When we think about wildlife conservation, we often think about education, land stewardship, and habitat creation, all of which our long-time Wildlife And Industry Together (WAIT) partner, Spartanburg Water, has been doing for decades. People connect to nature through education and outdoor experiences, and with this connection they gain a better understanding and love for the environment in which they live.

Through educational nature-related kayak paddles offered to the public, taking students from local schools onto a pontoon boat for “floating classrooms” to learn about water quality and ecology, and hosting a two-day event where approximately 200 employees remove 20,000 pounds of trash from the environment, Spartanburg Water provides opportunities to the community and their employees to connect with their local wildlife and the habitat in which it lives. Members of their team also visit local schools to teach them about water quality and ecology, enabling them to educate students from all grade levels in their community.

In addition to education, Spartanburg Water volunteers and employees enhance and improve habitat, provide nesting opportunities for local birds, and manage approximately 1,500 acres of forested property for a myriad of plant and animal species. By serving as a local oyster shell collection site for the SCORE program, and by constructing oyster reef beds with SCDNR at prime coastal areas, Spartanburg Water is participating in clean-water conservation efforts all across the state. They also host approximately 30 Wood Duck boxes on two of their reservoirs, provide nest boxes for Eastern Bluebirds, and have plans to host boxes for the Eastern Screech Owl on their Lake Blalock property, which just opened a public 2-mile nature loop in November of 2025.

With future plans to create demonstration areas to teach local students about forest management practices and water ecology, Spartanburg Water shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to connecting their community to its natural resources. Education and connection equals conservation, and the SCWF applauds Spartanburg Water’s efforts to educate its employees and its community about our amazing planet!