Paul, theres no disputing that Ted doesnt really care that much for cattle. But how many sheep ranchers like cattle? His business is in Bison.
Maybe Ted is smart enough to hire the best guy for the job he needs done on his land, and doesnt let someones personal beliefs get in the way of that.
Remember this Phillips dude is an endangered species expert, not a bison expert, Ted has other people hired for that.
I also dont think theres a conspiracy theory going on with regard to Turner. I think he's just interested in trying to do what he feels is the right thing, a couple of which are saving endangered species and taking care of the land. I find it difficult to fault a guy that funds endangered species with his own money, puts them on his land, cooperates with the various agencies, etc. My feeling is good for him, thats money that joe tax-payer doesnt have to shell out.
Even if Turner and Phillips WANTED to get all the cattle off the Public range, they couldnt get it done, ever. It just wont happen, they dont control any federal agency. I'd say that Turner Enterprises has about as much influence with the various agencies as say FNAWS, MDF, RMEF, etc. Sure they have more clout than you and I as an individual, but they still cant just make federal and state policy by ringing the local field offices. If I was you, I wouldnt waste my time worrying about what Mike Phillips or Ted Turner think about cattle and wolves.
cjcj, common sense? You of all people have no room to judge anyones common sense, on anything. Especially a guy who had enough of it (common sense) to build a media empire, buy up more land than the Nature Conservancy, donate a cool billion to charity, and still find time to fly fish and hunt all the time. Yep, he's a real idiot all right.
