Earlier this year, a titanium mine was slated for construction on the edge of Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp, an unusually diverse ecosystem that is home to some of the country’s most pristine wetlands. If built, the mine would likely have unleashed catastrophic pollution in the area.

Then in June, the project was called off. In a stunning deal, the company behind the mine announced it had reached a $60 million agreement to sell the site of the proposed project to a group of conservationists. There would be no titanium mining on the edge of the Okefenokee, after all.

It was a hefty price to pay for a tract of backwater marshland, but the conservationists had deep-pocketed backers, including Patagonia, the outdoor-apparel brand founded by rock climber Yvon Chouinard.

Two million dollars of t

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