A combination of public money and private donations will lead to a $2 million project to buy more than 300 acres of grasslands in La Crosse County.

Governor Jim Doyle announced a nearly $1 million grant on Wednesday for the Mississippi Valley Conservancy. The remaining million dollars will come from private donations.

The governor's office says the project will help protect a large parcel of grassland bird habitat. The purchase will also open up the public's opportunity to use the land as the 318 acres were previously closed to the public.