Ted Turner's Land Purchases Questioned

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: AP

MULLEN, Neb. (AP) — Ted Turner's men didn't flinch. As the price climbed past $8 million, $9 million, $9.5 million, they continued bidding at a rapid-fire pace.

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Turner has amassed 2 million acres over the past two decades to become the largest private landowner in the country. He owns large chunks of land in 11 states, with most of his holdings in New Mexico, Nebraska, Montana and South Dakota, and is restoring buffalo, cutthroat trout, wolves, black-footed ferrets and other flora and fauna that filled the Plains before the West was won.

<snip>

Among the theories: Turner is trying to corner the land over the Ogallala Aquifer, the world's largest underground water system, to gain power in the water-starved West.

<snip>

Actually, Turner's spokesmen say, the driving force behind Turner's land purchases is the desire to make money. Turner's Vermejo Park Ranch in New Mexico, for example, offers weeklong elk hunting excursions at $12,000 a pop. He has also entered the restaurant business with gusto, opening more than 50 Ted's Montana Grill restaurants across the country that feature bison meat.

Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gzQ1Ugb4z0PvFWUYh8Ll-YYQTangD8T6U9V00

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2 million acres is a vast amount of land. No wonder people have been raising eyebrows over his purchases.

[Selatius]

1. I bet if you looked at all the wealth in the country, the top 1 percent control like 45 percent.

The next 9 probably about the next 30 percent. The bottom 90% fight over the rest.

[grahamhgreen]

19. The richest 400 people own 50% of all the assets

according to USA Today about 10 years ago...

A small fraction of 1 percent....

[fascisthunter]

23. Which is Detrimental to Any Democracy

If the country is not shared, motives to participate in it's politics will cease to exist.

[meegbear]

2. Could be worse ...

could be Rupert Murdock buying it all up. THEN we got a problem.

[onehandle]

10. Nobody seems to care when a foreigner with a political agenda buys up our media.

Why would they care if he bought up land?

Ted Turner is my favorite Republican. Good for him!

[OregonBlue]

13. Exactly. My sister ownes land that borders Ted's in NM and he is allowing it to return to a natural

state. She loves it. More animals, creeks being allowed to return to original courses, etc. At least he loves the land.

[acmavm]

3. Well, I'd rather Turner had it than say, a Bush.

He's restoring the land as well. Now that's the part that's probably making everyone suspicious.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

5. I'd tend to agree. Mr. Turner is a outdoors man, and nature aficionado.

A vanishing breed. MKJ

[zeemike]

6. I agree with that

And he is committed to restoring the Buffalo heads, which is a very important thing for the environment.

[jdlh8894]

4. Ben Cartwright redux? n/t

[lapfog_1]

14. Only without the logging and mining operations... n/t

[zbdent]

7. How much land does organized religion hold?

I would suspect it's between the Government and Turner's holdings ...

[Botany]

8. Go Ted!

As an ecologist with a love for the prairie Ted is on the cutting
edge of what will become a huge project that can help all of us.

[bemildred]

9. The infamous "People Say" strikes again.

WHO is questioning Mr Turner's land purchases? I'm not.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

The "people" are likely ones who were bidding against him on the land.

When I read the article I imagined bitter losers making a stink and perhaps a few who fear the possibility of a preserve.

Personally, I was more shocked that 26,300 acres or ranch land in Nebraska sells for $10 million. If he's spent anywhere near that amount on the rest of the 2 million acres he's acquired he must be serious about his ventures. It's also important to note they do span several different states. It's not as if he's attempting to monopolize any one area.

[stillcool]

11. maybe he'll buy back CNN...

or start a new one.

[grahamhgreen]

20. We saw him on the street two years ago and my friend asked him if he would do that

he said, "I ain't got the money!"

[MuseRider]

12. He owns a big stretch here in Kansas

and the people in the little towns seem to love him, at least that is what I hear from the few I know around there.

He is keeping the prairie alive on the acres he owns and is bringing buffalo herds up in population. He allows school groups on his land for study. There is probably much more, this is just what I have heard from those who live around there.

Better Ted over Ogallala than a Bush but I worry about anyone claiming water as theirs to dispense. Hopefully that has nothing to do with the land purchases.

[lapfog_1]

15. Ummm... about that Ogallala Aquifer thing...

The Ogallala Aquifer is about 111,000,000 acres of land. Ted has purchased around 2 percent... IF all of his purchases were over the Aquifer, which they aren't (Montana doesn't have any, and New Mexico only has a very small portion along its eastern most regions). The Aquifer covers most of Nebraska, western Kansas, the panhandles of OK and TX, and parts of West central TX and eastern NM.

And if Ted is letting this go back to what is was before man decided that he knew what was best... good for him, and if he overcharges other rich bastards to elk hunt to fund more land purchases, I only hope that he makes a *lot* of money from it.

I also hope he sets this up in a trust and funds that trust enough to operate for the next 200 years.

[olddad56]

22. he allows the hunts to control the population of the herds and ..

in part to raise money for animal conservation.

[semillama]

16. Turner's land use policies can only improve the aquifer, so what's the problem.

I'd rather see him have land over it than some oil baron.

Also, I'd like to say I LOVE his bison burgers. MMMmmmmmmmgood!

[momster]

17. If I were Rich

I'd do the same thing. I'd buy land on the outskirts of areas that are being gobbled up by developers -- as in Orlando and Las Vegas. Then I'd just leave it be -- eventually becoming the only undeveloped parks and unmanicured green spaces in those areas. Imagine 500 acres of native territory in the heart of some ugly-ass suburb. I'd need a couple of million a year just to defend against the lawsuits brought by Nervous Nellies Against Nasty Nature In Existing Suburbia. (NNANNIES) Coyotes! Foxes! Spotted Owls!

Unfortunately, I'm no mega-billionaire. So kudos to Ted!

[pipoman]

18. As a prairie conservation and bison lover

I appreciate what Ted is doing as long as the plan doesn't turn sinister as so often happens when the originator passes, Wal-Mart comes to mind. Most of these huge parcels of ground which he buys are in economically depressed areas. They are economically depressed because the land isn't very productive for agriculture. The wealthier areas with more valuable farm land are already fractured and owned by many different owners. Mullen is in the middle of the Nebraska sand hills. I have found 2 things, many urbanites from the coasts don't have a clue the vastness of these areas out here in flyover country and most people have no clue how much ground 26,300 acres is. 26,300 acres = 41 square miles = a piece of ground approx. 8 miles long and 5 miles wide not exactly a corner on the land market in an area that you can drive for hours and not see the end of it.

"When the auction was over, they walked away with what they came for: 26,300 acres of prime ranch land, at a cost of nearly $10 million."

That is less than $400 per acre. Most of the farm ground east of Grand Island NE in the corn belt would sell in excess of 1000 IIRC (Mullen is west of Grand Island).

[Az_lefty]

21. Good for Ted!! Better him than a publican...

:toast: