By targeting critical lands within headwaters, OSI is protecting water sources that serve as the lifeblood of local communities and habitats. This year, in a trio of historic acquisitions, OSI helped protect the Everglades, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Delaware River – all by safeguarding natural lands.
OSI’s Eastern Land Initiative (ELI) scored big successes with support from the Wyss Foundation. In central Florida, protection of 4,000-acre Triple Diamond Ranch contributed to the conservation of more than 200,000 contiguous acres within the headwaters of the Everglades; while in the mountains of Virginia, OSI’s protection of 4,700-acre Grace Furnace preserved 14 freshwater springs that feed into the James River, and ultimately Chesapeake Bay.