Conestee Nature Preserve: Small Things Matter

Today’s children spend just seven minutes in outdoor play, yet average seven hours per day on screens. The consequences are real:

• 1 in 3 children are obese

• 1 in 4 young adults who want to join the U.S. military are disqualified due to obesity

Nature as a Solution

Our partners at Conestee Nature Preserve are taking action. Their new Nature Playscape is designed specifically to invite children back into the outdoors, where movement, imagination, and healthy habits naturally take root.

Hear from Executive Director Erin Knight in this short video as she highlights the dramatic contrast between children’s screen time and time in nature.

A Unique Local Treasure

Unlike the three South Carolina State Parks or the 55 facilities operated by Greenville County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, Conestee Nature Preserve is different:

• One square mile of protected forests, streams, trails, and wildlife habitat.

• Owned and managed by a non-profit, The Conestee Foundation.

• In 2025, the Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust helped protect a tiny 0.2-acre inholding to prevent development, our smallest project ever!

This effort underscores the message: when it comes to children’s health, national readiness, and land conservation, small things truly matter.