News

In McCormick County, near the banks of the upper Savannah River, 991.8 acres of undeveloped land will soon be protected by conservation easement. Ms. Della Coulter of Columbia, SC and a fifth-generation owner of the land, has partnered with the Upper Savannah Land Trust to obtain this easement and ensure her land legacy endures.

Lowcountry Land Trust is excited to announce the permanent protection of the 35-acre Holly Grove property, which will serve as an official addition to the Caw Caw Interpretive Center in Ravenel, South Carolina. In collaboration with the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission (CCPRC), this strategic acquisition expands public access to nature, enhances water quality, and ensures the long-term conservation of vital habitats in one of Charleston County’s most ecologically and recreationally valuable public spaces. Read the full story on the Lowcountry Land Trust website .

I. POSITION SUMMARY The Stewardship Manager plays an integral role in Upstate Forever’s Land Conservation program, the goal of which is to work with landowners and partners using a variety of conservation tools to permanently protect rivers and streams, natural and scenic areas, farmland, and wildlife habitat. This full-time position reports to the Director of Stewardship and Land Management and helps fulfill stewardship duties that ensure the conservation values for all protected properties are preserved. This position can be based out of Upstate Forever’s Greenville or Spartanburg office, however, travel throughout the ten-county Upstate SC region will be necessary. II. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES A. Conservation Easement Stewardship – Assist the Director of Stewardship and Land Management to ensure that all conservation easements (voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit uses of land to protect conservation values) are upheld by accomplishing the following tasks in close coordination with all Stewardship Staff: 1. Conduct annual monitoring visits, either on foot or remotely, to conservation easement properties within the ten counties of the Upstate region. 2. Prepare accurate and thorough monitoring reports using our web-based conservation software programs: Landscape and Lens. 3. Address landowner questions, reserved rights requests, submitted plans, and potential violations in a timely manner and in accordance with Upstate Forever policies. 4. Prevent violations by implementing landowner education strategies and building relationships with landowners. 5. Investigate and document potential easement violations and provide potential courses of action to Director of Stewardship and Land Management for consideration. 6. Conduct enforcement activities for violations, including investigation, making insurance claims, and tracking and reporting on ongoing litigation as needed. 7. Maintain professional and complete records in compliance with Land Trust Standards and Practices and Upstate Forever policies, documenting all activities on protected properties and all relevant correspondence with landowners. B. Stewardship Administration - Assist the Director of Stewardship and Land Management in administration of conservation easement stewardship. 1. Provide training and guidance to the Land Stewardship Specialist on responses to landowner rights requests, violation responses, and property transfer processes. 2. Assists Director of Stewardship and Land Management in creation of annual workplans and goal setting. 3. Manage the annual process of archiving documents in the offsite storage, including all permanent documentation of annual site visits, property transfers, reserved rights requests, violations, and ongoing litigation. 4. Manage administrative duties associated with conservation easement defense insurance. Submit, maintain, and track claims for conservation easement defense, provide quarterly updates to internal stakeholders, and prepare the annual application for insurance. 5. Streamline and refine stewardship processes across platforms with guidance from Director of Stewardship and Land Management. C. New Conservation Easement Transitioning – Handle all aspects of transitioning a new easement property from Outreach to Stewardship. 1. Send a stewardship welcome letter/packet to new easement landowners. 2. Create a reserved rights summary for each new easement property. 3. Meet with the landowner before or at the time of the first site visit. 4. Add new properties to the monitoring schedule, insurance application, and offsite storage spreadsheet. D. Property Transfers - Monitor property transfers and ensure easement terms are followed. 1. Assist landowners by communicating with potential buyers about the easement and its terms. 2. Manage property listings on Upstate Forever website. E. Communicate with landowner, agent, and/or closing attorney to ensure that easement terms are followed for lease or sale of the property. F. Outreach/Education – Maintain and strengthen relationships with current and potential easement landowners and the public. 1. Assist landowners with third-party problems affecting the easement property. 2. Manage volunteer communications and recordkeeping for the Stewardship program. 3. Assist the Director of Stewardship and Land Management with the planning and coordination of volunteer workdays. 4. Attend volunteer workdays. 5. Assist with publications or programs for easement landowners, such as the Steward newsletter. 