2015 Land Report 100: Ted Turner

No. 2 Ted Turner

2,000,000+ acres
The owner of the world’s largest private herd of bison just acquired the world’s best loved bison habitat: the historic Standing Butte Ranch, which was featured in the Academy Award-winning Western Dances with Wolves (1990). South Dakota’s Capital Journal broke the news of the transaction in late September. Formerly known as the Triple U, the ranch encompasses almost 46,000 acres of natural prairie in Central South Dakota near Lake Oahe. In addition to an existing herd of 3,500 bison, it supports numerous other native species, including pronghorn antelope and white-tailed deer.