The Edgar P. Bailey estate has donated a 17.28-acre conservation easement to Kachemak Heritage Land Trust (KHLT), the Homer land trust organization announced in a press release last week.

The addition of important wildlife habitat on the Edgar P. Bailey Estate property known as Inspiration Ridge Preserve expands protected land and connects five existing conservation easements of a total 457.15 acres already donated to KHLT.

The addition was made possible by Nina Faust, trustee of the Edgar P. Bailey Estate, to honor her partner of 45 years, the late Ed Bailey. The family’s dream was to create a preserve for sandhill cranes while protecting a corridor for other wildlife to move between summer and winter habitat. The newly protected land enhances the legacy of these conservation efforts. Bailey was the first seabird biologist for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and died on Jan. 14, 2018.

“Ed and Nina’s commitment to protect wildlife habitat has been their life’s work. We should all be grateful that these precious lands have been protected in perpetuity,” wrote Joel Cooper, KHLT Stewardship Director, in the release.

Kachemak Heritage Land Trust is the Kenai Peninsula’s locally based and nationally accredited land trust. Since 1989, KHLT has protected more than 3,200 acres of fish, bird and wildlife habitat as well as recreational lands important to Kenai Peninsula communities. For more information on KHLT’s work, call 235-5263 or visit www.kachemaklandtrust.org.