Conservation runs in the family; Wyches honored for decades of environmental protection
The Chattooga River awaited Brad and Tommy Wyche as they readied for a canoe trip through some of the most challenging whitewater rapids in the southern Appalachians.
Brad Wyche tied basketball knee pads to his legs, gripped his paddle tightly and braced for the crashing torrent. The canoe shot through the rapids, bouncing and jostling them all the way, before finally reaching calmer water downstream.
That day as a teenager in 1965 is one of the lasting memories Brad Wyche has of the time he shared with his father, who spent four decades working to protect South Carolina’s environment.
Brad Wyche, outgoing director of the environmental group Upstate Forever, and his late father, Tommy, both were honored Wednesday by the Conservation Voters of South Carolina.
The Conservation Voters gave Brad Wyche its environmental advocacy award, while recognizing Tommy Wyche with a lifetime conservation award.
“Dad is the reason I am in the conservation business,’’ the younger Wyche told The State newspaper. “He loved the outdoors. I was hiking and canoeing and backpacking with him when I was very young.
“From a very early age, he inspired me to work in the conservation field.’’
Tommy Wyche, one of the Upstate’s most prominent environmentalists, died earlier this year at age 88.
Others honored by the Conservation Voters at Wednesday’s luncheon included state Rep. William Clyburn, D-Aiken; Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter; Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg; and Sen. Joel Lourie, a Richland County Democrat who will retire from the Senate next year.
In comments at Wednesday’s luncheon, Brad Wyche said his father was inspired to protect South Carolina’s mountains after a 1973 business trip to Los Angeles, where he was “horrified’’ by the scale of development in the surrounding hills.
“That,’’ Brad Wyche said, “profoundly changed his life. For the next 40 years, he was a conservation advocate.’’
Tommy Wyche, through a group he founded called the Naturaland Trust, is credited with helping save 100,000 acres of mountain property in northwest South Carolina. That includes property in and around Caesar’s Head, an iconic mountain north of Greenville, as well as the Jocassee Gorges, an area of mountains and valleys near Pickens that includes the state’s highest peak, Sassafras Mountain.
Brad Wyche, a 65-year-old Greenville resident, is a former chairman of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control Board and a state Coastal Council member, but he is perhaps best known for his work at Upstate Forever.
The regional conservation group he founded in 1998 now extends to 10 counties and is a major player in environmental issues across the region. Its biggest efforts have been fighting sprawl and protecting land.
Among its achievements was establishing the Swamp Rabbit Trail, a hiking and biking corridor that links downtown Greenville with Traveler’s Rest. The group also was instrumental in securing the Nine Times property, along with Tommy Wyche, for protection along S.C. 11 at the base of the Southern Appalachians in Pickens County.
Brad Wyche, a former Conservation Voters board member, said it was time to turn over day-to-day operation of Upstate Forever to a new director, but he said he will remain with the group as a senior advisor once he retires as director next month. Wyche is married to Diane Smock. The couple have with two grown children. He also has a sister, who is involved in conservation efforts.
“I’m going to remain actively involved,’’ Wyche said of his new role with Upstate Forever. “It’s not a true retirement.’’
Wednesday’s Conservation Voters awards event, known as the Green Tie luncheon, is a major fundraiser for the CVSC, a political umbrella organization for state environmental groups. The luncheon raises about $50,000 each year. The luncheon attracted about 400 people Wednesday to 701 Whaley in Columbia.
The luncheon’s sponsors included a variety of interests, ranging from Lancaster County gold mine owner Romarco Minerals and power company SCE&G to Half Moon Outfitters and the Southern Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit legal service. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and DHEC Director Catherine Heigel, who sometimes are at odds with environmentalists, attended the luncheon.
Green in the Upstate
Greenville resident Brad Wyche and his late father, Tommy, were recognized by the Conservation Voters of South Carolina this week for decades of work to protect the environment of South Carolina. Brad Wyche founded Upstate Forever. Tommy Wyche founded the Naturaland Trust. Between the two of them, they are credited with:
▪ Protecting about 100,000 acres of mountain land, including property at Caesar’s Head, Jones Gap and the Jocassee Gorges in Greenville, Pickens and Oconee counties
▪ Establishing the Swamp Rabbit Trail, a now popular hiking and biking corridor between downtown Greenville and Travelers Rest.
▪ Brokering about 100 conservation easements, voluntary agreements by landowners to limit development on their property
▪ Supporting legislation to save mountain ridges and protect rural land
▪ Restoring more than a half-mile of trout habitat on the Saluda River in the Upstate
▪ Establishing a bike-share program in the Greenville area
▪ Pushing efforts to limit sprawl in the Upstate
This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 4:19 PM.