Story perspectives

Ted Turner, 87, Dies Leaving 2 Million-Acre Conservation Legacy

5/9/2026

Summary

Story summary

Ted Turner died at 87 in Lamont, Florida on May 6, 2026, leaving more than 2 million acres of ranchland.
He was the fourth-largest private landowner in the United States with 13 properties in six states.
His ranches support the largest private bison herd of about 45,000 and have restored black-footed ferrets, Mexican wolves and native trout.
The Turner Foundation and the Turner Institute of Ecoagriculture will manage the lands for ecological sustainability.

History

Historical Context

In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act, establishing a federal agency to manage Yellowstone and other lands, a move championed by conservationist Stephen Mather and later expanded under former president Theodore Roosevelt. Today Ted Turner’s 2 million-acre ranch mirrors that early public-land model, showing how private stewardship now extends the conservation legacy.

1 of 2

Story summary

Ted Turner died at 87 in Lamont, Florida on May 6, 2026, leaving more than 2 million acres of ranchland.
He was the fourth-largest private landowner in the United States with 13 properties in six states.
His ranches support the largest private bison herd of about 45,000 and have restored black-footed ferrets, Mexican wolves and native trout.
The Turner Foundation and the Turner Institute of Ecoagriculture will manage the lands for ecological sustainability.

1 / 2