Florida Purchases Hectares of Wilderness Inhabited by Bears, Panthers

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A working ranch and tens of thousands of acres (hectares) of wilderness inhabited by bears, panthers and other species were handed over to the state Monday in Florida's biggest-ever purchase of land for environmental preservation.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A working ranch and tens of thousands of acres (hectares) of wilderness inhabited by bears, panthers and other species were handed over to the state Monday in Florida's biggest-ever purchase of land for environmental preservation.


The $350 million (euro274 million) purchase of the Babcock Ranch, including $310 million (euro242.8 million) in state money and $40 million (euro31.33 million) from Lee County, Florida, puts nearly 74,000 largely undeveloped acres (29,950 hectares) in southwestern Florida -- or about 115 square miles (300 square kilometers) -- into state hands to be conserved.


It will create an almost unbroken stretch of brush and swamp wilderness extending from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico.


"This is just an awesome day," said State Lands Director Eva Armstrong, who choked back tears before a ceremonial accepting of the deed from developer Syd Kitson.


The deal was hailed by several environmental groups.


About a year ago, Kitson and Partners bought the 91,000-acre (36,830-hectare) property from the Babcock family, which had owned the ranch for nearly 100 years and had expressed a desire to have most of it preserved.


While selling most of the land to the state for the wildlife preserve, Kitson will retain 17,000 acres (6,880 hectares) that will be developed as a new town he is promoting.


The town will include about 19,000 homes, but Kitson said it would be a "shining example of environmentally responsible development in the 21st century."


While the majority of the state's conservation groups were behind the project, one, the Sierra Club, had challenged it over the density of the proposed town.


The group dropped its challenge after Kitson agreed to some changes to reduce the possibility of sprawl, made some wastewater treatment improvements and increased the size of a wildlife corridor.


The ranch itself will continue as a working cattle operation. Environmentalists said the ranch has been managed in an environmentally friendly way in the past.


Source: Associated Press


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