Daily Digest

Big Timber Daily Digest Saturday, June 13, 2026

Ty McDuffey

13 Jun 2026 — 1 min read

Ty's Take

Ted Turner's land deals over the past few decades have quietly reshaped how a lot of us think about conservation in ranch country—whether we admitted it or not at the time. The man bought up pieces of Montana and Wyoming when nobody else wanted them, put conservation easements on them, and let bison roam where cattle had been. You can argue the philosophy all day, and plenty of folks here did when he was buying. But the legacy sitting there now is undeniable: millions of acres that won't get subdivided into vacation compounds or speculative parcels. That matters in Sweet Grass County, where we've watched too many neighboring operations get chopped up and sold off. Turner proved you could be a capitalist and leave the land better than you found it.

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Big Timber Pioneer

Todd Wilkinson: Ted Turner leaves a legacy of protected land in the West

Ted Turner's conservation efforts have left a lasting impact on Western landscapes through his protection of vast tracts of land. His legacy demonstrates how private landowners can play a significant role in preserving natural spaces across the region.

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