300 Acres Permanently Protected In Northern Greenville County Near Jones Gap State Park

Regional conservation organization Upstate Forever announces the protection of 300 acres in northern

Greenville County in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism

(SCPRT).

The property, which is owned by SCPRT and known as the White Tract, significantly expands protected

acreage in the Blue Ridge Escarpment area near Jones Gap State Park, Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area,

and other protected lands owned by SCPRT, Naturaland Trust, and The Nature Conservancy. A

conservation easement held by Upstate Forever ensures this 300-acre property remains protected in

perpetuity.

“We are honored to help protect and steward this scenic land in northern Greenville and are grateful to the

South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism for entrusting the protection of its important

natural resources to our land trust,” said Scott Park, Glenn Hilliard Director of Land Conservation for

Upstate Forever.

Although not currently open to the public for outdoor recreation, future public access is planned to help

meet growing demand for natural areas and expanded park access along the Blue Ridge Escarpment.

“The protection of the White Tract property is coming at a time when outdoor space has never been more

treasured, and outdoor recreation demand is at an all-time high,” said SCPRT Director, Duane Parrish. “We

are grateful to Upstate Forever for their partnership on this effort, and we look forward to welcoming

visitors when public access is available. Our Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area offers some of South

Carolina’s best hiking and most scenic mountain views, and protecting the White Tract property ensures

the land will be available for generations of South Carolinians to enjoy.”

In addition to serving as future park lands, the protection of the White Tract will contribute to the

conservation of water resources and habitat for plants and wildlife. The property contains the headwaters

of the Middle Saluda River with critical waters for reproducing trout populations. It is entirely forested

with pine and hardwood canopy with an understory of rhododendron, mountain laurel, silverbell, and

American holly.

Since its inception in 1998, Upstate Forever’s nationally accredited land trust has permanently protected

nearly 28,000 acres through voluntary conservation easements in partnership with landowners and other

conservation organizations across the ten Upstate South Carolina counties of Abbeville, Anderson,

Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg and Union.