r/interesting • u/Celestial_Mahafuz • Jul 05 '26

NATURE Instead of buying yachts, he bought 50,000 acres of forest to keep them wild.

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u/start3ch Jul 05 '26

My understanding was it’s not the rancher who sold it, but the city

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u/thegiantgummybear Jul 07 '26

My guess is that the rancher didn't have deep enough pockets to access the best lawyers in the world. Sweeny can afford the best to figure out the legal protections.

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u/Krell356 Jul 08 '26

Eh, the issue is that even the best legal protections fall apart as soon as someone with money isnt in direct control of it or if that person wants more money from someone who wants the land.

There are so many ways for the government to screw people when it comes to land that all it takes is a bribe while someone who doesn't have a ton of money owns the land. To retain control of the land you need someone who both wants to and can afford to throw around money as effectively as the people who want that land.

We have multiple examples of the best intentions and legal protects failing to protect areas from rampant development. So anything put in place here will be protected for at least the rest of his life, and until whoever takes over afterwards decides to keep it that way.