Two Prime Tracts Preserved by Upstate Forever

A combined 617 acres of wild lands in Greenville and Pickens counties will be preserved under an agreement between Upstate Forever and the lands owners, GSA Business reported.

Using funds from the SC Conservation Bank, the nonprofit will preserve the 580-acre Riverbend Shoals property in southern Greenville County near Honea Path, and the 37-acre Grant Meadow Tract One below the face of Table Rock in Pickens County.

"The Grant Meadow Tract One property includes a 2-acre pond and frontage on Carrick Creek, a tributary of the Oolenoy River. Forest cover on the rest of the property provides habitat for deer, bear, wild turkey and migratory songbirds. The Riverbend Shoals acreage in southern Greenville County includes more than 2 miles of frontage along Mountain Creek and the Saluda River that is highly used and offers opportunities for canoeists and kayakers," the paper reported.

Landowners who enter voluntary conservation agreements retain private ownership but give up some of the rights to develop the property. Upstate Forever, a nonprofit, membership-based organization, partners with owners of 89 properties to protect a total of 17,763 acres across the Upstate.