The massive southeast-facing front of the Blue Ridge Mountains is the focus of The Wilderness Society's work in South Carolina. Known to the Cherokee as the "Blue Wall," it's where the mountains fall sharply to the Piedmont. Many are surprised to find mountains at all in South Carolina, more surprised still to see they're as wild as they are.

Blue Ridge Escarpment and the Sumter National Forest
A quick look at a map tells the ecological importance of the Andrew Pickens District of the Sumter National Forest in northwestern South Carolina. The Andrew Pickens District is the wild southeastern "wall" of the largest contiguous group of national forests east of the Mississippi.
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Wilderness: South Carolina Needs More of It
Today, less than one percent of the Sumter National Forest is protected as Wilderness. That tiny Wilderness is on the Andrew Pickens District and so are the forest's only roadless areas which are few and small. South Carolina conservationists want more mountain Wilderness in their state and look to the Andrew Pickens provide it.
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South Carolina's Mountain Treasures
As one of a series that covers the Southern Appalachians, The Wilderness Society has published "South Carolina's Mountain Treasures: the Unprotected Wildlands of the Andrew Pickens District of the Sumter National Forest." The report describes and defines areas on the district that qualify for and need protection as Wilderness. For your free copy, contact our Southeast Regional Office by email or by calling  404-872-9453.

Our Partners in South Carolina
The Wilderness Society works with numerous conservation organizations in South Carolina, including: South Carolina Forest Watch, Chattooga Conservancy, and Sierra Club--Foothills Chapter.
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