 In late 1992 , area residents Tom Stibolt and Lisa Brenner donated the first 12 acres ( 4 @.@ 9 ha ) to the project , with the Fish and Wildlife Service then accepting the donation to officially create the refuge . They had purchased the 12 acres ( 49 @,@ 000 m2 ) of woodland which adjoined their own property and donated it to the refuge . Sherwood donated the second parcel to the refuge , 1 @-@ acre ( 0 @.@ 40 ha ) in 1993 . Congress approved $ 2 million for the project to purchase more land in November 1993 . In January 1994 , the Department of the Interior granted the Fish and Wildlife Service the authority to spend the money in order to begin buying land for the refuge . Congress gave the project an additional $ 2 @.@ 5 million in 1995 . 
