Protecting Land & Water | Advocacy | Balanced Growth
A gift to Upstate Forever enhances our region’s quality of life, now and into the future.
Thanks to your support, this year Upstate Forever has:


  • Successfully advocated, along with partners and city leadership, for stronger tree protection and preservation in the City of Greenville.

  • Created strategic plans to help landowners reduce runoff and improve water quality in the 3&20 Creek and Tyger River watersheds.

  • Advocated in seven jurisdictions for more equitable land use policies and plans that expand housing choices, mobility options, and green spaces while reducing sprawl into forests and farmlands.

  • Worked with our partners at the SC Statehouse to successfully pass seven UF-backed bills, help nine others move forward, and fund conservation through the state appropriations process.


If you have given this year, we thank you. Your additional gift will go directly toward protecting critical lands and saving special places.

If you have not yet given this year, please consider a tax-deductible gift in support of enhancing the quality of life of our beloved Upstate!
More ways to support UF this holiday season

  • Make a planned gift. When you make a planned gift to UF, you help us achieve our goals for current and future generations while enjoying a wide variety of tax benefits. Visit our planned giving site at upstateforever.giftlegacy.com to learn about bequests, IRA rollovers, charitable lead trusts, and other ways to give.

  • Support us while you shop. Did you know you can support UF while shopping through Amazon every day — at no extra cost to you? When you do your online shopping through AmazonSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of your purchase. Be sure to use Smile.Amazon.com each time you shop in your web browser or turn AmazonSmile on in your mobile app, and select Upstate Forever as the organization you wish to support.

  • Share the love. We are honored to have been selected as the local beneficiary of the Fairway Subaru Share the Love campaign. Through January 3, for those that purchase, lease, or order a new Subaru from Fairway and select Upstate Forever, we'll receive a $300 donation!
The Upstate Advocate has arrived
The latest issue of our twice-yearly publication celebrates the native plant and animal species that make life here richer, healthier, and more colorful — in addition to sharing the latest news and updates from our team. Read it here
Sign up for Legislative Updates
While the South Carolina General Assembly is in session from January to May, State Policy Director Megan Chase will send weekly updates on conservation-related bills and critical action alerts via email. Sign up here
Cancer Survivors Park Work Day
Join us on Saturday, February 5 from 9:00-11:00 am for a morning of socially distanced volunteer work at Cancer Survivors Park in downtown Greenville. Volunteers will help remove invasive plants and beautify the park. Participation is limited, so click here to RSVP today.
Save the date: Monday, Feb. 14
Tickets are now available for ForeverGreen, our annual awards luncheon celebrating individuals and organizations making significant contributions to conservation in the Upstate. Click here to view more details and purchase your tickets
More news, information & updates

Grant news
Generous grants enable UF's program staff to work toward accomplishing our conservation and advocacy goals for the Upstate. Here are some recent highlights:
  • Upstate Forever, in partnership with the Clemson University Center for Watershed Excellence, has been awarded funding from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) to develop a watershed-based plan for the Twelve Mile River watershed in Pickens County. Watershed-based plans serve as a roadmap for communities to manage efforts to both restore water quality in degraded areas and protect overall watershed health. This will be the 6th watershed-based plan UF's Clean Water team has been engaged in.
  • In more Clean Water news, we have been awarded a second phase of funding from SCDHEC to address water quality concerns in the North, Middle, and South Tyger watersheds in Spartanburg and Greenville Counties. Funding will be used to permanently protect land through conservation easements in the Tyger watersheds and provide cost-share assistance to landowners for septic repairs and/or to voluntarily install agricultural practices to help improve water quality.
  • With generous support from Hollingsworth Funds in 2022, our Land Planning & Policy team will continue working alongside partners and community members to advance policies in Greenville County and its municipalities that reduce sprawl, expand housing diversity, build more inclusive neighborhoods, and create pockets of gentle density so transit can operate more efficiently.

Happy anniversary, Sherry!
Land Policy Manager Sherry Barrett is celebrating 11 years at Upstate Forever this month. Sherry's work focuses primarily on land use issues in the rapidly growing counties of Greenville and Spartanburg. She also leads our Citizens Planning Academy, an interactive course that helps equip Greenvillians to participate in local planning and land use policy efforts.

Partner job opportunity
TreesUpstate is hiring a full-time NeighborWoods Manager to lead their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team. This person will directly oversee the organization's tree equity programs and initiatives for collaborative impact and community engagement. Click here to read more about tree equity in the Upstate from TreesUpstate's Executive Director Joelle Teachey
May you enjoy a wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy new year

The holidays are a time of rest and reflection, gratitude and resolution. As we take a moment to look back on the progress made this year and set goals for the year to come, we also have to thank you. Because of your passion and support, we can together ensure the Upstate is healthy and vibrant for generations to come.

From all of us at Upstate Forever, thank you and happy holidays!
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Your tax-deductible gift to Upstate Forever will go directly toward protecting critical lands and saving special places in the Upstate.
Click the icons below to learn more about our work
Upstate Forever is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects critical lands, waters, and the unique character of Upstate South Carolina.  Over the past two decades, we have worked to protect the natural assets that make the Upstate so special — our farmlands, forests, natural areas, rivers, and clean air. We are committed to ensuring that our communities are vibrant and retain their green spaces, outdoor heritage, and unique identities in the face of rapid development and significant sprawl. Our vision is an environmentally healthy, economically prosperous Upstate that offers a high quality of life now and for future generations.

For more information, visit our website at upstateforever.org or send us an email.