An effort is underway to secure the
Scenic River designation for parts of the Pacolet River and Lawson’s
Fork Creek. The effort includes the work of many
individuals including Wofford English professor John Lane,
director of the upcoming Glendale Shoals Environmental
Studies program; Terry Ferguson, a Wofford geology and
anthropology professor; Spartanburg County Councilman
David Britt; Dr. B.G. Stephens, a Glendale native and a
board member of the Spartanburg Area Conservancy, or
SPACE; Pacolet Mayor Elaine
Harris and SPACE Executive Director Mary Walter.
A designation as a state scenic river, they hope, will
breathe new life into the waters that meander along the
county's eastern edge and could provide recreational
opportunities such as kayaking, canoeing and cultural
heritage tours. The residents say the designation, a
program of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, will
not only breed new interest in the waterway but also lead
to a long-term river management plan to preserve the river
and bordering land for future generations.
The goal of the state's Scenic Rivers Program is to
conserve heritage through proper management of the natural
and cultural character of river corridors through
voluntary cooperation with the community and landowners.
The Middle Saluda River in Jones Gap State Park became the
state's first scenic river in 1978, followed by eight
other river segments: the Ashley, Black, Broad, Great Pee
Dee, Little Pee Dee, Little Pee Dee of Dillon County,
Saluda and Lynches.
Areas Being Considered
The river segments under consideration for the scenic
river designation are the Pacolet River from Clifton to
Pacolet and Lawson's Fork Creek, which runs through Glendale before
emptying into the river.
Spartanburg County Council has already given the project
its blessing. Britt, whose trip down the river was his
first paddling venture, called the day "an adventure he
cherished." Now, he's already looking to buy two kayaks
for himself and his wife.
"It was like finding gold in Spartanburg County," he said.
"The Pacolet River, the Tyger River - the rivers we have
are untapped treasure that's just waiting for us to
utilize."
Kayaking and canoeing opportunities are limited along the
river because of the lack of public access points, said
Jeff Caton, executive director of the Spartanburg County
Parks and Recreation Commission. One project the county
envisions for the future is a regional park somewhere
along the Pacolet River corridor, but first the commission
wants input from potential users on what type park they
would prefer. At Glendale Shoals, families bring children
to Lawson's Fork Creek to wade in the water and hop across
rocks. Wildflowers line the banks, and the remains of the
old Glendale Mill tower nearby.
Pacolet Mayor Elaine Harris, who has helped spearhead the
effort, said the idea of the scenic river designation came
from an Urban Land Institute study that suggested
promoting the blueway as part of a revitalization plan.
"Assets that we have are the natural resources and our
cultural heritage, cultural heritage being the textile
industry, Native Americans -
there are 13 sites along the Pacolet River between here
(Pacolet) and Glendale that are on the National Register
of Historic Places - and life has been recorded at 10,000
years ago," she said.
Designation Process
A written request to DNR is the first step in initiating
the process of designating a waterway a scenic river in
South Carolina. Next comes an eligibility study by DNR's
Scenic Rivers Program staff, landowner notification, a
public meeting, a scenic river designation by the General
Assembly, the appointment of an advisory council and the
creation of a management plan.
The designation comes hand-in-hand with the Scenic Rivers
Stewardship Program, which focuses on education and
landowner contact. DNR employees attempt to build a
relationship with the landowners to further the river's
management goals. The landowner may choose, if he or she
wishes to participate, among four land management options:
a voluntary land registration in which the landowner
agrees to manage land in concert with the scenic river
goals, a memorandum of agreement in which the landowner
agrees to manage the property in accordance with best
management practices and a conservation easement or a
donation of land.
Mary Crockett, DNR's Scenic Rivers Program coordinator,
said the eligibility study won't begin until at least next
year due to staff and budget constraints. One central
benefit of the program is that DNR assists in writing a
management plan for the river, with community and
landowner input, and provides technical assistance to the
advisory council.
"The main thrust of the program is community management of
the river," Crockett said. "It's a voluntary thing. A
designation has no regulations with it. It's a community
way of conserving the river. It's like a grassroots kind
of conservation. It's strictly voluntary. What a scenic
river designation does do is bring attention to the area."
Landowner Involvement
SPACE Executive Director Mary Walter, who is leading the
local task force, said the study will consider wildlife,
botany, geology, recreational opportunities, pure beauty,
water quality and buffer zones from development. If the
Pacolet reaches scenic river status, she said, landowners
will be encouraged to help preserve the area.
"We hope that they will change any bad habits, for
instance, like fertilizing right next to the river," she
said. "That's just going to wash right into the river and
taint the water quality. They really need to leave a good,
safe buffer. We like to promote 200 feet, 100 feet would
be great. But the bigger buffer you have, it's a natural
filter for what happens and goes down into the water.
Obviously what we're trying to get here is safer, cleaner
water but also to provide the scenic benefits."
Landowner participation is voluntary, but proponents of
the designation hope to get as many on board as possible.
The designation can actually bring less burden and more
benefit to the landowner, Walter said. "I think that the
benefit is really just knowing they're doing the right
thing, doing a good thing by protecting the view-shed and
the natural characteristics of their land," she said. "...
There are a lot of people and property owners that are
worried about what's going to happen to their family land
long after they're gone, so if they can take the necessary
steps to know that it's going to be protected after
they're long gone, it gives them peace of mind."
The Future
In the end, the Pacolet River hasn't told its last story,
Harris said. "We feel like cultural heritage tours,
ecotourism with kayaking and canoeing, those things that
are centered around the river, this wonderful natural
resource, can help to create a new industry here in
Pacolet, connecting with our neighbors, like Glendale and
Clifton, to help re-tell their stories for
revitalization," she said. "I think I get my most
enjoyment in sharing the stories that we have here. And
just the ruins - a lot of time people think ruins are just
not useful, but they are. They have a story to tell.
"And if we preserve those stories, they can be passed on
from generation to generation. That's a way to preserve a
wonderful way of life that was here, whether you want to
look back 100 years or 10,000 years."
(This information is based on
a story in the Spartanburg Herald newspaper on Sunday,
August 31, 2008.)
