Protecting What's Left: The Story of Florida's Big Bend Purchase

The State of Florida has acquired the largest remaining stretch of underdeveloped Florida coastline as the result of an extraordinary agreement signed in late 1986 between the state, Buckeye Cellulose, and The Nature Conservancy. The transaction, known as the Big Bend Purchase, ensures that 65,000 acres of wetlands along the Gulf Coast's 'Big Bend' will be preserved. It was made possible through a bargain sale contract under which Buckeye Cellulose sold thee $30 million property for $20 million, with the balance being donated, to TNC for permanent protection. The state subsequently bought the land from TNC with funds from the Save Our Coasts program.