Lisa Von Borowsky- (August 9, 1904 – October 15, 2001)
“Let Nature Take Its Course” – L.Von Borowsky
As stated by Charles Lee, of Audubon Florida – “The 97 years of life that blessed Lisa von Borowsky saw great changes in Florida. But, remarkably the 300-acre Ahhochee Hill Sanctuary and much of the surrounding land now in the Withlacoochee State Forest look largely the same as they did when Lisa came here. Perhaps that is so because she was here.”
At the age of 19, Lisa immigrated to the United States from Germany to work in the home of Colonel Raymond Robins and Margaret Drier Robins on their estate at Chinsegut Hill, six miles north of Brooksville, Florida. Lisa became the personal secretary of Margaret Robins who was a formidable figure in the women’s suffrage movement. The estate includes over 6,000 acres of land– much of which was deeded to the federal government by the Robins in 1931 and became part of the Withlacoochee State Forest. Robins retained a life estate on the lands he had gifted, plus several hundred acres of land he would later give to Lisa as the Ahhochee Hill Sanctuary. Following a strict code of conservation ethics, Lisa became the caretaker of the lands and wildlife on Robins’ behalf. On Lisa’s passing, she directed that Audubon manage the Ahhochee Hill Sanctuary according to her wishes – as a true sanctuary for wildlife, its purposes reserved towards providing an island of refuge and respect for the ecosystem in the midst of our rapidly changing state.
Ahhochee Hill Sanctuary
So many hands have owned thee, used and left thee,
And none did build thee up or give thee strength;
From hand to hand, the record shows a long, sad story of delay,
Settlers and debts.
Mortgaged, and drilled for oil, and always left
Without encouragement except thy own great will to thrive.
I should think you would have grown old and weary
And yet to me, who own thee now at last,
Thou’rt young as dawn and clean and ready
For a life of growth and use and beauty.
This is then to be OUR start:
Thou art the hill, the land and I thy guardian.
I will secure thy slopes and dress thee in green pastures
And give the water and care.
We’ll live together, my land and I,
And maybe take in some friends: A horse,
Some cows, chickens and ducks and geese,
And fruit trees, Flowers and a garden-
And who so calls to see us – him we greet,
GROWING ! – and glad and free !