White Branch / Keasler Tract

White Branch is a critical connection to the state-owned Jocassee Gorges Wilderness Area and protects important viewsheds along Scenic Highway 11. With this project and the 189-acre Little Eastatoee project, we will be able to connect the 1,650-acre Nine Times Forest that we own and manage, and The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Nine Times Preserve with SCDNR’s Jocassee Gorges. From a wildlife and habitat connectivity standpoint, this is remarkable, and the benefits are not just for large land mammals like bears and deer. White Branch is named after the stream that flows through the property, one of several streams on the property, totaling over 4,000 linear feet that flow into the Little Eastatoee, a trout stream.

This opportunity comes at an important time for Pickens County, its residents, and this area of Highway 11. Over the last ten years, rural land and large tracts along Highway 11 have been fragmented and developed, concerning residents and Scenic Byway travelers. Despite the scenic designation, these areas have no land use or zoning controls. Clear-cuts and loss of riparian habitats have negatively impacted water quality and diminished the scenic attributes of several sections along the Byway. Earlier this year, a grassroots effort led by local citizens pleaded with the County Council to adopt restrictions that would prevent further fragmentation and harm to this section of iconic roadway. Until the County decides on the next steps, there is no concerted effort to protect the Byway’s essential character other than that of Naturaland Trust and its partners, including the Scenic Byways Grant program and the Conservation Bank. Additionally, this property allows us to create a vital wildlife corridor between privately protected and state-protected land.