Scouts find ways to create for SPACE

By Colin Riddle  

JANUARY 5, 2012 2:24 p.m. (0)

Buildings, sidewalks, interstates.  Everything takes up space, space that once was without human imprint.

In Spartanburg, space stands for Spartanburg Area Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that has been protecting Spartanburg County’s natural areas since 1989.

As the New Year begins, the nonprofit is in the midst of one of its finest years and counting on another. During the past year, SPACE has added more than 500 acres to its list of protected properties.

In all, SPACE has protected more than 1,600 acres. The goal is to protect 5,000 acres in five years.

SPACE has also attracted the attention of the area’s Boy Scouts, beginning with the construction of a footbridge on the Cottonwood Trail in 1992.  Nearly 60 Boy Scouts have completed Eagle Scout projects on properties protected by SPACE.

Boy Scouts have landscaped areas on the Cottonwood Trail; built benches, bridges, and fences; have cut trails; and constructed a Frisbee golf course. Boxes for owls, bats, wood ducks and other birds have been built as has been a tower for chimney swifts.

Luke Strehl, a Spartanburg High School student and member of Boy Scout Troop 2, built an outdoor classroom on the Cottonwood Trail for his Eagle Scout Project.

“We have big proponents of active living,” said Amanda Kilbourne, development director of SPACE.  “Being able to provide that passive recreation is really important to us.”

The organization’s first project of 2011 involved a 13.3-acre horse farm that came under their protection in Lyman as a conservation easement. The Raggedy Ann Ranch, with a pond and rich variety of trees including longleaf pines and blue spruce, is adjacent to a 392-acre farm that also has executed a conservation easement with SPACE.

The conservancy uses two main practices to protect land:  raising funds to purchase the land outright and gaining permission from private landowners to place a conservation easement on their land.

Conservation easements allow the private owner to use their own property while preserving its natural identity.

SPACE’s second project involved obtaining a tract of land through fundraising and donations.  The land is the fifth tract of land protected by the conservancy on Lawson’s Fork Creek near the Pacolet River.

These tracts of land are critical pieces of property for protecting the area’s drinking water.

The third project was finalized in late December involving nearly 500 acres in the southern part of the county and will be protected through a conservation easement.

The land offers many scenic views, flourishing wetlands, an abundance of wildlife, and sits on a major river.

In addition to this year’s success, the nonprofit has been making steps towards national accreditation.

By next fall, the conservancy hopes to be nationally accredited and will become the third land trust in the state with a national accreditation from the Land Trust Alliance. Edisto Island Open Land Trust and Upstate Forever are the others in the state.

“It’s been a good and healthy process,” said Mary Walter, executive director of SPACE for 17 years.  “You really need to be accountable for the work you do and this has given us the tools to do our work in a very effective and ethical way.”

Walter believes the accreditation will lend the nonprofit more credibility in the community and give them an edge over other land trusts in the area.

The conservancy also holds events throughout the year to educate the public and help members of the community become aware of the positive effects of land conservation.

This past December, SPACE held a 5K run for 125 runners on their Cottonwood Trail, located near Spartanburg High School on Lawson’s Fork Creek. The trail is SPACE’s signature property, 110 acres near downtown Spartanburg that protects 1.5 miles along Lawson’s Fork Creek.

SPACE is actively working to protect watersheds and waterways, natural wildlife areas, historical places, and green space.

“We feel we provide a voice in the community for those topics,” said Walter.

The next year will bring new challenges and bigger goals as the conservancy hopes to protect 1,000 new acres within the year especially around waterways.

“We’re all about protecting new acres,” said Walter.  “We hope we’re thinking about the future before it’s too late.”