BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 6, 2026
Ted Turner, the media mogul, philanthropist and conservationist who built CNN and was once the nation’s largest private landowner, is being remembered by a Maine outdoors writer for his work protecting trout habitat in the western United States. Turner died Wednesday at 87. Paul Guernsey, a Maine author and former editor of Fly Rod & Reel magazine, said Turner’s environmental efforts were significant enough that the publication once honored him with its Angler of the Year award. The magazine, published in Rockport by Down East, ceased publication in 2017. The magazine recognized Turner for efforts to restore Westslope cutthroat trout habitat. Some anglers opposed the move because they enjoyed fishing for the non-native trout. Fly Rod & Reel later received a flood of letters criticizing the award decision.