Self-storage entrepreneur Edmund C. Olson, owner of A-American Storage Management Co., donated $500,000 to The Nature Conservancy to support forest conservation on Hawaiis Big Island. The gift is specifically targeted at protecting the native forests of Kau and South Kona. Forests in these areas provide critical habitat for many of Hawaii's endangered forest birds, according to The Nature Conservancy.

Last year, Olson moved to protect more than 2,000 acres of Hawaii agricultural land from development by reaching a conservation easement deal with the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust. The land included more than 1,200 acres on the slopes of the Waianae mountains on Oahu and more than 900 acres in Kau.

The Nature Conservancy is conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. Information can be found at Nature.org.

A-American Storage Management is a family-owned self-storage company with facilities in California, Hawaii, Illinois, Missouri and Nevada. It has been in business for more than 35 years.

Sources: