In 2011, Illinois businessman Jim Bolin built a record-breaking wind chime to draw travelers into Casey; 15 years later, his project had grown to 21 giant objects and 12 Guinness records

In 2011, Illinois businessman Jim Bolin built a record-breaking wind chime to draw travelers into Casey; 15 years later, his project had grown to 21 giant objects and 12 Guinness records

Bolin, the creator of “Big Things in a Small Town”, died in January 2026 (Guinness world records photos) A small Illinois town found a new way to attract visitors when businessman Jim Bolin built a giant wind chime. Over the years, businessman Bolin turned that idea into a collection of oversized everyday objects that made … Read more

At 15, Jim Bishop bought 2.5 Colorado acres with $450 he earned mowing lawns and delivering papers; 10 years later, he began a stone castle that he spent 50 years turning into the world’s largest one-man project

At 15, Jim Bishop bought 2.5 Colorado acres with $450 he earned mowing lawns and delivering papers; 10 years later, he began a stone castle that he spent 50 years turning into the world’s largest one-man project

Nestled in the Wet Mountains of Colorado, at an elevation of 9000, is the world’s largest one-man project, The Bishop Castle. From 1969 to 2019, the monument was constructed by one man, all by himself, James Roland Bishop, also known as Jim Bishop, the Castle Builder, according to the website. Laying the foundation Jim Bishop … Read more

In 1906, five railroad bridges carried coal through West Virginia’s New River Gorge; 120 years later an $11.8 million project is rebuilding them for hikers

In 1906, five railroad bridges carried coal through West Virginia’s New River Gorge; 120 years later an $11.8 million project is rebuilding them for hikers

The project began on September 1, 2026, with a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Minden Trailhead. Five railroad bridges built in 1906 to carry coal through West Virginia’s New River Gorge are getting a new purpose more than a century later. An $11.8 million restoration project is now under way to repair the bridges and reopen … Read more

A man bought 51,000 acres of degraded land in Florida; decades later, it became the largest private restoration project east of the Mississippi

A man bought 51,000 acres of degraded land in Florida; decades later, it became the largest private restoration project east of the Mississippi

He is 85, known as the father of sociobiology, has been at Harvard for 60 years, and has won a hundred scientific awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes. Yet what E.O. Wilson, an evolutionary biologist, is focused on is a new conservation approach, a new ecological Grail which is a quest to refute conservation sceptics who … Read more

In 2024, a 192,560 sq ft industrial project won approval on 22 acres beside New Jersey’s Monmouth battlefield; two years later the state paid $15 million to preserve the former strawberry farm as part of the park

In 2024, a 192,560 sq ft industrial project won approval on 22 acres beside New Jersey’s Monmouth battlefield; two years later the state paid $15 million to preserve the former strawberry farm as part of the park

In 2024, Monmouth County officials approved a massive 192,560-square-foot industrial development on 22 acres of farmland directly adjacent to Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Manalapan, New Jersey. The site, once a strawberry farm, sat along Route 33 just steps from one of the most significant Revolutionary War battlefields in the nation. But in August 2026, … Read more

In 2011, Myanmar suspended a giant China-backed dam after public outrage; it now plans to restart a project that could flood an area the size of Singapore

In 2011, Myanmar suspended a giant China-backed dam after public outrage; it now plans to restart a project that could flood an area the size of Singapore

Ethnic Kachin people visit Myitsone, the confluence of the Mali and Nmai rivers, outside Myitkyina, capital city of Kachin state, Myanmar Fourteen years after public protests forced construction to stop, Myanmar is preparing to restart the $3.6 billion (£2.8 billion) Myitsone hydropower project in Kachin State. The China-backed dam would create a reservoir roughly the … Read more

79-year-old UK grandmother refuses to sell part of her garden for $60m road project to protect a 500-year-old oak tree and local wildlife

79-year-old UK grandmother refuses to sell part of her garden for $60m road project to protect a 500-year-old oak tree and local wildlife

A 79-year-old grandmother in Herefordshire, UK, is refusing to sell part of her garden for a major road project that could bring a 60mph route close to her home. Jean Harris, a retired school secretary and piano teacher, has point-blank refused to negotiate over the land needed for the proposed Southern Link Road, now being … Read more

Michigan’s historic Ford House is replacing concrete shoreline with natural habitat; the $7 million project will restore 1 mile of shore and 17.5 acres of aquatic and wetland habitat

Michigan's historic Ford House is replacing concrete shoreline with natural habitat; the $7 million project will restore 1 mile of shore and 17.5 acres of aquatic and wetland habitat

Excavator installing a fish lunker on Ford Cove. Credit: Ford House A major environmental restoration project is removing decades of artificial concrete shoreline defences along Michigan’s Lake St. Clair and replacing them with natural wetlands, living shorelines and fish habitat.The $7 million project at the historic Edsel and Eleanor Ford Estate is transforming more than … Read more

A 112-acre New Jersey restoration project is planting about 50,000 native trees and shrubs, creating vernal pools and rebuilding Raritan River floodplain habitat

A 112-acre New Jersey restoration project is planting about 50,000 native trees and shrubs, creating vernal pools and rebuilding Raritan River floodplain habitat

Trees laid out at the site for planting (FWS photos) A 112-acre restoration project has begun along the Raritan River in New Jersey, with the aim of bringing back forest and wetland habitat that was affected by contamination linked to the American Cyanamid Superfund Site. The project is being carried out under a settlement related … Read more

In June 2026, Washington began restoring 270 acres across two river islands; the project will reconnect the South Fork Skagit estuary to natural tides and hundreds more acres for endangered Chinook salmon

In June 2026, Washington began restoring 270 acres across two river islands; the project will reconnect the South Fork Skagit estuary to natural tides and hundreds more acres for endangered Chinook salmon

Construction begins on project to restore estuary habitat in South Fork Skagit River (Photo by: WDFW) Heavy earth-moving equipment began work in June 2026 on a major coastal restoration project in Skagit County, Washington. The project will remove old sea defences and breach river levees across two islands in the South Fork Skagit River delta.The … Read more