Turner legacy, and singing in the Gem State

By Micah Drew, Jordan Hansen and Keila Szpaller

"The damage that you have done with your conduct is undeniable.” — Montana Public Service Commissioner Jennifer Fielder at a meeting where the PSC adopted a report that found Commissioner Brad Molnar committed professional misconduct.

Ted Turner, one of Montana’s largest private land owners and a media mogul best known for founding CNN, died on Wednesday in his home in Florida at the age of 87.

I wrote a very brief piece on Turner’s death, which highlighted a few key aspects of his legacy — not the least the being the transformation of the news cycle — but that is only a drop in the bucket compared to the life story laid out in the nation’s largest newspapers. 

The Washington Post had this excellent obituary that covered nearly all of Turner’s life achievements, including his humanitarian efforts, his sailing career and his paramours, most famously activist Jane Fonda.

The New York Times devoted nearly 1,500 words to Turner’s legacy, which can be read in full here. A subsequent piece by the TImes published on Thursday focused just on Turner’s legacy in Atlanta, where he spent much of his life, headquartered his 24-hour news network CNN, and took ownership of the Atlanta Braves. 

Among Turner’s achievements the Times highlighted was his focus on land and wildlife conservation.

“Mr. Turner bought his first bison in 1976 and his first ranch 11 years later in Montana,” the article states, making Turner one of, if not the first, billionaire to set his sights on western landscapes. His vast holdings  — some two million acres — across Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota and Kansas —  at one time made him the largest private landowner in the country, a title since ceded. 

He was a “warrior for bison,” the Times article quotes John Calvelli, an executive vice president at the Wildlife Conservation Society as saying, noting that Turner’s private herd of 45,000 bison was the largest in the U.S., and he was often at the center of coalitions dedicated to preserving and restoring the species.

Turner’s properties in Montana include the flagship Flying D Ranch south of Bozeman, which makes up a majority of the white-colored space south of Highway 84 and west of Highway 191 on the map below — land that will remain protected from development and growth in Montana. 

~ Micah Drew

A couple of weekends ago, I drove to Boise.

Usually, I’ve got the pedal to the metal, but maybe because the sun was shining and the river flowing along Highway 12, I slowed down a bit, and I decided to stop a couple more times and a little longer than usual.

In Kooskia, a wee pup caught my eye at the gas station, and I asked the pup’s person if I could take a picture. Lukas Bennett, holding little Sadie Blue in his hoody, said yes.

Bennett, I think living in Stites, if memory serves, said Sadie Blue is going to learn to help him hunt sheds.

Then, in Grangeville, I saw one person standing in front of the County Courthouse waving a giant American flag. I decided to drive around the block to learn more.

When I started walking up to the flag waver, I could hearing singing, and the voice was from Laci LeBlanc, 35.

It wasn’t an official “No Kings” day, but that didn’t matter to LeBlanc.

“I try to come out here every Saturday,” LeBlanc said. “I try to keep the social pressure up.”

Sometimes, drivers aren’t all that friendly. LeBlanc has gotten “the finger” and been yelled at and called a communist, but the activist remains undeterred.

“Everybody thinks that this is Trump country only, and that’s not true.”

~ Keila Szpaller

If you find yourself in Missoula in the next few weeks, Shakespeare & Co. has a couple of readings that sound great.

One includes a panel of conservation experts, and another is with an author who writes about “some of the nastiest antagonists I’ve seen in literature,” according to a reader comment on his website. NEAT.

Here’s the announcement from Shakespeare:

Monday, May 18th: A reading and discussion with Danilo John Thomas. Thomas, born and raised in Southwestern Montana, will read from his new short story collection, Ore Vein: Stories (Veliz Books, March 2026). 7pm.  

Wednesday, May 27th: Join award-winning science journalist Hillary Rosner for a lively conversation about her book Roam: Wild Animals and the Race to Repair Our Fractured World, the inspiring story of reconnecting ecosystems, restoring wildlife corridors, and reimagining a future where humans and animals can thrive together. Rosner will explore some of the stories she tells in the book in a conversation with author, environmental philosopher, and University of Montana professor Christopher J. Preston, followed by an audience Q&A featuring a panel of local conservation experts. The discussion will touch on how the movement to reconnect critical landscapes is playing out in Montana. This event is presented in partnership with the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and the Vital Ground Foundation.. 7pm.  

Thursday, June 19th: Shakespeare & Co. hosts a reading and discussion with Montana author Thomas Craeg. Craeg (aka Craig Thomas Naylor) will read from his debut thriller, Sword in the Heart (check it out: FBI Agent Greg Wesson leads a team of federal agents, military experts and local investigators pursuing a group assassinating American oligarchs. Along the way, he finds himself admiring the killers. Their victims are people Wesson has tried and failed for years to put in prison, including the one who murdered his wife). 6pm.

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine invited me to hear Cherie Newman read from her book, “Other People’s Pets: Critters, Careers, and Capitalism in Yellowstone County” at Shakespeare. Then, my friend bought me a copy of the book. Lucky stars! I learned a few things about Bozeman — and about pet-sitting — by reading that book. We had drinks at Flippers the same night ‘cause it’s just down the block, and I recommend that routine for you too.

~ Keila Szpaller

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