Ted Turner's Ranch: Watching degraded ecosystems bounce back

In 1996, media mogul Ted Turner bought a New Mexico ranch that's bigger than many national parks. A new film, Preserved, details its history, conservation projects, and influence. Previously owned by Pennzoil, the ranch was badly degraded from overgrazing, forest clearcutting, coal mines, fossil fuel extraction, railroads, and a long-term lack of environmental stewardship. Turner's goal was to restore the land and its wildlife, while keeping the ranch profitable through livestock and tourism businesses.

The film Preserved explores the history and conservation activities of Vermejo Park Ranch, including preservation of bison, mountain lions, cutthroat trout, and many other species. Lesli Allison, Executive Director of the Western Landowners Alliance, is one of the speakers in the film, and on this podcast we talk about the ranch, its place in the larger ecosystem, and its influence on agriculture and conservation.

TIMELINE

3'46 conservation projects on Vermejo Park Ranch

6'13 land badly degraded, but bounced back through stewardship

7'12 protecting land as an ecosystem and living community rather than species by species

9'43 the field of "sensory ecology" 

12'08 learning from mistakes, trial and error

14'54 tried to introduce black footed ferrets but failed

15'50 Bison production at the ranch

18'02 migration of wildlife in the larger landscape

20'45 relationships with neighbors

21'37 the boom-bust model of economics

22'42 the benefits of staying in one place and working on it 

24'09 we need economic support for the care of land, not just extraction from it

26'21 habitat leasing rather than reductionist systems like carbon credits 

27'51 "land is a living community to which we belong" Aldo Leopold...thinking about ourselves as good for nature

30'57 is it the environment vs industry?

32'53 looking at the system rather than villainizing people

34'55 the problem of inequality

35'21 many landowners inspired by Vermejo Park Ranch

36'54 land conservation for the rest of us

40'14 the limiting factor of time

40'48 what's happening at Western Landowners Alliance

41'37 the role of private lands in conservation

42'37 taking care of the land needs to be compensated and become part of our economic system

44'03 the importance of stewardship in restoring land...the land doesn't restore itself

45'41 the next generation of land stewards