Donor gives Trust 102-acre preserve

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- An anonymous donor has given the Greenbelt Land Trust 102 acres of land known as the "Hundred Acre Woods Nature Preserve." The property is located near The Pinnacles in Boone County.

Greenbelt executive director Mike Powell said the preserve holds great significance because it captures the entire breadth of habitats in mid-Missouri in a relatively small area.

The land was owned by Jim and Joanna Whitley until their deaths. Jim Whitley was a former employee of the Missouri Department of Conservation and grew many native plants and worked to conserve the wide variety of habitats present on the land.

Greenbelt plans to continue protecting the property's ecological value and hopes to use the land as an outdoor classroom.