Allen's $3.4 mln gift saves forest OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Earlier this month, state timber regulators gave conservation groups three months to come up with another $3.4 million to help preserve a virgin tract of the Loomis Forest. Thanks to Paul Allen, they needed only two weeks. The billionaire Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist said Tuesday that he will cover the extra cost of protecting the forest from chain saws with a gift from the Paul G. Allen Forest Protection Foundation. Loomis supporters raised $13.1 million from 5,000 donors. They were stunned when they were told that wasn't enough as the state set the asking price at $16.5 million two weeks ago. Environmentalists said Allen's gift guarantees a 25,000-acre tract of the forest bordering Canada in north-central Washington will be protected from road-building or logging. See full story <http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2561706941-be1>
