Gottlob Schmidt has lived on his family's farm outside of Hanna, Alta. for 80 years.

Now facing retirement, the 91-year-old has no children to inherit the 3.8 square kilometres of grass-covered land—but that isn't stopping him from passing down the property.

When Schmidt permanently moves off the farm and into town, the land he loves will become Alberta's newest provincial park: Antelope Hill Provincial Park.

A private buyer offered Schmidt more than a million dollars for the property, but instead, the farmer says he wants to bequeath it to all Albertans.

"I kind of fell in love with the place," he told CTV Calgary. "I'd sit on top of the hill, look at wildlife and stuff like that, and I just couldn't see me selling it.

"The money to me, I can't take it with me."

Instead of accepting the private offer, Schmidt says he hopes his gift will help visitors experience and appreciate the outdoors.

"A lot of them kids, they don't even know what it's like to walk barefoot on the grass," he said.

A spokesperson for Alberta's parks said Antelope Hill will be a space for visitors to enjoy some of the province's best nature.

"Some of our most prestigious parks are located in small centres, well off the beaten path," said Tim Chamberlain, a Public Affairs officer at Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation.

"There are some real gems throughout Alberta and Antelope Hill Provincial Park will just add to that inventory."

The province plans to leave the land virtually untouched.

It will build a parking lot, carve out a few trails, and add some picnic areas, but other than that, it hopes to leave the land as natural as possible.

That way, visitors will be able to interact with the wildlife as Schmidt has for most of his life.

"One evening I was there, the sun was going down, I sat down and counted 82 deer coming into my yard," Schmidt said, gesturing at the landscape in front of him.

Schmidt already owns an apartment in town, but he says he's not quite ready to move there full-time.

For now, he's enjoying his last few moments in the place he grew up, and he has one piece of advice for those who come after him:

"Leave it with Mother Nature. Give it over to her. Let her run the show."

With files from CTV Calgary's Chris Epp