COVID Weekly Update: April 3, 2020

Greetings!

I don’t have to tell you how much things have changed these past few weeks.

But some things have stayed the same. Our land trust remains committed to protecting the Upstate’s critical lands through voluntary conservation easements, and our regular season of stewardship — the annual monitoring of land protected by a conservation easement — has continued, albeit with a few adjustments.

In this time of great uncertainty, I wanted to share some more good news from Upstate Forever’s land trust: We recently completed five conservation projects, totaling 624 acres of land that is now protected forever.

• In Union County, Upstate Forever has helped protect two wetland mitigation projects totaling over 352 acres, which will include wetland restoration and preservation projects providing water quality benefits to Gilkey Creek and the Broad River.
   
• Further, another recent Union County project protects more than 161 acres and over a mile of streambank along Fairforest Creek. This area of Union County is very active with existing, ongoing, and future projects targeting the wide expanses of the Fairforest Creek floodplain.
   
• We also were successful in helping a private landowner expand protections to the historic Mills-Screven Plantation outside of the Town of Tryon, North Carolina. This 75-acre property includes bluffs overlooking the North Pacolet River and other easements stewarded by Upstate Forever. While we typically focus our conservation efforts in the ten-county Upstate region, this property protects headwaters that contribute to watersheds in the Upstate. Ultimately, the property will be owned by an Upstate Forever conservation partner, Conserving Carolina.
   
• Most recently, Upstate Forever permanently protected Kings Mountain Preserve, a 36-acre property in Cherokee County (pictured above). This peaceful forested oasis will be home to the state's newest green burial cemetery.

Because of your support, Upstate Forever protects more than 23,500 acres across the ten-county Upstate region. We hope to share more conservation successes with you soon!

Stay safe out there,

Scott Park
Glenn Hilliard Director of Land Conservation
Upstate Forever