Working with property owners in Laurens and Union counties, conservation nonprofit Upstate Forever has secured permanent protections for more than 800 acres through three new conservation easements.
With widespread and intense development pressures across the region, protections for the three properties will help preserve family farms, working forests, clean water and essential wildlife habitat.
“These three conservation projects demonstrate several ways landowners can choose to protect the places that matter to them,” said Scott Park, Upstate Forever’s Glenn Hilliard Director of Land Conservation, in a statement announcing the new protections. “Whether it’s a family who cared for their farm for generations or a landscape being restored to improve water quality, permanent land protection helps ensure these special places remain part of our communities for the future.”
Protected properties
Covering 219 acres fronting U.S. Highway 76 and Gibbs Road west of Laurens, Thomason Farm has been owned and operated by the same family for more than 100 years. Currently run by the fourth generation of the family, the farm supports cattle and hay production.
The property also features a spring-fed pond and tributary of Reedy Fork which support clean water and wildlife habitat within the Saluda River watershed. Protecting the farm’s fields and forests will help preserve the rural character of the area and preserve nearly a mile of viewshed.
This project received funding from the South Carolina Conservation Bank and Upstate Land Conservation Fund.
In Union County, the 387-acre Santuc Farm has been operated by the same family since the 1920s. The farm is currently used to raise beef cattle, and the property includes important riparian areas along Swift Run and several tributaries in the Tyger River watershed.
The project also received funding from SCCB and ULCF.
In Union County, the Oak Grove Farm Mitigation Bank is a 233-acre protected area south of the city of Union.
The property sits within the Tyger River basin and contains an important network of streams, wetlands and riparian habitat. This mitigation project will see 14,000 feet of stream restored, more than six acres of forested wetlands preserved, and more than 22 acres of freshwater wetlands enhanced.
