RCA Visits Ted Turner's Private Ranch

Summer months don’t slow down students of the Ron Clark Academy.  Ten students were handpicked to join Kim Bearden, Co-Founder and Executive Director of RCA, on a special trip to media mogul, Ted Turner’s private ranch in New Mexico – Vermejo Park Ranch (VPR).  Our students were the special guests of RCA’s advisory board member, Laura Turner Seydel. (Thank you and we love you, Mrs. Seydel!)  

Beautiful Vermejo Park is the heart of the famous 2 million acre Maxwell Land Grant created in 1841. Lucien Maxwell, a fur trader colleague of Kit Carson, acquired the land grant through marriage, established its headquarters in Cimarron, and allowed settlers on the land.  In the fall of 1996, Vermejo Park Ranch was acquired by Ted Turner. It is the largest of Turner’s extensive land holdings. The guest operation was retained, the cattle were sold, and bison were stocked on their historic range. 

Though the visit was brief - three days - each moment was filled with fun and opportunities to learn and explore some of America’s most pristine and precious land.   During the morning on the first day, students toured the Canadian River Region, where they learned about Coal Bed Methane production on VPR.  They also received an extensive lesson on timber restoration and the history of charcoal kilns.  

That afternoon, students then traveled down Crow Canyon via SUVs.  Along the way, they stopped at Khoeler Mine – a real ghost town - to learn the ins and outs of coal mining and its historical significance in our country’s culture.  The journey to Crow Canyon also included a trip to the prairie, where students learned about the importance of a short grass prairie ecosystem, as well as the restoration of the black tailed prairie dog and the black footed ferret.   And to end the day…how about a little bison viewing?  Thousands of bison roam freely throughout the ranch, so students had the opportunity to learn all there is to know about these large, but gentle animals.  The experience also included a chance to feed some of these majestic creatures.  

The majority of the second day was spent horseback riding through the mountains.  For some students this was a first-time experience, but there were a couple of veterans in the group as well.  Students also hiked and went fishing.

Day three was spent packing up and preparing for the journey back east. 

We are truly grateful to the entire Turner family and VPR staff who rolled out the red carpet to welcome us – we will not soon forget this wonderful adventure.  Thank you for helping us to continue to instill and remind our students of the importance of preservation and why each of us must actively work to save our precious environment and earth!