Ted Turner, the famous businessman and owner of Vermejo Park Ranch, passed away on May 6, 2026, leaving behind many loved ones and a lofty legacy of land and wildlife conservation.
Young Questeños at Localogy summer camp
Ted Turner, the famous businessman and owner of Vermejo Park Ranch, passed away on May 6, 2026, leaving behind many loved ones and a lofty legacy of land and wildlife conservation.
Although he might be better known in some circles as the former owner of the Atlanta Braves baseball team and the founder of the CNN media platform, Turner will be remembered by many for his achievements in natural resources stewardship. Through his ownership of properties all around the western U.S., he protected millions of acres of wildlands while restoring native habitat at a staggering scale. He had a particular interest in recovering endangered and imperiled species. Through personal commitment and generous philanthropy, he stood between the American bison, black-footed ferret, Chiracahua leopard frog, the Mexican gray wolf, and many other species and the abyss of extinction.
Some of Turner’s most ardent admirers are among the trout fishing community. His properties were strategically located, at the heart of Westslope cutthroat trout in Montana and the headwaters of the Rio Costilla in New Mexico, the best remaining portion of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout’s native range.
Turner’s support for Rio Grande cutthroat began in the early 2000s, when donations from his Vermejo Park Ranch helped Trout Unlimited’s nascent chapters raise funds, get on their feet, and grow to their current strength. The Turner Foundation has provided years of vital funding for TU’s work in rural outreach and stream restoration. Along with supporting Trout Unlimited, Turner’s team of cutting-edge scientists and restoration professionals has been a critical factor in ensuring the persistence of New Mexico’s state fish far into the future.
Turner’s generosity wasn’t limited to conservation. He gave to organizations promoting peace, women’s and youth empowerment, and youth development. Significantly, the Turner Foundation provided important support for the annual summer youth camp led by Localogy and Vida del Norte in Questa.
Northern New Mexicans should be profoundly grateful for Ted Turner’s life. We should also be inspired by the fact that every person touched by his largesse, not to mention every Rio Grande cutthroat that ever swims, will bear the signature of his vision. It’s not difficult to imagine the impoverished state of the North American landscape had Mr. Turner not walked upon it; indeed, he leaves the earth a more beautiful and living place.
