Our Commitment to the Environment
For decades, Wyche has led the effort to make Greenville and its surroundings truly green. Wyche’s offices are on the banks of the Reedy River, and Wyche’s attorneys and their families have worked to clean up what was once the most polluted river in South Carolina. Now, the Reedy is a showplace for Greenville and the heart of a beautiful city park. Wyche and its clients enjoy the views of two great waterfalls in the center of the city, right below our offices.
In 1975, our senior member, Tommy Wyche, founded Naturaland Trust, one of the region’s oldest land trusts. The Blue Ridge Mountains are just a few miles from our Greenville office, and the mission of Naturaland Trust from the beginning has been the protection of those special mountains. Their preservation is particularly important because they are part of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, an area of global importance because of its biological diversity.
Tommy’s work has led to the protection of tens of thousands of acres of South Carolina’s Blue Ridge Escarpment. He has played a key role in ensuring future generations will enjoy iconic natural areas including Caesar’s Head State Park, Jones Gap State Park, and Raven Cliff Falls. His years of advocacy led to South Carolina’s acquisition of the Jocassee Gorges, a beautiful expanse of mountains in nearby Pickens County. Tommy is also an accomplished nature photographer and the author of a number of books, including South Carolina’s Mountain Wilderness – The Blue Ridge Escarpment, The Blue Wall – Wilderness of the Carolinas and Georgia, guide to the Mountain Bridge Trails, Mosaic – 21 Special Places in the Carolinas, Cycles of Nature, and Quiet Reflections. His work has been recognized nationally; he has received the Gulf Oil National Conservation Award, The Nature Conservancy Oak Leaf Award, and the Alexander Calder Conservation Award, among others.
Others in the firm have followed in Tommy Wyche’s footsteps. Cary Hall has been a leader in the effort to establish the Palmetto Trail from South Carolina’s coast to its mountains and served as chair of the board of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation. Cary has personally carved miles of trails so that hikers can enjoy the beauty of South Carolina’s mountains.
Frank Holleman was the spokesman for conservation groups that fought to acquire and protect Stumphouse Mountain in nearby Oconee County, an effort that resulted in the protection of almost 1000 historic mountain acres. Frank has also served as President of Friends of the Reedy River and Chair of the Advisory Board of Audubon South Carolina. He is the recipient of the Volunteer of the Year Award from Upstate Forever and the Water Conservationist of the Year Award from the South Carolina Wildlife Federation.
Our former colleague Brad Wyche left our firm ten years ago to form Upstate Forever, which is now the leading organization in Upstate South Carolina advocating for wise growth and conservation policies. Wyche, and many of our individual attorneys, have supported Upstate Forever’s projects.
Wyche also has a Green Committee that works to ensure that our law firm operations reflect Wyche’s deep commitment to protecting the environment of the area where we live and work.