wow, and here we are just hoping to get a place on 2.5 acres , I'd love to have about 50 acres, thats plenty for me. Enough to have a small homestead, some wooded area for riding trails (dirtbike/atv) and a decent sized pond. beyond that I think it would be too much to really manage then you have to deal with trespassers, people sneaking in to hunt or kids looking for a place to hide and party, forest fires, insurance liabilities etc..
I dont think it's greedy to own alot of land per se, I think it's gready to own alot of land, break that land down into 1/4 acre lots and throw dozens of cookie cutter mcmansions on it. thats greed.
I'm not even opposed to developers coming in and breaking the land down into 5-10- 20 acre lots for homes with equestrian/agricultural use. but there are just too many subdivisions already and we dont need anymore of em
One of the best land uses I've seen around me is White Oak Plantation. 7,400 acres in northeast florida.
http://www.whiteoakplantation.net/
"a sanctuary for numerous species of endangered wildlife and a centre for the arts. Originally a private estate owned by Howard Gilman - whose grandfather, Isaac Gilman, was to the US paper industry what the Rockefellers were to oil and Andrew Carnegie to steel - the plantation has now become a refuge for endangered species, and other more exotic species in need of care. With the guidance of conservationist John Lukas, White Oak has become perhaps the most exclusive conservation facility in the world, home to more than three dozen species of endangered and threatened animals, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, kept in a secluded 600-acre section at the heart of the estate.
The centre's success can be measured by its remarkable record for producing young among rare species, some of which have been brought here after strenuous efforts to promote their breeding elsewhere have failed. Over the years, in addition to a regular stream of business clients, Howard Gilman invited many dancers and performing artists to spend time on the estate. In 1991, he built a spectacular glass-and-pine studio at White Oak for Mikhail Baryshnikov, to whom he became a close friend and protector after the dancer defected to the USA.
Other high profile guests to White Oak have included Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton and Al Gore. When Isabella Rossellini first visited the plantation she was astounded: "White Oak was like a Garden of Eden, a sort of Utopia." And there is an element of unspoilt paradise about this 7,500-acre former rice plantation, straddling St Mary's River. this is a place to savour an environment that isn't about the instant gratification of the human race at the expense of other species. As far as Howard Gilman was concerned, White Oak was 'a place of peaceful yet productive contemplation' for people and activities he cared about."
The only reason I know this place even exists is because Mr Gillman was a frequent flyer on the airline I work for. He was a very generous man and often invited employees to the plantation to stay the weekend and just relax. They used to host our xmas parties every year and man did they take good care of us. The place is amazing!
White Oak has been really good to us, I got to play golf on the private $150,000 a membership course, all equipment, carts, free drinks ..no charge and theres was nobody else on the course, good thing because i cant play golf. The foundation also own a house in Saint marys, georgia where they have a nice big I'll say 75' or so fishing yacht, I got to go out on 2 trips with them, had a blast, free food and drinks and when we got back they cleaned, wrapped and packaged our catch for us.
then theres the Veterinary School and zoo on the property. Gillman was a collector of rare things, including animals. I havent been up there in a few years. Mr Gillman passed away and now it's owned by the Gillman foundation, the golf course was sold off to private members and I'm not sure about the rest I'm just happy I got to experience the place before things changed
