and inhabitable by wildlife (an SCCF mandate), another $2 million was needed by the June, 2011 deadline to make the transaction complete. And it all happened at the “eleventh hour.”
habitat on Sanibel. The SCCF Native Landscape & Garden Center has also relocated here, open Monday to Saturday selling native plant species.
“We were close to not making our goal, but in the end, we did, because there were thousands of people who supported this campaign. We had gifts from $20 to $1 million.”
Although the home isn’t open for regular tour, the Bailey Homestead Preserve is open for pleasant walks and exploration six days a week and is a beautifully restored slice of Sanibel’s ecology, geography and history.
“We were close to not making our goal,” Anders recalls. “But in the end, we did, because there were thousands of people who supported this campaign. We had gifts from $20 to $1 million.”
“Each person who contributed to our campaign shares the same believe as SCCF, that preserving our wildlife habitat is vital,” Anders says. “Next year we’ll celebrate our fiftieth anniversary, and when you look at our official mission from some 50 years ago, we’re still doing what we promised we’d do.”
Unfortunately, Francis Bailey wouldn’t live to admire the restoration of his family’s homestead to its full vision, passing in 2013. But quite a restoration it is (and continues to be). The property is a mix of wetlands and uplands, and native plantings by SCCF experts are able to imitate every type of
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{ Sanibel Captiva
Conservation Foundation www.SCCF.org
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