New conservation easements in Greenville and Pickens Counties

Upstate Forever’s Land Trust partners with landowners to protect the special places they and their communities cherish via permanent conservation easements. We are pleased to share five recently finalized easements across Greenville and Pickens Counties.

Hereford Hill Farm is a family-owned ranch in Southern Greenville County

Hereford Hill Farm
GREENVILLE COUNTY | 101 ACRES

Hereford Hill Farm is a working family-owned ranch. Located in southern Greenville County, the farm has been in the landowners' family since their father purchased the land upon his return from WWII. Today, it is a summer pastureland to 50 Hereford cattle. This pocket of the Upstate is facing unprecedented residential and commercial development pressure. In addition to permanently protecting the property’s scenic values, the conservation of Hereford Hill Farm contributes to local water quality, as the land contains more than 6,600 feet of tributary streams in the Saluda River Watershed.

Project funders include the Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust (GCHNRT), South Carolina Conservation Bank (SCCB), and Upstate Land Conservation Fund (ULCF).

Horse Gap Forest is bordered by tributary streams of Little Eastatoe Creek, playing an important role in local watersource protection

Horse Gap Forest
PICKENS COUNTY | 69 ACRES

Horse Gap Forest is a portion of the 122-acre Sunset Farms tract, which was subdivided in 1977. Horse Gap Forest is the largest of those tracts and includes the original homeplace on the southeastern side of Horse Gap Mountain and the Wadakoe Mountain Ridge that separates Highway 11 from the Eastatoe Valley. The property is bordered by tributary streams of Little Eastatoe Creek and a 534-acre tract maintained by the SC Department of Natural Resources as a Wildlife Management Area. The bottom third of the property is primarily open fields and contains prime soils or soils of statewide importance. The remaining two-thirds is mostly forested with several seeps, bogs, and a pond.

Project funders include the SCCB, the ULCF, and the US Fish & Wildlife Service. The property also received a reimbursement grant from SC DES 319 funding for the Keowee River - Lake Keowee Watershed.

On a peninsula in Lake Keowee, Keowee Ridge is home to a farm that provides local food items through the Clemson Area Food Exchange

Keowee Ridge
PICKENS COUNTY | 67 ACRES

Keowee Ridge is located on a peninsula of Lake Keowee. The organic hobby farm produces free-range eggs, apples, honey, and goat byproducts, which are distributed through the Clemson Area Food Exchange. The property is located in an area where lakefront development continues to subdivide and convert former agricultural lands and forest lands into residential subdivisions, second homes, and other development projects. This conservation easement protects the area's scenic views, agricultural potential, and natural habitat amid that growth. The Happy Berry conservation easement is adjacent to the property and the Lake Keowee easement is less than a mile away.

Project funders include the SCCB and the ULCF. The property also received a reimbursement grant from SC DES 319 funding for the Keowee River - Lake Keowee Watershed.

Ron and Laura Messer, owners of Pearl Bottoms, worked with UF Land Protection Coordinator Steely Parrott to protect their property through a conservation easement

Pearl Bottoms
GREENVILLE COUNTY | 60 ACRES

Pearl Bottoms is a local cattle farm located in the Tigerville community in northern Greenville County. This property is particularly noteworthy from a water quality standpoint, as it lies at the confluence of three tributaries that serve as a significant headwater source of the South Tyger River. This area is experiencing a rapid increase in residential development, converting forests and farmlands to lowdensity housing. This conservation easement helps preserve the rural character of the region and protect water in the Tyger River Basin.

Project funders include the SCCB, the ULCF, and GCHNRT. The property also received a reimbursement grant from SC DES 319 funding for the Tyger River Watershed.

The White Tract Addition expands protected acreage along the Blue Ridge Escarpment in Northern Greenville County

White Tract Addition
GREENVILLE COUNTY | 512 ACRES

The White Tract Addition is located in northern Greenville County, along the boundary with North Carolina. Consisting of three distinct tracts, this easement expands the existing network of public and private protections. The largest parcel of the three is located north of Gap Creek Road, and is adjacent to all three protected properties: White Tract, Grassy Top Mountain, and Gap Creek Timberlands. Together the perpetual protection of this natural area will help preserve access to the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, renowned worldwide for its beauty and ecological biodiversity.

This project received funding from the ULCF.

Conservation easements are a voluntary, permanent way landowners can protect special places from development. For more information about partnering with UF to conserve your property, email Scott Park, Glenn Hilliard Director of Land Conservation, at spark@upstateforever.org.