Austin Okie Donates 118 Acres to The Nature Conservancy.

Poplar Thicket Will Serve as Bird Sanctuary

Wilmington, Delaware — October 31, 2007— Austin F. Okie of Georgetown has recently donated 118 acres of land along the Indian River Bay in Sussex County to the Delaware Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. The property, known as Poplar Thicket, contains extensive tidal salt marsh, wetlands, scattered patches of native coastal forest and a ¼-mile stretch of the only undisturbed frontage remaining along the Indian River Bay. Okie wants the new nature preserve to serve as refuge for birds.

“I’ve always been interested in birds. Each one is designed for a certain purpose,” shares Austin Okie. “I want to make sure that there is habitat left for the birds in the midst of the region’s growing development pressures and increasing population.”

The property’s location – just west of the Indian River inlet on Long Neck between the Rehoboth and Bethany beach communities in the area of Delaware’s fragile inland bays– makes it particularly valuable. Protecting this land as habitat for wildlife will help benefit the region by limiting the encroachment of development and by minimizing the contributions of pollutants to the Indian River Bay. Donation of this property to TNC will also help sustain Okie’s long-time family history in the area as well as the cultural amenities of this coastal area.

Poplar Thicket was purchased by Okie’s maternal grandfather, L. P. Faucett, in 1918. In 1972 it was included in the Lorraine Fleming book “Delaware’s Outstanding Natural Areas and their Preservation,” and in 1978 the property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Conservation has been important to Austin Okie for many years. In 1997, he donated a conservation easement on his 154-acre farm on the Indian River in Sussex County to the Conservancy. This donation came after his mother provided the funds necessary for The Nature Conservancy to acquire the 413 forested acres west of their farm – forming the Bullseye-Ferry Landing Preserve.

“I applaud Austin “Pete” Okie’s generosity and vision,” said Roger L. Jones, Jr., State Director of Delaware Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. “We are pleased to assist conservation philanthropists like Pete Okie achieve their vision of protecting family lands for future generations. Pete was recognized nationally by the Conservancy in 2001 as a Conservation Hero -- a title made even more fitting with this recent wonderful gift of land.”

The Nature Conservancy plans to work with partners to restore habitat on the property for migratory bird populations. Future management plans for the property include removing invasive vegetation, planting of shrubs, trees and bay grasses and stabilizing an eroding beach edge shoreline. Poplar Thicket is located in the middle of the Atlantic Flyway and according to Andy Manus, Conservation Director of the Delaware Chapter of the Conservancy, “The restoration planned for this property and the dedication of the area as a bird sanctuary will help expand habitat conservation efforts to benefit a variety of migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds and other bird species in the flyway. This habitat restoration effort will also bring important benefits to other wildlife.”

“We at The Nature Conservancy are proud to play a key role in ensuring that this habitat receives long-term protection,” adds Manus, “We’re even more excited about helping Austin Okie to realize his vision for this property, and continue the legacy he is leaving for Sussex County and the state of Delaware.”

A map showing the property location and a picture of Austin Okie are attached. For more information, contact Delawarepressinfo@TNC.org or Andy Manus at (302) 684-5351, or amanus@tnc.org.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.