Naturaland Trust

PERFORMING ACTIVITIES PURSUANT TO THE MAINTENANCE AND PRESERVATION OF NATURAL AREAS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC.

THE FOLLOWING PARCELS WERE ACQUIRED BY PURCHASE OR RECEIVED AS A DONATION TO FURTHER THE PRESERVATION OF NATURAL AREAS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC. EXPENSES INCLUDE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SERVICING OF THE ASSETS, BUT NOT THE ASSET COST. THE FOLLOWING PARCELS WERE PURCHASED: 1. ALTAMONT RIDGE, PARIS MOUNTAIN - PARIS MOUNTAIN OFFERS AN ICONIC VIEW TO EVERYONE RIDING ALONG THE SWAMP RABBIT TRAIL, SITTING ON FURMANS CAMPUS OR DRIVING DOWN THE POINSETT HIGHWAY. ALTAMONT RIDGE IMMEDIATELY ADJOINS THE PREVIOUSLY PROTECTED 58-ACRE FURMAN FACE PROJECT. THE 9.5 ACRES OF PROPERTY CONTAINS IMPRESSIVE MATURE TREES AND ALONG POPULAR GAME TRAILS ON THE PROPERTY ARE AMPLE SIGNS OF BEAR, TURKEY AND DEER. THE GOAL FOR PROJECTS IN THIS AREA IS TO MAINTAIN AS MUCH GREEN SPACE AS POSSIBLE, TO NOT ONLY PROTECT THE VIEWSHED OF GREATER GREENVILLE BUT TO ALSO SERVICE THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO COME TO PARIS MOUNTAIN STATE PARK EACH MONTH AND THOSE WHO WILL EVENTUALLY COME AS THE REGION CONTINUES TO GROW. 2. PINEY MOUNTAIN - THE 40.79 ACRES OF UNSPOILED VIEW OF TABLE ROCK STATE PARK SURROUNDED BY FOOTHILLS AND MATURE HARDWOOD CANOPY IS ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC LANDSCAPES IN SOUTH CAROLINA. NORTH OF TABLE ROCK IS GREENVILLE COUNTY AND THE GREENVILLE WATERSHED. THE PINEY MOUNTAIN PROPERTY SITS ADJACENT TO THE WATERSHED AND ONE PARCEL AWAY FROM THE STATE PARK. THE HEADWATERS OF WEAVER CREEK BEGIN ON THE 40 ACRES AND FLOW SOUTHWARD BEFORE CONVERGING WITH THE OOLENOY RIVER. THIS PROPERTY WILL HELP FURTHER PROTECT THIS FAMOUS VIEWSHED, A MATURE HARDWOOD FOREST, HEADWATER STREAMS AND EXPAND RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. BY PROTECTING PINEY MOUNTAIN, ONE MORE SCENIC PEAK WILL REMAIN UNDISTURBED AND WE WILL STRENGTHEN THE PROTECTION OF SOUTH CAROLINAS MOST ICONIC MOUNTAIN AND STATE PARK. 3. MEECE MILL ROAD - CALLED MILL SHOALS COMMUNITY FOREST, THIS 713-ACRE PRESERVE WAS FORMERLY OWNED BY THE NEWMAN FAMILY IN PICKENS. THEY CONTRIBUTED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF THE VALUE TO HELP PROTECT THIS PROPERTY IN PERPETUITY. 4. ROCKY BOTTOM - THIS 75-ACRE PROPERTY ADJOINS SCDNR'S JOCASSEE GORGES WILDERNESS AREA AND CONTAINS IMPORTANT HYDROLOGIC PROPERTIES AND UNIQUE TOPOGRAPHY. THE PROTECTION OF THIS TRACT IS ALSO CRITICAL FOR PROTECTING CULTURAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES OF PREVIOUS USERS OF THE SITE. 5. ROUND MOUNTAIN - THIS 45-ACRE PROPERTY ADJACENT TO THE NATIONAL FOREST WILL HELP BUFFER THE FOREST. NT PLANS TO TRANSFER THE PROPERTY TO USFS IN 2023. 6. RIVER FALLS - ONE OF THE MOST SCENIC DRIVES IN SOUTH CAROLINA IS RIVER FALLS ROAD, WHICH ASCENDS THE FOOTHILLS FOLLOWING THE MIDDLE SALUDA RIVER, PASSING SMALL FARMS WITH UNRIVALED VIEWS OF THE BLUE RIDGE UNTIL REACHING JONES GAP STATE PARK. FOR MANY WHO VISIT THE STATE PARK, THIS IS THE ROUTE THEY TAKE AFTER DEPARTING SCENIC HIGHWAY 11. NATURALAND TRUST HAS BEEN STEADFAST OVER THE YEARS TO ADD TO JONES GAP STATE PARK BECAUSE ITS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PARKS IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND ENCOMPASSES ONE OF THE MOST BIOLOGICALLY DIVERSE AREAS OF THE UPCOUNTRY. BY BROADENING THE PARKS BOUNDARIES AND OFFERING DIVERSE WAYS TO ACCESS THE RIDGELINES, WATERFALLS AND RIVER, WE CAN EXPAND PUBLIC ACCESS TO INCLUDE MORE PEOPLE, SPREAD ACROSS A LARGER AREA. RIVER FALLS IS APPROXIMATELY 150 ACRES AND ADJOINS OTHER PROTECTED PROPERTY, WHICH CONNECTS TO JONES GAP. THE PROPERTY CONTAINS A STRIKING AND MATURE HARDWOOD FOREST, HEADWATER STREAMS, BOTTOMLAND, AND 750FT OF FRONTAGE ON THE MIDDLE SALUDAALL OF THE FACETS THAT INSPIRED AND LED TO THE PROTECTION OF JONES GAP STATE PARK. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROPERTY CONTAINS A MILE OF FRONTAGE ON RIVER FALLS ROAD. 7. GREEN CREEK ON SCENIC 11 - THE GREEN CREEK PROPERTY IS A 16-ACRE WOODED WEDGE BETWEEN HIGHWAY 11 AND OAK GROVE ROAD, ADJACENT TO THE CHESTNUT RIDGE HERITAGE PRESERVE AND OVER 200 ACRES THAT NATURALAND TRUST CONTINUES TO OWN AND MANAGE. THE PROPERTY PROTECTS OVER A THIRD OF A MILE ON HIGHWAY 11 AND CONTAINS THE HEADWATERS FOR GREEN CREEK, A MAJOR TRIBUTARY TO THE SOUTH PACOLET RIVER. THE PROPERTY CONTAINS PLANT SPECIES OF INTEREST TO SCDNRS BIOLOGISTS AND IS AN IMPORTANT THOROUGHFARE FOR WILDLIFE AS INDICATED BY WELL-WORN GAME TRAILS AND TRACKS SEEN THROUGHOUT THE FOREST. EQUALLY IMPORTANT, PROTECTING THIS TRACT COULD LEAD TO MORE CONSERVATION ALONG THIS CORRIDOR, WHICH IS GROWING IN POPULARITY FOR ESTATE-TYPE LOTS AND VIEWS OF THE MOUNTAINS. 8. CAP BRASSHIER - THIS 8-ACRE TRACT PROTECTS AN IMPORTANT POPULATION OF FEDERALLY ENDANGERED BUNCHED ARROWHEAD PLANTS. 9. SPENCE POND - THIS 29-ACRE PROPERTY WAS PURCHASED TO PROTECT BUNCHED ARROWHEAD PLANTS AND WILL EVENTUALLY BE TRANSFERRED TO SCDNR FOR INCLUSION IN THE HERITAGE PRESERVE PROGRAM.