About: Conestee Nature Preserve is along three miles of the Reedy River in Conestee, South Carolina, with 13 miles of trails, more than 6 miles of them paved, 1 mile of boardwalk, and 11 wildlife observation decks. It is a 640-acre nonprofit owned and operated wildlife sanctuary located just five miles south of downtown Greenville. The Preserve is an area of a variety of bird species, including a vulnerable species, the rusty blackbird.
The Preserve emerged from what was once considered a polluted and unwanted property. Over the years, a small nonprofit organization has purchased, restored, expanded and improved the Preserve’s acreage.
In the late 1800s, the current Conestee Dam was built on the Reedy River in order to provide power to Conestee Mill. For many decades, the Reedy carried industrial and municipal pollution downstream to Conestee. Much of this pollution settled out behind the dam, as waters slowed there. By 1920 it had grown intolerable to the Conestee community. The water had a terrible odor and all the fish had died. The town of Conestee sued the City of Greenville, eventually winning the lawsuit, but by then the Great Depression had impacted industry and the mill never fully recovered. Much of that legacy contamination still rests, buried and capped beneath the scenic woods and waters within the Preserve. As long as the sediment containing these contaminants are undisturbed, they cause no harm. A Nature Preserve is the perfect use of this land, as soils remain intact, waterways are protected, and wildlife and habitat thrive and flourish where pollution once threatened natural systems.
Location: 840 Mauldin Road, Greenville, SC; Office: 480 Conestee Road, Greenville, SC; Phone: 864-277-2004; Mail: Post Office Box 3, Conestee, SC 29636.
Link: https://www.conesteepreserve.org/
