Why Ted Turner's approach to conservation is the mindset America desperately needs right now

Media mogul Ted Turner has died at age 87. As we say goodbye to Ted Turner, most people will remember him as the media titan who launched CNN and forever changed television news. Or the guy who transformed the Atlanta Braves into "America’s Team" in the late 1970s. But one of Turner’s most important contributions had nothing to do with cable news or billion-dollar deals. It had to do with bison, trout, and longleaf pines and the idea that if you are fortunate enough to own a piece of this country, you should leave it better than you found it. Sam Donaldson stands with Ted Turner and Jane Fonda on their ranch on Nov. 3, 1997. (Jerry Fitzgerald/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) At a time when America’s public lands and wildlife habitats are increasingly threatened by development, shrinking conservation budgets and political battles over land use, Turner stood apart from many ultra-wealthy Americans. Because he actually put his money where his mouth was. And not in the performative, "I bought carbon offsets for my private jet" kind of way. Instead, Ted Turner bought massive amounts of land, and he spent decades working to restore it. Turner ultimately amassed roug