Ted Turner, Hunting Island and the Quiet Wilderness of St. Phillip’s Island
Allow me to begin this post with somewhat of a disclaimer. I don’t claim to know Ted Turner or know a lot of the things he did in his years on earth. As a charismatic go-getter and businessman, I’m certain that he offended some people and did some things that might have caused people some stress or strife.. However, I have memories of his presence during my formative years as somewhat of a prominent and unconventional legend. As I sit here in my chair and look around this morning thinking about it all, I think how ironic that this is where I am, Hunting Island, at this moment when Ted has taken his last breath. When I close my eyes to in reverence for Ted and search for my feelings, and take in the sounds, the scent of salt in the air and the breeze blowing in the palmettos - No other sound except for the birds chirping and tweeting. Its no wonder Ted loved it here.
The “untamed coast”. From salt marshes and driftwood beaches of Hunting Island State Park to nearby St. Phillips Island — the wild island Ted Turner quietly protected for decades. The side of Ted Turner people do not talk about enough. Ted Turner was many things - complicated things, probably. But one thing he undeniably cared about was conservation.
Most people will remember him as the founder of CNN — the man who changed television news forever. Others will remember the Atlanta Braves, the larger-than-life personality, the sailing trophies, his marriage to Jane Fonda, or the unmistakable voice and swagger that was the epitome of Southern and at the same time, uniquely his.
He became one of the largest private landowners in the United States and spent years working to preserve enormous stretches of natural land. He helped restore bison populations in the American West. He supported environmental education through projects like Captain Planet. He donated vast amounts of money to humanitarian and environmental causes.
And here along the South Carolina coast, he helped protect something smaller and quieter, but no less important - An island. Ted purchased St. Phillip’s Island in 1979 and in the early 80’s, he built a retreat for his family including a somewhat understated house, along with a guest house and staff/caretaker buildings. The large portions of the island remained maritime forest, marsh and beach habitat for wildlife.
Hunting Island always feels quite magical to me. It’s like a secret hideaway for a select few. A less-polished beach destination that feels like it’s a total secret from the free world.
The first time we visited Hunting Island State Park, it felt different from other beach destinations immediately.. The trees twist sideways from the wind. The driftwood beach looks like nature decided to create sculpture gardens. The marshes glow gold in the late afternoon light. Even the air smells different here— salty and earthy and somehow older.
It is one of those places where you instinctively lower your voice a little, and if you have dogs, they know immediately they have arrived somewhere special. Simon and Prudence absolutely lose their minds over the smells here, and we do too, honestly.
Hunting Island is beautiful in the way truly natural places are beautiful — imperfect, shifting, weathered, and alive. The shoreline changes constantly. Storms reshape the beach. Trees fall into the surf. Sand moves where it wants to move. The island reminds you that nature is not static, and maybe that is why people love it so much.
Then there is St. Phillips Island. Most people visiting Hunting Island do not realize another remarkable island sits just offshore. St. Phillips Island feels almost like the quieter sibling in the family. You cannot just drive onto it. You reach it by boat, and that makes it feel more remote and mysterious before you even arrive. It feels a little bit forgotten and untouched'; however, it is far from that. In fact, St. Phillips Island holds years of Turner family memories and stands today as a small part of Ted’s legacy in conservation.
Ted Turner purchased St. Phillips Island in 1979 and kept it largely undeveloped for nearly forty years. Instead of turning it into luxury condos or commercial beachfront property, he preserved much of its natural character. The older I get, the more I appreciate people who protect things. There is so much pressure now to maximize every beautiful place. Sometimes it feels like untouched coastal land is treated as little more than a business opportunity waiting to happen, and that is part of why the story of St. Phillips Island stayed with me. Ted Turner could have done many things with that land. Instead, he largely left it alone. That may end up being one of the most beautiful parts of his legacy. From private island to protected future. In 2017, South Carolina purchased St. Phillips Island and incorporated it into the state park system connected with Hunting Island. And that’s a very good thing, not because I think every wild place should become heavily toured or crowded, but because preservation matters. Public protection matters and stewardship matters.- especially on fragile barrier islands that are constantly being reshaped by tides, storms, erosion, and time. These places are temporary in ways we sometimes forget.
Thinking about Ted Turner today, I found myself thinking less about CNN and headlines and media empires and more about marsh grass moving in the wind, and driftwood beaches. About wild islands still existing because someone decided not to overdevelop them. All of that feels worth remembering.
Ted Turner was larger than life in many ways, but perhaps one of the quietest and most lasting things he did was help preserve pieces of the natural world that still feel genuinely wild.
And standing on the beach at Hunting Island State Park, knowing St. Phillips Island still rests quietly offshore, it is hard not to feel grateful for that today.
