Meet Kimberley and Billy Campbell, MD
Dr. Billy Campbell
“It’s been a 40-year trip for us. Our original intention was to bury people to save land. First was a stillborn child of friends, then a friend from a car accident solidified the rightness of it. When you bury the first body it changes the feel of the land. Connecting people to the land was always at the core.”
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Kimberley Campbell
“What is wonderful are the people we have been involved with. There is a sense of responsibility in not being too intrusive or overbearing, but also you realize the gentle quiet and strength of the whole thing. If it can work in South Carolina, it can work anywhere.”
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Ramsey Creek Preserve History
Visitors are welcome to walk the many trails that run throughout the property
Memorial Ecosystems, Inc., formed Ramsey Creek Preserve in 1996, the first green cemetery in the United States. The preserve was formed to harness the funeral industry for land protection and restoration, to fund non-profits, education, the arts and scientific research, and to provide a less expensive and more meaningful burial option.
Ramsey Creek Preserve is also the first conservation burial ground in the United States, and arguably, the world. The original 33 acre site opened in 1998, protecting a quarter mile of Ramsey Creek. The preserve currently consists of 78 acres, with 75 designated for conservation burial.
In 2006, Ramsey Creek Preserve worked with the South Carolina-based non-profit land trust Upstate Forever to craft an agreement that permanently ensures that the site will be forever wild. The agreement includes a legal fund to protect the site no matter what becomes of Memorial Ecosystems’ current management. Ramsey Creek also became the Green Burial Council’s first Certified Conservation Burial Ground in the US with the culmination of the protection agreement.
Ramsey Creek has served as a laboratory for developing the specific techniques for green interment and project design. It was here that Billy developed most of the standards for what is now known as conservation burial. He has spoken to numerous groups over the years, including the Natural Areas Association, the Society for Ecological Restoration, the Land Trust Alliance, and many others. The Campbells have also participated the development of many other functioning projects.
Ramsey Creek Preserve is also the first conservation burial ground in the United States, and arguably, the world. The original 33 acre site opened in 1998, protecting a quarter mile of Ramsey Creek. The preserve currently consists of 78 acres, with 75 designated for conservation burial.
In 2006, Ramsey Creek Preserve worked with the South Carolina-based non-profit land trust Upstate Forever to craft an agreement that permanently ensures that the site will be forever wild. The agreement includes a legal fund to protect the site no matter what becomes of Memorial Ecosystems’ current management. Ramsey Creek also became the Green Burial Council’s first Certified Conservation Burial Ground in the US with the culmination of the protection agreement.
Ramsey Creek has served as a laboratory for developing the specific techniques for green interment and project design. It was here that Billy developed most of the standards for what is now known as conservation burial. He has spoken to numerous groups over the years, including the Natural Areas Association, the Society for Ecological Restoration, the Land Trust Alliance, and many others. The Campbells have also participated the development of many other functioning projects.
Upstate Forever
We are deeply grateful to Upstate Forever for their vital partnership. As a nonprofit conservation group, they work with landowners, communities, local stakeholders, municipalities, like-minded businesses, and partner nonprofits to protect critical lands, waters, and the unique character of South Carolina.
Upstate Forever holds the easement on the property, which they describe as "a voluntary contract between a landowner and a qualified land trust that allows the landowner to legally restrict certain land uses from occurring on their property. This agreement is permanent and remains with the land even after it has been sold or willed to heirs. Conservation agreements typically prevent land uses such as residential subdivisions, commercial or industrial operations, and mining, while allowing traditional rural land uses, such as farming, grazing, hunting, and timbering to continue. Upstate Forever works primarily to secure easements for lands that are the most critical in terms of habitat and water quality."
For more information, please visit their website or call 864.327.0090.
Upstate Forever holds the easement on the property, which they describe as "a voluntary contract between a landowner and a qualified land trust that allows the landowner to legally restrict certain land uses from occurring on their property. This agreement is permanent and remains with the land even after it has been sold or willed to heirs. Conservation agreements typically prevent land uses such as residential subdivisions, commercial or industrial operations, and mining, while allowing traditional rural land uses, such as farming, grazing, hunting, and timbering to continue. Upstate Forever works primarily to secure easements for lands that are the most critical in terms of habitat and water quality."
For more information, please visit their website or call 864.327.0090.
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