Nearly 8,000 acres of Alabama's most sensitive land, known as "America's Amazon" for its biodiversity and wildlife, will be protected thanks to a major purchase by The Nature Conservancy in Alabama, a Patagonia shareholder, and an undisclosed donor.
The news is according to AL.com, which spoke with The Nature Conservancy in Alabama.
The Nature Conservancy in Alabama said the $15 million+ deal secured the purchase of 7,990 acres at the top of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta.
The Mobile-Tensaw Delta is the second-largest intact delta system in North America, according to
TNC. The particular area purchased, known as "the land between rivers," is an ecological treasure, beaming with creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes that contribute to the delta's reputation as home to the greatest number of freshwater species in the U.S.
"This is one of the most important conservation victories that we've ever been a part of. It's protected a vitally important complex of land, almost 8,000 acres, critically important to the health of the Mobile Delta and then, by extension, Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico," Mitch Reid, state director for The Nature Conservancy in Alabama, told AL.com.
In a blog post last week, TNC said it was working hard to protect the land between rivers — created by the convergence of the Tombigbee and Alabama Rivers — and also supports flourishing human communities, along with being rich in history and culture.
"Protecting this unique and foundational habitat will benefit the people and wildlife who make their homes in Alabama and throughout the southeastern U.S.," The Nature Conservancy in Alabama had said.
While an exact figure for the deal was not disclosed, Reid told AL.com it was "well over $15 million." This includes a $5.2 million donation from the Holdfast Collective, a nonprofit shareholder of Patagonia, and $3 million from TNC. The anonymous donor contributed $10 million into a revolving loan fund, AL.com said.
