Collaborative efforts have driven much of the land protection in the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment. Thanks to the help of many organizations and donors, 374,807 acres of the SBRE are currently protected.  This acreage accounts for:

• 81.3% of the SBRE land in GA
• 48.1% of the SBRE land in SC
• 26.7% of the SBRE land in NC

While the work to conserve this precious region is far from over, great strides have been made in setting aside SBRE land. Recent successes include:

Asbury Hills Methodist Camp and Retreat Center
The 1,892-acre Methodist Camp and Retreat Center located in northern Greenville County is a crucial component of the view from Caesars Head State Park.  Additionally, it harbors Matthews Creek, one of the region’s most outstanding mountain streams for native brook trout. The Nature Conservancy accepted a conservation easement on this keystone tract in 2007, and it now connects the other protected lands in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness.

Bootleg Tract
A small but critical addition to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Jocassee Gorges property, this parcel is prominent in the stunning view from Jumping Off Rock.  SCDNR purchased this tract, which contains a mile of shoreline on Lake Jocassee, from Crescent Resources. If developed, the tract would have permanently changed the natural beauty of Lake Jocassee.

Nine Times Tract
Described by Dr. Patrick McMillan as “The second most biologically significant parcel in South Carolina,” the 2200-acre Nine Times tract contains five mountains, Nine Times Creek, and a biologically intact granitic dome.  With support from the Pickens legislative delegation and the South Carolina Governor, Upstate Forever purchased the most significant 560 acres from Crescent Resources in 2007 and obtained a two-year option to purchase the remaining 1640 acres. With support from the SC Conservation Bank and a collaborative fundraising effort, the 560-acre tract will become a Nature Conservancy Preserve open to the public. Fundraising is also underway to acquire the remaining acreage.

Stumphouse Mountain
Stumphouse Mountain, located near the Sumter National Forest in Oconee County, is a place that has all the enduring qualities of our Southern Blue Ridge Mountains: hardwood forests, mountain streams, abundant wildflowers, and even a 150-ft waterfall. In the summer of 2007, citizens, political leaders, and conservation groups united to put a conservation easement on the Walhalla Watershed and set aside a private tract as a DNR Heritage Preserve. Thankfully, the public efforts were successful, and nearly 1,000 acres of this beautiful area are now protected.