Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

~ John W. Howell
Gidgee trees on Pilungah Reserve – credit, Bee Stephens.

Today’s good news comes from the Good News Network.

85 Million Acres of Private Land Are Being Protected for Conservation in the US and Australia

By Andy Corbley –

Australia now boasts one of the world’s largest acreages of private land set aside for conservation, and the Guardian recently reported that generous and wealthy citizens are to thank for it.

Leaving land to conservation purposes in wills and making bequests of estates have played a big role in amassing 24 million acres of privately conserved land.

Bush Heritage Australia manages some 3 million acres of these, and its CEO, Rachel Lowry, told the Guardian that such contributions play an outsized role in their work.

Last year, for example, the organization reported 4,600 such bequests, almost double the 2022 total. They believe it stems from people truly attempting, as we’re often taught, to leave the world in a better place than when they found it.

“Some of Australia’s most threatened and fragile ecosystems and wildlife sit outside of the national reserve system,” said Lowry. “They’re found on private land or pastoral country, and they may have deep cultural and ecological values, but they’re not protected from threats such as land clearing, mining, or invasive species.”

Several organizations in the country, such as the North East Tasmania Land Trust, are carrying out similar work, and the governments of the Australian states are taking notice. One of Bush Heritage’s protected areas, the Pilungah Reserve, was granted protection under Queensland state law equivalent to a federal National Park, demonstrating how valuable the work is seen by the public sector.

In the United States, one of the largest protected areas is a private-public partnership called American Prairie.

American Prairie has spent over 2 decades buying and leasing land between the Charles M. Russel Natural Wildlife Refuge and the Upper Missouri Breaks Natural Monument in Montana to create America’s largest assemblage of wild prairie for the purposes of conservation and recreation. It’s also received donations of land on the way to reaching its current size.

GNN has reported on several major milestones of this massive and constantly growing mosaic of grasslands, hills, woods, and wetlands, including a substantial 22,000-acre land purchase that had blocked public access to the Missouri Breaks, and the clearance of over 100 miles of derelict fencing across their land.

The organization has accumulated 603,657 acres, which comprises 167,070 deeded acres and 436,587 leased public acres. Their goal is ultimately to protect, and in some cases, rewild 2.3 million acres.

American Prairie Reserve

In 2024, American Prairie set a new visitation record for the seventh year in a row with more than 6,600 overnight visitors to its huts and campgrounds, and over 5,000 visitors at its National Discovery Center in Lewistown, Montana.

An American organization that helps connect and advocate for private conservation land in the US reports that 61 million acres—more than all the US national parks—are privately held for conservation. This amounts to about 3% of the 60% of American lands that are privately owned.

Called the Land Trust Alliance, it aims to double this number by the end of the decade.

The Good news in today’s story is that private land donations are helping preserve natural resources. Today’s JohnKu talks about private methods. of conservation. I hope you have a super weekend.

Contributions by John W. Howell © 2026

Individuals

Have the power to conserve . . .

God bless those who do.

Unknown's avatar

Published by John W. Howell

I have been working in business for over forty years and now have the time to work in special areas of interest. My passion has always been to create compelling stories of fiction. I have authored six novels and am working on my Seventh. The first novel is still in manuscript form and being utilized as a door stop in the laundry room. The second is a contemporary fiction novel of 89,000 words and is complete and I am currently seeking a publisher. I also write poetry but have not had the guts to share any with anyone. The one time I read a piece to a person their only comment was, “it doesn’t rhyme.” I will continue to write and hopefully my blog, Fiction Favorites at www.johnwhowell.com will provide some entertainment and an interesting thought or two. I live in the Austin area with my wife Molly and an assortment of loving pets.

53 thoughts on “Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News”

  3. Thank God for the Good news from Australia and the US. Conversely, Trump is siding with the ranchers to drive Bison off the prairie in Montana. They are what helped make the prairie better!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  23. Pretty great, John!

    Privately held conserved land is as important as publicly held conserved land. I’ve seen both expropriated for progress.

    If there was another way land could be held… that would be good too. We need to make it as difficult as possible for progress to overwhelm preservation.

    Not everyone believes in protecting earth’s resources. I have talked to some who say it is here for us to use up. No point in saving it. Earth is on borrowed time anyway.

    There is a point to be made that corporations need population expansion to grow their bottom lines. This necessitates destruction for profit. As governments say they are for the people, they are really in it with corporations. Money and power are intoxicants.

    The proletariat are necessary to drive the vehicle.

    As your JohnKu says, it’s up to each individual. Individuals combine into a force.

    🌎X 🌍X

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Put your favorite fiction or non-fiction in writing. I would love to hear from you