A Florida couple bought a 45-acre swamp to protect it from development; 15 years later, 275 wood storks were nesting there in a thriving ecosystem filled with wildlife

A Florida couple bought a 45-acre swamp to protect it from development; 15 years later, 275 wood storks were nesting there in a thriving ecosystem filled with wildlife

Jim Stevenson (left) and Tara Tanaka (right) at their wildlife sanctuary in Florida. A Florida couple made an unusual decision more than a decade ago when they bought a 45-acre cypress swamp beside their home in Tallahassee, Florida, rather than allowing the land to be cleared or developed. Jim Stevenson and Tara Tanaka purchased the … Read more

In 1968, a California landowner demanded $100 an acre for land inside Pinnacles that officials valued at $17; a year later the Park Service paid more than $46 an acre and bought the parcel for $7,400

In 1968, a California landowner demanded $100 an acre for land inside Pinnacles that officials valued at $17; a year later the Park Service paid more than $46 an acre and bought the parcel for $7,400

In 1968, a California landowner demanded $100 an acre for land inside Pinnacles that officials valued at $17; A long legal and property dispute between the US federal government and Utah businessman Dean Brimhall over commercial activities on protected land ended with a $400,000 buyout and the demolition of several private facilities near the park … Read more

In 1964, Elizabeth Hird and her husband bought Connecticut’s Outer Island; in 1995 she donated it in his memory so it could remain protected for wildlife, research and education

In 1964, Elizabeth Hird and her husband bought Connecticut's Outer Island; in 1995 she donated it in his memory so it could remain protected for wildlife, research and education

Connecticut’s Outer Island (Image Credit: outerisland.org) In 1964, Elizabeth Hird and her husband, Basil Rauch, purchased Outer Island as a summer retreat in Connecticut’s Thimble Islands. More than three decades later, Hird made a decision that transformed the island’s future: in 1995, she donated it to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in memory of … Read more

Australian family bought a remote island to run a sheep farm, now they are turning it into a $4.8 million conservation sanctuary for endangered wildlife

Australian family bought a remote island to run a sheep farm, now they are turning it into a $4.8 million conservation sanctuary for endangered wildlife

An Australian family who once built their life around sheep farming on a remote island are now helping give the same place a completely different future. Peter and Pamela Woolford took over Flinders Island off South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula and raised their family there while running a Merino sheep station. Nearly five decades later, the … Read more