When you think of the activities of a lumber company, cutting down trees is probably the first thing that comes to mind. But one American business is actually ensuring that trees in North Idaho will be protected for years to come.
As the Bonner County Daily Bee reported, Idaho Forest Group has donated development rights for land along Pritchard Creek to the Kaniksu Land Trust, with paperwork finally completed to ensure the longevity of 2,000 acres of forest.
The plot of land, located on a tributary of the Coeur d'Alene River, will still be owned by Idaho Forest Group, but the agreement with Kaniksu Land Trust ensures that major development will never be conducted in the area.
"It's a big deal," Regan Plumb, Kaniksu Land Trust conservation director, told the Daily Bee. "To be able to protect almost an entire watershed and make sure that this stream is safe forever is really unique."
As the publication noted, the area was previously a hotbed of mining activity, causing immense ecosystem damage. However, efforts are already underway to reverse that negative impact, with the installation of wooden structures in the river and new growth of vegetation has helped encourage the return of beavers.
"Beavers are really a keystone species when it comes to riparian corridors because they create wetlands," Plumb added. "They help to hold water and clean water and create habitats for other species."
The donation of the land is an incredible act of selflessness that can provide huge ecological benefits to Idaho. The return of beavers is a notable positive consequence, and other mammals, aquatic species, birds, and crucial pollinators will also thrive as a result of the changes.
Thankfully, this isn't the only example of landowners sacrificing profits for the good of the planet. In Florida, the Garst family signed an easement agreement with the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast to safeguard 58 acres of land in Florida's East Manatee County.
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Elsewhere, in North Carolina, a 7,500-acre land donation enabled the creation of the South Yellow Mountain Preserve in Mitchell and Avery Counties.
While large-scale conservation and restoration projects will perhaps grab the headlines, you can get a small slice of the action in your own garden. Adding native plants can support a range of critters that will boost local biodiversity — and the lack of maintenance and resources these plants require can help to lower the costs associated with maintaining a healthy garden.
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