Disney Wilderness Preserve, The Disney agreed to purchase and preserve 12,000 acres of the Walker Ranch in south Osceola County in 1992 in exchange for the right to develop up to 550 acres of wetlands on the Walt Disney World property, primarily including the town site of Celebration. Disney in turn donated the land to the Nature Conservancy in 1993, and efforts began to return the drained ranchlands to their original habitat. The area opened to the public on November 1, 1999, with a Conservation Learning Center and self-guided nature trails.
