Branson's burn

I don't begrudge Sir Richard Branson his billions, not just because he seems like a very personable and grounded guy, but because he funds such interesting projects. I blogged in May about his establishment of a lemur colony on his private island in the Caribbean and I just read last night about his support of the development of a submarine to descend under the Pacific Ocean 36,000' down to the Mariana Trench. So I was saddened to learn that his 1-bedroom "great house" on Necker Island burned down over the weekend following a lightning strike. In a 2002 interview, the frugal Branson revealed that even his getaway in the British Virgin Islands had to be a business proposition before he considered it buying it. When he isn't there, you can rent the island and its 31 staff at what was then £10,000 a day (description and more photos here). He did, however, consider it a primary residence. "We go there quite a lot. It's almost our real home because when we're in the UK we're all working, and when we're on the island we're relaxing." The recent headline, as you may have heard or read, is that guest Kate Winslet swept Branson's 90-year-old mother up in her arms and carried her out of the fire. In an interview on ABC and on his website, Branson expresses his gratefulness that everyone got out safely, but regret at the loss of his photographs and notebooks. He confirms his intentions to restore the residence, both to keep his staff employed and to host his daughter's upcoming wedding. He writes on his blog yesterday, "Watching the sun rise this morning was surreal and haunting – the true extent of the damage highlighted in the early dawn light. Smoke still rising and what was once our incredibly beautiful Balinese home nothing but ashes. But like a phoenix something beautiful will rise again from those ashes. It will take some time and it will be a few days before we understand the full extent of what is needed but lots of the talk in the middle of the night turned to what we could build, what would it look like, how could we design something even more beautiful. These thoughts kept the emotions at bay and stopped us dwelling on the fact that we had just lost our much beloved home and got us concentrating on the future." This comes as no surprise to a longtime friend of Branson's, who describes: "The most extraordinary thing about Richard is that he doesn’t look over his shoulder, he never looks back, he is resilient and upbeat and despite losing lots of mementos, he will see this as only a small obstacle. The rebuild will begin as soon as possible.”

Branson's brood

Sir Richard Branson announced plans in April to import lemurs to his 120-acre private island in the Caribbean (photo here) to save them from the deforestation that threatens them in their native Madagascar. "Here on Moskito Island we've got a beautiful rainforest - we brought in experts from South Africa, and they say it would be an absolutely perfect place where lemurs can be protected and breed," he said. The idea raised red flags among conservationists, who pointed out that the introduction of non-native species often has unforeseen consequences. They pointed to the example of cane toads released in Australia and fear that the lemurs would devastate the local lizard populations like the non-native brown tree snake has done to the birds of Guam. Scientists described lemurs as "opportunistic predators," so even though they are threatened themselves, they are a threat to native species and are unsuited for the island's habitat. One biologist disagreed, explaining, “Lemurs are extremely soft on the environment. They eat mostly flowers and leaves. That doesn’t mean they’re not opportunistic if they get a chance to grab a fly or a spider.” Still, environmentalists called the plan reckless and risky.

Despite the concerns, the plan was approved by the government of the British Virgin Islands, and was to begin with a shipment of 30 ring-tailed lemurs moved from zoos in Sweden, South Africa, and Canada. 'The debate about the plight of the lemurs and what should be done about them, and whether or not my idea was a good idea or bad idea was certainly an eye-opener to me," Branson said. But after consulting with the world's leading experts on lemurs, he will house them in enclosures rather than allow them to roam free. Branson hopes to provide assurance colonies for several species of lemur should they disappear or become severely depleted in the wild.

1st image) An as yet unnamed lemur born in March at Boston's Franklin Park Zoo receiving a lick from its 1-year-old sister Salina, 2nd image) The same baby riding on the back of its 7-year-old mother Nebbie (short for Nebuchadrezzer), 3rd image) The south end of some ring-tailed lemurs going north, 4th image) Lemurs frolicking with their billionaire benefactor Branson.

Private islands

Since my post on Plum Island being put up for sale on the Atlantic coast, 2 other less industrial island properties have gone on the market:

Will-O-Isle (1st image), Putnam Lake, New York
$1.5 Million
After purchasing the island for a mere $72,500 35 years ago, a New York City ad executive and his family have used Will-O-Isle as a weekend getaway, rowing to it because there are no gas-powered boats allowed on Putnam Lake. The 5-minute ride is the equivalent of 3 city blocks, but takes you a world away. There is a 3-story, 4-bedroom stone home on the property, which was built in 1932.

Turkey Island (2nd image), Rock River, Iowa
$179,000
This 43.5-acre island in the Rock River close to its juncture with the Mississippi was acquired 13 years ago by a lumber company that built a sawmill on it to harvest and replant the maple trees. Once farmed by Sauk Indians and early settlers, Turkey Island now supports deer hunting and is a great place to dock a boat, swim, and get away. “When you are there, you feel like you are in a remote place. But you are not,” says the company president.

Curious about the ownership of private islands, I soon learned that the majority of those offered for sale worldwide - from Argentina to Zambia - are marketed through the Canadian firm Private Islands Online. They list dozens and dozens of islands for sale in the U.S. alone, from Ram Island, Washington, to Ram Island, Maine. You can search by state or country, by keyword (for instance, undeveloped islands or those boasting a helicopter pad), by type (islands with a residence or a beach), or by price (currently ranging from $30,000 to €240,000,000).

Here is an article about the incentives and drawbacks to owning an island, with a slideshow of some of the priciest properties. Here is a list of celebrities who own islands. Lastly, there are both a magazine and a blog about privately-owned islands. I now know which island I will imagine owning...