Conservation Easements: Helping a Nonprofit Landowner Achieve Its Vision
Why the North Greenville Mountains Still Feel Wild
Decades of private and public investment to develop state parks plus large, privately owned camps have kept big swaths of the mountains and foothills intact for everyone’s benefit.
A place that matters: Camp Awanita
Just off Gap Creek Road near the North Carolina line, Camp Awanita spans nearly 650 acres—more than a square mile of forested ridges, cold streams, a lake, and camp facilities that have shaped thousands of lives.
A crisis—and an opportunity
COVID-19 shuttered programs and starved camps nationwide; many operate on razor-thin margins, and one report suggests that nearly one in five closed permanently as a result of the pandemic. Facing that reality, a Greenville County Historic & Natural Resources Trust board member and Greg Boone, then CEO of Look Up Lodge (which includes Awanita among its camps), explored a path that could help stabilize the camp and safeguard its landscape.
The solution: a conservation easement
Working with the owners, The Nature Conservancy of South Carolina crafted a conservation easement and bundled funding from multiple sources -- the Greenville County Trust, SC Conservation Bank, Upstate Land Conservation Fund, and TNC’s own dollars -- that delivered vital monies to bridge the revenue gap while ensuring the camp’s stewardship leaves a lasting legacy.
The outcome
540 of ~650 acres are now protected in perpetuity, conserving diverse mountain habitats for wildlife like black bear, deer, and wild turkey as well as critically important headwaters.
The camp retains a flexible core facilities area (“the doughnut hole”) to improve and adapt buildings without compromising the surrounding natural lands.
Bottom line:
The easement strengthened a mission-driven nonprofit and permanently protected a signature Upstate landscape—so future generations can keep making memories in a place that retains its natural character.
Reference:
Advocatesc.org “Camps and Retreat Ministries: A lasting impact.” July 24, 2023
