Saluda Grade Rail Trail

The SC State Legislature recently included $10 million in the 2023-2024 budget towards the purchase of the Saluda Grade Trail, which will run through Northern Spartanburg and Greenville Counties into the mountains of Western NC.

Diversity,

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

To realize our vision of a future that is healthy, vibrant, and prosperous for the Upstate, we know it is vitally important and essential to our core values that we engage the diverse community we serve.

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