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Faces of Conservation

Austin Okie
Austin Okie
© The Nature Conservancy

Austin Okie:
Leaving a Legacy

Austin Okie attributes his concern and love for nature to the simple fact that he grew up working and playing outdoors. “As a boy, I was outside all the time, working on the farm — that was just the way it was,” he says.

His time spent outdoors cultivated a particular interest in birds and trees. A self-taught naturalist, he can identify local vegetation, and the many birds that live and migrate through his corner of Delaware. He calls the natural places around him a “bird paradise.” It’s one of the reasons why in 1997, Okie donated a conservation easement on his 154-acre farm, located on the Indian River in Sussex County. The donation came after his family had already assisted the chapter with acquiring more than 400 acres located adjacent to their farm.

“Today, the farm and the surrounding lands and waters comprise the Bullseye-Ferry Landing Preserve,” comments Andy Manus, director of conservation for the Delaware chapter. “It represents the Delaware chapter’s first conservation easement agreement, paving the way for using this creative conservation tool to protect more of the state’s wetlands, forests and coastal areas.”

While not open to the public, the Bullseye-Ferry Landing Preserve welcomes wildlife with open arms. Its mature woods and river frontage make it a valuable destination for more than 65 species of migratory songbirds such as the ovenbird, red-eyed vireo and scarlet tanager. Other species rely on the forest for nesting, including the hairy woodpecker, red-tailed hawk, eastern box turtle and five-lined skink.

A decade later, Okie has added to an already generous legacy by donating additional property — called Poplar Thicket — also located along the Indian River Bay and owned by his family since 1918. He wants it to serve as refuge for birds.

“I want to  preserve the history, wildlife and environment of this area in the midst of growing development pressures and increasing populations,” shares Okie. “I’ve seen that The Nature Conservancy has done good things to protect land.”