Spearheading a collaborative effort among local and state conservation groups and state agencies, Naturaland Trust and its partners announced the protection of nearly 1,100 acres in the heart of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area in Pickens County.
Photo by Jay KingThe 1,090-acre Saluda Bluffs property is effectively the centerpiece of the views from Caesars Head, Table Rock and Jones Gap state parks, which themselves form one of the most scenic stretches of South Carolina’s section of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Naturaland Trust leaders were joined by conservation and state funding partners to announce the Saluda Bluffs acquisition Nov. 13.
Conservation vision
The parcel was the largest privately held, unprotected piece of property in Pickens County and in many ways represents the culmination of Naturaland Trust founder Tommy Wyche’s vision for protecting South Carolina’s mountain corridor, according to the trust’s executive director, Mac Stone.
The trust was able to secure the property earlier this year through a historic $9 million refundable grant from the South Carolina Conservation Bank.
That funding will be reimbursed with $2 million through the state Office of Resilience and a $7 million appropriation through the state Department of Natural Resources, which will assume ownership of the property in early 2025 to form the new South Saluda Wildlife Management Area and be opened for public use.
Protecting a significant portion of the Saluda River floodplain was a priority for the state Office of Resilience, according to Ben Duncan, the office’s chief resilience officer. Protecting the river’s water quality was also a priority for Easley Combined Utilities, which contributed $500,000 toward acquiring the Saluda Bluffs property.
“It’s much more cost effective for us to protect drinking water at the source, than to treat it later,” according to Andy Sevic, ECU’s general manager.
Bullseye view
According to Stone, the property is the scenic bullseye of more than 10,000 acres of surrounding protected lands, including:
- Table Rock State Park
- Greenville watershed
- Watson Cooper Heritage Preserve
- Caesars Head State Park
- Jones Gap State Park
- Ashmore Heritage Preserve
- Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
- Wildcat Wayside State Park
The project also protects important frontage along Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway 11, and thanks to this connection will make the 1.4 miles of the South Saluda River on the property’s northern border accessible for trout fishing, Stone said.
He added such projects would not be possible without the collaboration of willing property owners.
The former owner, Hans Menzel, operates Spartanburg-based Menzel US and worked with Naturaland Trust to protect the property.
