PENSACOLA, Fla. — The Nature Conservancy has bought Lake Wimico with some of the money BP has paid in fines for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.
Lake Wimico sits on a 20,161-acre piece of land in the Florida Panhandle. The freshwater wetlands have been identified as a priority for preservation by the state's Florida Forever Program.
Conservationists say protecting the lake will also help preserve the water quality of the Apalachicola River, Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. They're also hoping it will help local, at-risk wildlife.
RELATED: NOAA announces plan to replenish Gulf marine life harmed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
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