Terry Creek

The Terry Creek property encompasses 4.38 acres of active farmland and floodplain forest along Terry Creek, a historically cold-water stream that was once suitable for trout. Over time, erosion, upstream development, and poor land management practices have degraded the creek’s water quality and altered its natural flow. Terry Creek flows directly into the North Saluda River just downstream of this tract, and the North Saluda serves as a critical drinking water source for tens of thousands of people in Greenville County and the greater Upstate. Naturaland Trust has focused for over a decade on improving water quality in the North Saluda River and much of that effort is impacted by tributaries like Terry Creek. Protecting this land is essential to improving watershed health, stabilizing riparian soils, and restoring habitat within a sensitive and strategically important river basin.

This acquisition builds upon a larger, multi-year conservation initiative in the North Saluda watershed. Just to the north, Naturaland Trust protected the 218-acre Short Branch property last year, where a major dam removal restored natural stream flow and significantly improved aquatic conditions. The restored stream that leaves Short Branch converges directly with Terry Creek, making the protection of this property a logical and impactful next step in improving downstream water quality. The tract is also adjacent to publicly owned land held by Greenville County and sits within a broader landscape of protected lands and ongoing restoration efforts.

The Terry Creek property has already benefitted from collaborative stewardship. Earlier this year, Save Our Saluda completed a restoration project to stabilize eroding streambanks and replant native vegetation along this stretch of the creek. Once protected, Naturaland Trust will continue this restoration momentum by managing invasive species, including targeted kudzu control, and supporting the reestablishment of native riparian forest. Conserving this land ensures that these ongoing efforts are durable and that the ecological improvements already underway are not undermined by future development or land disturbance. In addition to its water quality benefits, this property plays an important role in flood resilience. Protecting the floodplain allows the creek to access its natural overflow areas during heavy rain events, reducing downstream flood impacts and improving long-term watershed stability. As development continues in the region, conserving floodplain lands like this is vital to maintaining the natural systems that protect downstream communities, infrastructure, and water resources.

By securing the Terry Creek property, Naturaland Trust helps safeguard drinking water supplies, restore a degraded trout stream system, expand a growing network of conservation lands, and reinforce a strong, community-driven partnership in watershed restoration. This project demonstrates how targeted land protection, active stewardship, and collaborative investment can achieve lasting ecological, community, and water resource benefits for the North Saluda basin and the people who depend on it.