Man makes major land gift to state

CEDAR HILL— A man who lives alone in a sparsely furnished home near Cedar Hill will make one of the largest land donations in Missouri history when he dies.

Don Robinson says he wants 843 acres he owns to go to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. And he's including a trust fund to help maintain the property.

Sue Holst, a spokeswoman for the department, says it's the largest land donation with money to maintain the property that she has seen in her 25 years with the state.

Both Robinson and the state want to keep the land unspoiled. Holst says there are no plans to have the land become a campground or a tourist attraction.

Robinson, who never married and doesn't have children, said he wants to prevent his land from being overrun by developers.