6. Attend initial site visits with Outreach Staff to make strengthened connections with potential landowners. G. Land Trust Accreditation, Standards and Practices – Assist Director of Stewardship and Land Management in upholding the Accredited status of Upstate Forever’s Land Conservation program according to the Land Trust Alliance Land Trust Standards and Practices. H. Other Responsibilities – Perform additional work assigned by the Director of Land Stewardship and Land Management. Attend Upstate Forever events such as Land Trust Days, the Forever Green Luncheon, Annual Meeting, and Wyche Society Receptions. III. Essential Qualifications A. Experience – Four to five years of experience in a relevant field. Clear understanding of conservation easement stewardship. B. Organizational Skills – Strong organizational and time management skills. Ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple unique tasks with a strong attention to detail. C. Technical Skills – Proficiency with general office and computer skills (including Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and Adobe Acrobat). Working knowledge of or willingness to build familiarity with ArcGIS, and database software. Ability to quickly adopt and use new software and hardware tools as necessary. Demonstrates initiative to pursue training on topics that would advance the department. D. People Skills – Demonstrated ability to interact with individuals from different backgrounds, ages, and socio-economic levels in a manner that positively reflects the values of Upstate Forever; builds rapport well; shows respect for team members and an ability to foster and maintain an enjoyable, rewarding, and productive workplace. E. Communication & Feedback – Strong speaking, writing, and listening skills; able to effectively communicate Upstate Forever’s position with landowners and solve disputes while maintaining positive relationships; willingness to receive and apply constructive feedback. F. Self-Motivated and Problem Solver – Comfortable working independently on multiple projects simultaneously, ability to independently problem solve and a commitment to accuracy and integrity in all aspects of the job. G. Travel – Capable of independent travel around Upstate Forever’s ten-county region. Weekend work is needed on rare occasions, and overnight travel is limited primarily to conferences and professional development opportunities. H. Physical Mobility – Capable of lifting and carrying up to 20 lbs while traversing difficult terrain, including but not limited to steep, mountainous, forested, rocky, uneven, densely vegetated, trail-less, and/or marshy conditions, as well as stream and shallow river crossings, during various weather conditions. IV. Preferred Qualifications Any experience with a land trust program; familiarity with project management; real property legal knowledge, experience with nonprofit organizations and working knowledge of Upstate SC ecology, history, and issues. Applicants that possess the Essential Qualifications above but do not have the Preferred Qualifications should not be discouraged from applying as this scenario will not disqualify applicants from consideration for this position. V. COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS • $58,000 starting salary – negotiable depending on experience. • Benefits include health and dental insurance, paid time off/paid holidays, and a 401K with employer contribution. • Flexible workplace and scheduling (in accordance with company policy – the normal expectation is that staff are available during the standard workday for meetings and responses to time-sensitive requests). • Civic Days (up to 16 paid hours per year for civic and/or community service). To apply, upload a cover letter and resume to the Bamboo Platform here: https://upstateforever.bamboohr.com/careers/31?source=aWQ9Mjc%3D by 5:00 p.m. on November 21. No phone calls, please. A limited number of candidates will be interviewed, tentatively scheduled to take place in early December. A hiring decision is anticipated in late December to accommodate a desired start date by January 5. Remote work policy: Subject to coordination with and approval by supervisor, an employee may regularly work remotely up to four days per week and is required to work from the office one day per week, in addition to attending necessary internal and external in-person meetings. When working remotely, employees must clearly communicate their availability and means of being contacted. Likewise, employees must be reasonably accessible and responsive to internal and external communication. Employees are responsible for their own phone and internet expenses enabling remote work. DEI Commitment: Upstate Forever is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are taking deliberate steps to build authentic community partnerships and cultivate new leaders at all levels of our organization – from our membership to our staff to our board – to ensure that we better represent the community we serve. Upstate Forever is an equal opportunity employer. Upstate Forever is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects the critical lands, waters, and unique character of Upstate South Carolina.

South Carolina is a uniquely conservation-minded state with abundant opportunities to not only enjoy recreational activities on protected land, but also to join the growing workforce behind land protection. Often, park rangers, the forest service, or the DNR stand out as the obvious routes for young folks entering the conservation field. Such organizations are essential. But perhaps less commonly considered is the world of land trusts, and specifically stewardship. For those interested, here’s a look inside.