Stumphouse Mountain and Issaqueena Falls Project

WALHALLA, SC — June 18, 2007 — A partnership of conservation organizations and government leaders from Oconee County unveiled today the Stumphouse Mountain and Issaqueena Falls Project, an initiative to establish a Heritage Preserve and a protected natural area of regional and statewide significance in Oconee County. If successful, the Project will consist of almost 1,000 acres. The total to protect this important site is $4.3 million. The press conference was held at the Oconee Heritage Center in downtown Walhalla.

The South Carolina chapter of The Nature Conservancy announced that it had entered into a contract to purchase a 511-acre private tract on Stumphouse Mountain adjacent to the old watershed property owned by the City of Walhalla.

Purchase of the 511-acre tract is made possible by the commitment of Oconee County families whose roots are based in the mountains and cultural heritage of the area. It was the wish of their forefathers for them to be wise stewards of the land. Representatives of these families have worked in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Upstate Forever for several months to bring this opportunity to fruition. These 511 acres include some of the most important natural and historical landmarks in South Carolina and Oconee County: Issaqueena Falls, over 100-foot waterfall and one of the state’s best known natural treasures; two of the three tunnels that were constructed prior to the Civil War to build a railroad from South Carolina to Tennessee; the old rail bed for the railroad, now a hiking trail; and sites important to Cherokee history. The property also includes the face of the Blue Ridge Mountains as viewed from SC Highway 28, numerous streams, towering hardwood forests, and valuable habitat for native plants, animals, and birds.

To fully protect Stumphouse Mountain and Isaqueena Falls will require a combination of public and private funds. The SC Department of Natural Resources has committed $1.5 million. The Graham Foundation, a private foundation based in Greenville that works to protect the environment, has made a grant of $180,000 to the Nature Conservancy for the acquisition. “The partnership is actively seeking donors to complete the project; with certain public grants pending we anticipate the remaining funds needed at $1.42 million. The project must be funded by August 29,” said Mark Robertson, Executive Director of South Carolina chapter of The Nature Conservancy. “The campaign to Save Stumphouse Mountain is underway.”

The Nature Conservancy, when successful in raising the necessary funds, expects to convey the tract to the SC Department of Natural Resources for a Heritage Preserve, in recognition of the importance of the area to the history and landscape of South Carolina and Oconee County. “The Stumphouse Mountain project is a great example of people in a community coming together to protect a local treasure, and the SCDNR is very pleased to be part of the process,” said John Frampton, Director of the SC Department of Natural Resources.

“One of South Carolina’s greatest treasures is the natural beauty of our surroundings,” said U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. “We have a responsibility to help ensure our state’s natural resources are preserved for the benefit of future generations. I commend the Nature Conservancy, Upstate Forever, DNR, Oconee County and the City of Walhalla for coming together to make this happen. I’m very pleased to see a commitment to protecting this area and the natural and historic landmarks it contains.”

These 511 acres are adjacent to the 440 acres of the old watershed property owned by the City of Walhalla. “The City of Walhalla and Upstate Forever, an upstate conservation organization, have joined in an application to the South Carolina Conservation Bank for a grant to fund a conservation easement on Walhalla’s watershed property of 440 acres,” said Brad Wyche, Executive Director of Upstate Forever. “If we receive the grant and if the Walhalla City Council votes to enter into the conservation easement, the two parcels together will protect 951 acres on Stumphouse Mountain.”

This project will protect the area near the famous Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel, which is one of the most visited historical sites in South Carolina. The City of Walhalla operates a city park at the tunnel and in an area around Issaqueena Falls. However, Issaqueena Falls is privately owned, and the Walhalla Park is leased by the City. Issaqueena Falls will be part of The Nature Conservancy's purchase, and as part of this project, The Nature Conservancy will donate Issaqueena Falls to the City of Walhalla, subject to the conservation easement. The Falls will be protected by the conservation easement, and the future of Walhalla’s park will be secured.

Expected to attend the announcement are: Senator Thomas Alexander; Representatives Bill Whitmire and Bill Sandifer; Oconee County Council Chair Marion Lyles, and other members of Oconee County Council; Walhalla Mayor Lamar Bailes and other members of Walhalla City Council; and representatives of Senator Lindsey Graham and Representative Gresham Barrett. The announcement will also be attended by leaders of the conservation groups participating in the Partnership for the Blue Ridge -- The Nature Conservancy, Upstate Forever, Naturaland Trust, Chattooga Conservancy, SC Department of Natural Resources, US Forest Service, SC Parks, Recreation and Tourism, and SC Forestry Commission -- as well as representatives of the Graham Foundation, the Oconee Preservation Unlimited Stewardship Trust, and local citizens who have made this project possible.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.