Boones Creek Preserve

• Location: Boones Creek Rd, Salem, SC

• Size: 41.2 acres

• Habitat: Hardwood forest, creeks

• Public Use: hiking only

• Partners: SC Conservation Bank, Duke Energy’s KTHEP, Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation, Oconee Forever, Gilliam Newberry, Friends of Jocassee, David and Betsy George, Carter Thomasson, the SC Native Plant Society,

• Year Protected: 2019

Boones Creek is a major tributary of Lake Keowee, winding through the rural foothills on the edge of the Jocassee Valley, under mature hardwood canopies and through picturesque waterfalls. The banks of this creek are some of the southernmost habitat for the Oconee Bell and some of the few privately-owned native populations of the plant.  The creek bisects properties that have been held for generations in large to moderate-sized tracts and boasts a healthy and wooded riparian buffer through nearly 90% of its course, delivering clean and cool water to the lake.

The 40-acre Boones Creek property went on the market in 2019 and we were urged by a local resident and conservationist, Cyd Philips, to purchase and protect the property. She painstakingly documented thousands of plants along the creek, hoping their presence would help prevent the land from being developed. It was the first time Naturaland Trust has had an opportunity to acquire land with the iconic flower growing in significant populations and we took the project on with vigor.

With a short purchase window, we got to work raising the funding through an incredible network of generous individuals and local groups. We took out a loan to close on the property while we continued to raise funds with our state and local agencies. These 40 acres started a conservation push to protect more of the plants and their habitat. Within the next year, Naturaland Trust protected the McKinney Creek Preserve (195 acres) and the Chapman Bridge Preserve (238 acres), totaling more than 470 acres of prime Oconee Bell habitat. It’s remarkable how much of a positive impact one person can have on a community. Had Cyd Philips not reached out to us and continued her pursuit of documenting the plants, we might not have ever started working in this area and these properties might have been lost forever.

Thank you to all of our generous supporters: Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation, Gilliam Newberry, Friends of Jocassee, David and Betsy George, Carter Thomasson, the SC Native Plant Society, SC Conservation Bank, Duke Energy’s KTHEP.

“Duke Energy and the Keowee-Toxaway HEP Proposal Review Committee strongly support the Naturaland Trust for leading this land acquisition for the continued protection and enhancement of terrestrial and aquatic habitat and the water quality of upper Lake Keowee. These environmental investments also help inform the public about the benefits of land conservation to protect healthy watersheds and habitat.” says Mike Abney, senior environmental resource manager.

Boones Creek Expansion

The Boone Creek Expansion is part of a multi-year effort to protect the habitat and hydrology that sustain the iconic Oconee bell. Though just 1.2 acres, this small parcel is an important addition to Naturaland Trust’s existing 40-acre preserve. The property provides an important buffer against encroaching development and prevents what was slated to become two new homesites directly adjacent to sensitive habitat.

Shortly after the Trust secured funding to establish the Boone Creek Oconee Bell Preserve, Cyd personally purchased the adjoining 1.2 acres to safeguard the preserve’s integrity. Seven years later, she is offering to sell the property to Naturaland Trust at her original purchase price of $40,000 — an extraordinary act of generosity and conservation leadership.

Naturaland Trust will incorporate the tract into the existing preserve and manage it specifically for the benefit of the Oconee bell and other native species. In addition, the Trust plans to restore the pasture for northern bobwhite quail, which have been documented on the property, creating suitable habitat with the goal of reestablishing a breeding population. Together, this small but strategic expansion strengthens long-term protection for one of South Carolina’s rarest plants and iconic bird species and honors the grassroots conservation spirit that made it possible.