Woman protects 146-acre family land in South Carolina from development
Alice Smith placed her family's Pickens County property under a conservation easement to fulfill a promise made to her mother.
Alice Smith has placed her 146-acre family property, known as Duck Haven, under a conservation easement in Pickens County, South Carolina. According to a Times of India report on a WVLT 8 story, the move permanently protects the land from future development while allowing the family to retain ownership.
Smith's grandparents purchased the property in the 1940s. She stated she promised her mother she would find a way to keep the land together. The property features rolling fields that connect to the Saluda River and was mostly farmland when her grandparents bought it.
Smith is one of two landowners in Upstate South Carolina recently protecting more than 250 acres through the non-profit organisation Upstate Forever. The second property is Moore Farm, a 110-acre site in Greenville County owned by the family of Ed Lomas.
Lomas decided to protect the farm, which has been in his family for over 100 years, to ensure his children are not pressured into selling it for development. He noted that residential neighbourhoods have developed around the farm, increasing local traffic.
Upstate Forever, which now safeguards more than 40,000 acres across 10 counties, acts as the long-term steward for these easements. Scott Park of Upstate Forever said the organisation takes responsibility for ensuring agreed protections remain in place.