BEAUTIFUL PLACES TO ROAM FREE NOW

Now, you are free to explore newly accessible wilderness, thanks to recent land preservation efforts. And new wilderness retreats are making their debut, to tempt your free and wild spirit even further.

GREAT WESTERN CHECKERBOARD PROJECT -- MONTANA, UNITED STATES

The freedom to move between natural areas is crucial to wildlife. The Great Western Checkerboard Project, initiated by The Nature Conservancy, is piecing together migratory corridors for animals such as grizzly bears, lynx, and wolves, so that they can roam freely.

They are attempting to solve a big problem that began in 1862, when Congress gave away 1-square-mile sections of land to railroad companies, which were then developed. These parcels were interspersed in between small parcels of wilderness land, creating a checkerboard effect, which dramatically restricted the free range of the region’s wildlife.

The Nature Conservancy is buying up the developed squares of land from the timber companies that now own them to restore large swaths of unrestricted wild land.

257 square miles of land in the Cascade Mountain Range of Washington, and the Blackfoot River Valley, in Montana, have already been purchased, with more planned. Not only can the animals now run free here, but you can too!

OPALESCENT RIVER -- NEW YORK STATE, UNITED STATES

New York State has just purchased a large section of timber lands previously owned by Finch Pruyn, a paper company, in upstate New York. The state will now be able to protect and preserve more than 6,000 acres of wilderness.

Five miles of the Hudson River, and 7 miles of the Opalescent River, a narrow tributary of the Hudson, are enclosed within this new nature preserve.

Now that these waters are owned by the state, they are open to the public. Anglers and paddlers are, for the first time in decades, free to explore this newly opened stretch of these beautiful rivers.

FLORIDA FOREVER -- FLORIDA, UNITED STATES

Water needs to flow freely to maintain healthy ecosystems. But development sometimes gets in the way.

Florida has recently taken steps to restore the natural water flow through a troubled area in Charlotte County. The state purchased a 669-acre parcel of land from a private trust to restore the flow that had been disrupted between the Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area and Charlotte Harbor.

This purchase was one of many that have been made as part of the Florida Forever program, which aims to protect the freedom and natural beauty of Florida’s wilderness.

LAND FOR MAINE’S FUTURE PROGRAM -- MAINE

The Land for Maine’s Future program, run by the Natural Resources Council of Maine, has acquired more than 490,000 acres of land from willing sellers, to permanently protect the land and the public access to it.

You can freely wander along 1,000 miles of shoreline and 158 miles of rail-trails and enjoy the beauty of this important wildlife habitat.

Enjoy beautiful panoramic views of the mid-coast from the top of Beech Hill, explore pathways through virgin wilderness on the Casco Bay Islands, and walk along paths as you take in amazing views from atop high cliffs and sea arches along the Cutler Coast.

PUMPHOUSE POINT -- TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA

You’ll feel like you’re on a private island at Pumphouse Point, an old hydro-pump station that is now a boutique hotel in the middle of the wilderness, in the middle a giant lake. This wild spot in the middle of Tasmania is is a perfect place to let your hair down, go canoeing, go fishing for trout, or go walking among the moorlands.

When you’re done hanging out with the local wallabies and wombats, come back to the Pumphouse for stargazing at the Southern Lights.

BASECAMP GREENLAND -- GREENLAND

You’ll freely wander the ancient frontier of Greenland’s east coast, when you stay in Base Camp Greenland. It’s located at the glacial Sermilik Fjord, at edge of the vast Greenland Ice Sheet. Glide through fields of floating icebergs on a zodiak boat, kayak across the Greenland Sea, feeling oh so free -- just like your new friends, the beautiful Arctic fox, hare, and loon.

The camp’s first season opens on Aug. 1, 2015.

CLOUD CAMP -- VANCOUVER, CANADA

For more of a freestyle glamping experience, enjoy the wilderness aerie of the recently opened Cloud Camp, at Vancouver Island’s Clayoquot Wilderness Resort.

A helicopter will lift you up 4,500 feet above sea level and set you down on the rocky mountaintop, where you can spend the night in four-poster bed tucked into a beautiful white canvas tent overlooking Clayoquot Sound. Your private chef will set you up with an amazing 5-course dinner, then leave you free to dream.

INN AT JOHN O’GROATS -- SCOTLAND

Feel free to sit at the edge, where the wilderness meets the sea, at the remote windswept landscape of John O’Groats Scotland. The view is spectacular from your room at the Inn at John O’Groats, a beautifully restored whitewashed 19875 mansion.

Read more about Beautiful Freedom, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including 10 New Books that Celebrate the Beauty of Freedom Now, The Beauty of Running Free Now, Growing Freedom Now and The Art of Freedom Now.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Steven Gnam. A foggy meadow beneath a giant ponderosa pine tree in the Great Western Checkerboards Project, just west of Placid Lake off the Vaughn Creek Road in Montana. Placid Lake, Montana.
2. Image: by Steven Gnam. Firey sunset over the confluence of Owl Creek and the Clearwater River, looking back into the Great Western Checkerboards Project just south of Seeley Lake, Montana. Seeley Lake, Montana.
3. Image: Courtesy of The Nature Conservatory. Montana Forest Acquisition near Seeley Lake, Montana State. Seeley Lake, Montana.
4. Image: by Benjamin Drummond. Cle Elum Lake looking into Alpine Lakes Wilderness in the Cascade Mountains, Washington. Cascade Mountains, Washington.
5. Image: by Phil Brown. Opalescent River in the Adirondacks, New York State. Adirondacks, New York State.
6. Image: by Phil Brown. Paddling on the Opalescent River, New York State. Opalescent River, New York State.
7. Image: by Steven Scott. Webb Lake, Punta Gorda, Florida.
8. Image: by  Sandra Cohen-Rose and Colin Rose. Port Charlotte, Florida.
9. Image: by Joe Lyon. Cutler Coast, Maine.
10. Image: by Adam Knowles. Sunset on Beech Hill, Maine.
11. Image: Courtesy of Pumphouse Point. Pumphouse Point in Tasmania, Australia.
12. Image: Courtesy of Natural Habitat Adventures. Natural Habitat's Base Camp at Sermilik Fjord, Greenland.
13. Image: Courtesy of Clayoquot Wilderness Resort. Cloud Camp at Clayoquot Wilderness Resort in Vancouver, Canada.
14. Image: Courtesy of Natural Retreats. Inn at John O’Groats in Scotland. John O’Groats, Scotland.
15. Image: Courtesy of Adirondacks High Peaks Forums. Opalescent River in Adirondacks, New York State. Adirondacks, New York State.
16. Image: by Kenton Rowe. Plum Creek, Minnesota.
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18. Image: Courtesy of Off On Adventure. The Opalescent River with Mount Colden in the background. Adirondack Mountains, New York.