Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen yesterday donated $3.4 million to protect 25,000 acres of the Loomis State Forest in northern Washington state. In July, enviros raised $13.1 million to buy the land, which is home to one of the last healthy lynx populations in the lower 48 states, and protect it from logging. But earlier this month the state raised the price by $3.4 million, giving enviros just 90 days to come up with the extra money. The Paul G. Allen Forest Protection Foundation came to the rescue; with this latest move, the foundation has now given more than $15 million to conservation efforts. Meanwhile, more high-tech money is coming to the help of the environment through the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, the nation’s second largest foundation, which yesterday committed $175 million to protect open space and farmland in California.
