The Land Report

Summer 2017

The Magazine of the American Landowner is an essential guide for investors, landowners, and those interested in buying or selling land. The award-winning quarterly is known for its annual survey of America's largest landowners, The Land Report 100.

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80 The LandReport | S U M M E R 2 0 1 7 LANDREPORT.COM T urner's commitment to conservation is no recent occurrence. It's a lifetime phenomenon that dates back to his earliest years, one that has remained a continual touchstone. "There are two Teds," says friend Tom Brokaw. "There's this kind of bombastic Ted, and then there's this very keen ornithologist, a guy who cares about the land. It's not just a trophy to Ted. He cares about land organically. He knows the birds on the wing. He knows the flowers. He knows the grass. When he turned 75, somebody sent me a description of what he was like when he was a kid. He was a great birder. He was a taxidermist. So when I hunt with him, he's very attentive to the process. He wants to make sure he gets it right." Mike Phillips has served as director of the Turner Endangered Species Fund since its founding in 1997. Over the last two decades, the Montana state senator has witnessed this mind-set firsthand. "Ted seems to have a chronic ability to focus on foundational aspects of import," Phillips says. "You're talking about a guy who has assembled a body of work that is strangely robust. He has this knack to drive to the most important common denominator. Ted put an easement on St. Phillips Island [his 4,680-acre South Carolina property] in the early 1980s. Nobody was talking about conservation easements back then. But he saw a need for acknowledging the power of incentives to protect land." OPPOSIT E : T ed T u rn er a n d Di x i e a t th e rea dy pri or to a m orn i n g i n th e f i el d a t Av a l on Pl a n ta ti on . I'm a lifelong bird hunter. Haven't missed opening day of dove season in 75 years. Ted is the same sort of guy. I knew that the first time we went bird hunting at Avalon. Tell you what, Ted knows his birds – he knows their habitat and their predators. His dogs are some of the best I've ever trailed. And the guy is a crack shot. Uses a .410. — Boone Pickens " " TURNER FAMILY COLLECTION

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