Largest Private Land Holder - Maine and NH

[rickb]

Has anyone heard of John Malone and his holdings in Maine in NH?

Here is a link from the WSJ reporting that he has surpassed Ted Turner as the country's largest private land holder which mentions Maine and NH.

http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2011/10/12/john-malone-now-biggest-landowner-in-the-u-s/

If I am not mistaken, 2.2 million acres would be equivalent in size to about 10 Baxter State Parks. The article state that about 1 million of those acres were purchased in Maine and NH earlier this year.

Not sure what his vision might be, but I am grateful for the recent purchases in Maine by the AMC and conservationists like Roxanne Quimby and Weary's Main Appalachian Land Trust.

[4eyedbuzzard]

At age 70, he likely has a well thought out plan for his estate. I wouldn't be surprised if part of that plan results in some portion of his holdings becoming public lands and not just leaving it all to his wife and children. People like to have their names live on via parks, buildings, and such when they go. According to Wiki, and Forbes, etc, Malone has already given away large sums - $30M to Johns Hopkins for a building that will bear his name and $50M to Yale University School of Engineering and Applied Science. There is likely much more unreported. He likes to travel/vacation low key in an RV, so he probably likes the woods and outdoors and such. Might turn out to be a good thing for land conservation - or he might be planning to become the new bio-fuel king by mowing down trees. Time will tell.

[WingedMonkey]

He likes to travel/vacation low key in an RV, so he probably likes the woods and outdoors and such.

Not that it reflects his appreciation of the outdoors or lack of, but his RV is what some call a "McMansion on Wheels" in the million dollar plus price range.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_42/b3955124.htm

[4eyedbuzzard]

Not that it reflects his appreciation of the outdoors or lack of, but his RV is what some call a "McMansion on Wheels" in the million dollar plus price range.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_42/b3955124.htmTrue, but expected. I kind of figure when your net worth is in the billions you're probably not going to be buying a used Winnebago at a Florida estate auction.

[peakbagger]

To date, the land he has purchased in Me and Vt are managed for long term timber production. I am not aware of any major issues with new gates or restrictions put on the land unlike other individuals who own or want to own large blocks of timber in Maine.

[Wonderer]

"Mr. Malone said his main interest is land conservation and maintaining the sustainable forestry programs with the New England parcel." I just hope they are also responsible stewards in terms of environmental protection of the land they own.

[Bronk]

"Malone is an ardent conservationist, an ethic he shares with Turner. While the duo’s ends are the same, their means differ somewhat. “I tend to be more willing to admit that human beings aren’t going away,” Malone says. His 2011 Maine and New Hampshire purchase, which was brokered by LandVest’s Timberland Division, saw him acquire robust sustainable forestry operations from private equity firm GMO Renewable Resources. He intends to keep them in place. He applies this philosophy to his western properties, such as the Bell, where he raises cattle and horses. Ultimately, he plans to put all of his land in perpetual conservation easements."

http://www.landreport.com/americas-100-largest-landowners/


I hope both he and Ted Turner are smart enough not to leave this land to the government upon their deaths.

[Old Hiker]

..........................

I hope both he and Ted Turner are smart enough not to leave this land to the government upon their deaths.

Ever hear of "eminent domain"?

Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_citation) (2005)[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelo_v._City_of_New_London#cite_note-citation-0) was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States) involving the use of eminent domain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminent_domain) to transfer land from one private owner to another to further economic development (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_development). The case arose from the condemnation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminent_domain) by New London, Connecticut (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_London,_Connecticut), of privately owned real property (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_property) so that it could be used as part of a comprehensive redevelopment plan which promised 3,169 new jobs and $1.2 million a year in tax revenues. The Court held in a 5–4 decision that the general benefits a community enjoyed from economic growth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_growth) qualified such redevelopment plans as a permissible "public use (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_use)" under the Takings Clause (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution# Takings_clause) of the Fifth Amendment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution) .
The city eventually agreed to move Susette Kelo's house to a new location and to pay substantial additional compensation to other homeowners. The redeveloper was unable to obtain financing and abandoned the redevelopment project, leaving the land as an empty lot,[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelo_v._City_of_New_London#cite_note-APSep252009-1) which was eventually turned into a dump by the city." < emphasis added>

The above is from Wikipedia.com - according to the Supreme Court, the guv'mint can take whatever for whatever, regardless.

[flemdawg1]

There is always the Nature Conservancy and other land trust NGOs. But nothing can stop the gov't from taking it if they want it. They have the (bigger & more) guns, remember.

[skinewmexico]

I'd just as soon the government took it as the Nature Conservancy. You would at least have a chance at access with government ownership. And I'm surpirsed Ted isn't #1, I thought he had over 2 million acres in New Mexico alone.