400 acres donated to Yosemite National Park

This undated photo provided by The Trust for Public Land shows Ackerson Meadow in Yosemite National Park, Calif. Visitors to the park now have more room to explore nature with the announcement on Wed. Sept. 7, 2016 that the park's western boundary has expanded to include Ackerson Meadow, 400 acres of tree-covered Sierra Nevada foothills, grassland and a creek that flows into the Tuolumne River. This is the park's biggest expansion in nearly 70 years, and will serve as wildlife habitat. (Robb Hirsch/The Trust for Public Land via AP) This undated photo provided by The Trust for Public Land shows Ackerson Meadow in Yosemite National Park, Calif. Visitors to the park now have more room to explore nature with the announcement on Wed. Sept. 7, 2016 that the park's western boundary has expanded to include Ackerson Meadow, 400 acres of tree-covered Sierra Nevada foothills, grassland and a creek that flows into the Tuolumne River. This is the park's biggest expansion in nearly 70 years, and will serve as wildlife habitat. (Robb Hirsch/The Trust for Public Land via AP)

By Associated Press September 8, 2016 3 min read

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) – Robin Wainwright could have cashed-in on pristine grassland and forest he owned along the border with Yosemite National Park – building an upscale resort for a few fortunate guests.

Wainwright and his wife Nancy, however, decided to take a slight loss on their investment and sold it to a land trust, which donated it Wednesday to Yosemite.

It expands the park by 400 acres, Yosemite’s largest addition in nearly 70 years.

The public will soon be able to enjoy the wildlife and natural scenery, such as the explosion of flowers that blossom each spring and bears that often stroll through the property.

“To have that accessible by everyone to me is just a great thing,” Robin Wainwright said. “It was worth losing a little bit of money for that.”