Billionaires Finally Give Back Land

A family of billionaires had finally given the Prairie Reserve the land they wanted and the land they needed. 419,000 acres were reserved, 104,000 acres of land were privately owned while 315,000 acres were bought for the public! That excludes the 1.5 million acres! Those two pieces of land make up the second largest land purchase.

The previous owners were also pretty reluctant to allow people to go through their land to access the National Monument. For years, the owners never allowed anyone to go through so much that lawsuits were filed. The family that leased the 5,400 acres of land are able to renew a lease from the previous owners. People aren’t allowed to hunt, fish, camp, or really do any activity while on the newly public land. The reserve currently leases out thousands of acres for more grazing land. Animals are now allowed to roam the open land too. They have recently asked for volunteers to identify animals with tags. 

The properties feature different habitats for all the animals living there as well as birds too! The new landscaping provides connections for migration through the Monument to different rivers and different patches of grasslands. The old land is currently being used for agricultural production while the new land is still a work in progress. Some of the land is leased out to livestock producers who run the thousands of cattle roaming the grasslands. Nearly all of the land is for public usage accommodating you with hunting, fishing, camping, and anything else. Programs are held in certain parts of the land as they are in their own habitats. 

Photo Credits to Wikimedia Commons.