The fact that the 5,650 acre plot of land is owned by the family of oil-and-gas man, developer and dedicated philanthropist George P. Mitchell is just a matter of scale. There are lessons in this story for everyone.

Sarah Mitchell, a granddaughter of Mitchell and the late Cynthia Woods Mitchell, often refers to herself as "imprinted" on this land, known as Cook's Branch Conservancy. Now she is the executive director of the conservancy.