OPUS TRUST
OPUS Trust
Est. 2004
Mission Statement
Our mission is to preserve as much of the natural and cultural landscape as we can in our local area and beyond.
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The pressure put on natural and rural areas is great, and each preservation project has its own individual merits. If you have a property you would like to see protected, we can discuss options with you for preservation planning.
Seeing the need for a local voice for conservation in Oconee and Pickens counties in South Carolina, OPUS Trust was formed to help protect open space, natural areas and histroic structures. The board consists of seven members and has an executive director. Meetings are held quarterly and are open to the public.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Our work began in earnest in 2007 when we helped to lead a grassroots movement to save Stumphouse Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls in Oconee County which was threatened by a gated development plan. OPUS Trust, Naturaland Trust, Upstate Forever, the Nature Conservancy, Concerned Citizens For Conservation, and countless individuals from across the nation formed a coalition, fought the development, raised $4.2 million and placed a conservation easement on 100 acres protecting this iconic parcel into perpetuity.
OPUS Trust helped replace the roof of the Walhalla Civic Auditorium through a series of concerts and through fundraising from the second Tamassee Craft Brew Festival. OPUS Trust was instrumental in the development of the idea for The Oconee County Conservation Bank, an entity which now provides some funding help for conservation easements and other preservation projects through a strict application process. OPUS Trust helped in the initial fundraising for the restoration of the Tamassee-Salem School Auditorium, which is now open under the 501c3 Eagles Nest Art Center.
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The current OPUS project is the creation of a museum to display artifacts and share the story of the Civilian Conservation Corps work program in the 1930s that provided young men jobs.
Photo Credit: Lake Hartwell Country
PRESERVATION OPTIONS
WE CAN SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT:
CONSERVATION EASEMENTS
FEE SIMPLE CONSERVATION PURCHASES
OUTRIGHT EASEMENT DONATIONS
DIRECT DONATIONS TO PRESERVATION ENTITY
WE CAN HELP YOU PRESERVE:
FARM LAND
, OPEN SPACE
HISTORICAL STRUCTURES,
CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES