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Conservation Groups and United Methodist Church Protect almost 2,000-Acre Asbury Hills Camp and Retreat Center near Caesars Head State Park

NOVEMBER 19, 2007 — Greenville County, SC — The South Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Naturaland Trust, and Asbury Hills Camp and Retreat Center of the United Methodist Church announced today they have entered into an agreement to preserve the almost 2,000 acre Asbury Hills Camp and Retreat Center located off of Hwy 276 at the base of Caesars Head State Park.  The 1,892-acre Camp and Retreat Center is now protected by a conservation easement, which allows the Center to continue to operate but will protect the property forever from harmful development.

This historic agreement was made possible by three significant gifts:  1. The South Carolina Conservation Bank awarded The Nature Conservancy a grant of $3.75 million to fund the conservation easement.  These funds will enable the United Methodist Church to refurbish the Camp and Retreat Center.  2.  Naturaland Trust, a Greenville land trust, donated to the United Methodist Camp a neighboring 202 acres, known as Sky Ranche, which will now be part of the Asbury Hills Camp and Retreat Center and which will also be protected by the conservation easement.  3.  The Camp entered into the conservation easement to protect its property at a “bargain sale” price, less than the appraised value of the conservation easement.  The generosity of all three organizations was essential to this major conservation accomplishment.

The Asbury Hills Camp and Retreat Center tract and Sky Ranche tract are some of the most significant conservation properties in the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment.  They are the latest addition to South Carolina’s Mountain Bridge Wilderness, a series of protected properties in the South Carolina Mountains.  This site is critical to the viewshed from Caesars Head State Park, one of the most celebrated views in the Southern Blue Ridge.  The camp is a keystone tract connecting other protected lands in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness, including the Greenville watershed lands, state Heritage Preserves, and State Parks. The property also harbors one of the most outstanding mountain streams for native brook trout fishing in the state, Matthews Creek, which has been designated by SC-DHEC as “Outstanding State Waters.”

The Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area includes the tremendous geologic uplifts of Table Rock and Caesar’s Head. In addition, it encompasses the headwaters and river system of the Saluda River, and has been designated by The National Audubon Society as an Important Bird Area. The Nature Conservancy has identified the Southern Blue Ridge as one of the most significant places in the world for its diverse wildlife and natural beauty meaning that immediate action is needed to protect its natural diversity of plants and animals.

“These tracts are irreplaceable, because they complete a larger protected natural area of outstanding forests and streams,” said Mark Robertson, executive director of The Nature Conservancy-South Carolina. “They have been a protection priority of ours and of our partners for a long time.  The Nature Conservancy wants to thank the SC United Methodist Church for working with the conservation community on this effort. It is truly a gift for future generations.” The property will connect thousands of acres of protected natural lands across the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment.

“The United Methodist Church is committed to protecting God’s creation and setting aside space for people to come for renewal and refreshment.  These funds will allow us to refurbish and replace some of our aging structures to serve many generations to come.  This easement accomplishes both of these values,” said John Redmond, Board Chair of Camps and Retreats, SC United Methodist Camps and Retreat Ministries.

Tommy Wyche, President of Naturaland Trust, has worked on this project for over two decades.  Mr. Wyche explained the history of the project:  “In the early 1970's, as the concept of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness was beginning to take shape, two properties immediately became obvious as important to the success of the concept: the nearly 2,000 acres of the Asbury Hills Camp and the adjoining 202 acres, called Sky Ranche.  Early on, Naturaland Trust acquired the Sky Ranche land and began discussions with the Methodist Church looking toward a permanent protection of both properties.  It was always the intention of Naturaland Trust to donate the Sky Ranche acreage to the Church as part of the conservation concept.

“These important properties are contiguous to the Caesars Head park lands and beautiful views of the Church lands. They are integral to maintaining the unbroken connection of thousands of acres, which will now be protected from development.

“These discussions - always agreeable and looking to the goal of conservation - proceeded for these many years.  With the passage of the SC Conservation Bank Act, the goal for everyone became attainable.  The Nature Conservancy has been a constant partner in the efforts and was critical to the achievement. It has been a long-term effort among all of us and I am proud to have been a part of that team.”

The South Carolina Conservation Bank, which funded the conservation easement, was established by the General Assembly to fund the acquisition of land and conservation easements, in order to conserve South Carolina’s natural lands, water resources, historical sites, wildlife habitat, historical sites, prime farmlands and recreational sites. The SC Conservation Bank is funded by dedicating a portion of the state’s deed recording fee to a special trust fund; the Bank makes grants to fund voluntary acquisitions from willing landowners.

Statewide, South Carolina has one of the nation’s highest rural-to-urban land conversion rates and is expected to gain one million new residents in the next two decades. Land and forest fragmentation from corporate timberland sell-offs make it even more urgent that natural resources and landscapes like the SC United Methodist Church tract are preserved.