Conservation Spotlight
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Tejon Ranch Conservancy 2011 Purple Martin Survey
July 7, 2011 - Purple martins, while common and widespread in the East, are relatively rare and sparsely distributed in California. A combination of historical declines and the small population size led the California Department of Fish and Game to designate the purple martin a Species of Special Concern. In contrast to eastern birds, which nest almost exclusively in man-made boxes, California purple martins nest mainly in natural cavities in trees (with the population using weep holes in highway overpasses in the Sacramento area a notable exception). Surveys in 2000 in the Tehachapi Mountains near Tejon Ranch by Brain Williams found over 50 pairs nesting in large Valley oaks (Williams 2002). The high abundance of naturally nesting purple martins in this region led Audubon California to designate an important bird area in the oak woodlands in the Tehachapi Mountains.
To develop a better understanding of the distribution, abundance, and habitat use of purple martins on Tejon Ranch, the Conservancy is sponsoring nest surveys in the conserved lands on the Ranch. These surveys rely on the contributions of numerous volunteer citizen scientists, whose efforts have been essential to their success. For more information see the links below.
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Tejon Ranch Conservancy Breeding Bird Blitz
May 2011 - The Tejon Ranch Conservancy Citizen Science Program conducted the third annual Breeding Bird Blitz on May 28 with the help of 19 volunteers. A total of 106 species were recorded as groups braved freezing temperatures and fog on the
Tejon Ranch Conservancy hosts Cal-Pac Section Society for Range Management
April 2011
Tejon Ranch Conservancy Third Annual Christmas Bird CountDecember 17,2010 - The third Tejon Ranch Christmas Bird Count was a huge success! Under the threat of nasty weather, 22 folks showed up to make the 111th CBC perhaps our biggest success yet. While we were largely spared the predicted rain, conditions were cold and often very windy and road conditions challenging at times. However, it was a good day for ducks! Read More.. -
Tejon Ranch Conservancy Secures Grant to Protect More than 62,000 Acres of Outstanding Habitat
November 18, 2010 The Tejon Ranch Conservancy today secured state funding to purchase conservation easements on more than 62,000 acres of outstanding wildlife habitat in Los Angeles and Kern counties. The $15.8 million grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board will enable the Conservancy to become the holder of some of the largest conservation easements in California. Read More...
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Tejon Ranch Conservancy Hosts Plein Air Artists
The Conservancy is pleased to be providing the opportunity for local artists to come out and oil paint the summer vistas near Tejon Creek. The majestic beauty of Tejon Ranch and the Tehachapi Range provide landscapes long depicted by the classic California Plein Air style and our guests created gorgeous depictions of the Ranch in an atmosphere of quiet camaraderie. Read More..
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Surveying for Purple Martins on Tejon Ranch
Purple martins, while common and widespread in the East, are relatively rare and sparsely distributed in California. A combination of historical declines and the small population size led the California Department of Fish and Game to designate the purple martin a Species of Special Concern. Surveys in the Tehachapi Mountains near Tejon Ranch in 2000 found over 50 pairs nesting in large Valley oaks. To determine if the martins were also nesting in similar habitat on Tejon Ranch, an expedition was organized by the Tejon Ranch Conservancy, Audubon California, and Western Field Ornithologists to survey for purple martins in the conserved lands of Tejon Ranch. Read More..
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Hunting for Vasek’s clarkia with Kern County CNPS
Vasek’s clarkia (Clarkia tembloriensis ssp. calientensis) is a rare plant on the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) List 1B.1 – considered seriously endangered in California. It is known from only three locations, all on the White Wolf area of Tejon Ranch near Caliente Creek. The status of Vasek’s clarkia in these locations has only been periodically documented over the last 25 years, and the population size has fluctuated significantly from survey to survey. On May 1, the Conservancy hosted the Kern County CNPS look for Vasek’s clarkia at these known locations and to document its current status. We found Vasek’s clarkia in good numbers at all of the known locations, and documented a couple of new populations in the vicinity. Read more..
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The Conservancy hosts a field trip for the International Association of Vegetation Scientists
The Tejon Ranch Conservancy hosted an international group of vegetation scientists for a tour of the vegetation communities of Tejon Ranch. The group of 20 scientists from Austria, Australia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, Japan, and Switzerland were participating in a week-long tour of Southern California (organized by Andiamo Tour Mexico) prior to the International Association of Vegetation Scientists (IAVS) meetings in Ensenada, which included a visit to Tejon Ranch. Tejon Ranch was a perfect setting for these scientists to experience California’s world-renowned floristic diversity, and to see first-hand the convergence of ecological regions that is a hall-mark of Tejon Ranch. The group was able to see mixed hardwood-pine forests along Blue Ridge, Joshua tree woodlands and Mojavean scrub habitats at the mouth of Canyon del Gato Montes, spectacular wildflower fields and native grasslands in Antelope Canyon, sycamore alluvial riparian woodlands in Big Sycamore Canyon, and blue oak and Valley oak woodlands in Los Alamos Canyon. We greatly enjoyed sharing Tejon Ranch with the IAVS group and hope that their visit was memorable! Read more..
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The Audubon Center at Debs Park’s Arroyo Green Team Hosted by the Tejon Ranch Conservancy
The Audubon Center at Debs Park’s Arroyo Green Team was hosted by the Tejon Ranch Conservancy on a trip to the General Beale Adobe and surrounding Ranchlands on the Antelope Valley side of Tejon Ranch on Saturday, April 17, 2010
On the trip, the Green Team had the opportunity to interact with the scientists with the Tejon Ranch Conservancy and learn about their conservation work. The group explored two different habitats on the ranch (desert grasslands and shrublands). They experienced bird-banding first hand and had a close look at a red-winged blackbird and a yellow-rumped warbler. They also conducted a plant study, called a “transect,” to learn about the diversity and abundance of wildflowers on that part of the Ranch. Read more..
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North American Field Herping Association Field Trip
The Conservancy was joined by the North American Field Herping Association to help inventory reptiles and amphibians in the White Wolf Acquisition Area. Read more..
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The Conservancy hosts Debs Park Junior Naturalists
On August 29th, the Conservancy was pleased to host a group of Junior Naturalists from the Audubon Center at Debs Park. The Conservancy led twelve Junior Naturalists deep into Tejon Canyon, where they spent the day exploring among the riparian habitats of Tejon Creek and learning about the Ranch’s plants and animals in an ancient Valley oak grove. Read more..
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Tejon Ranch Conservancy completes first year
The Tejon Ranch Conservancy has marked the one-year anniversary since it was first launched as part of a groundbreaking agreement to permanently protect 240,000 acres of the legendary Tejon Ranch. Eager to make its mark as an independent steward of one of California’s most important conservation properties, the Conservancy has already launched programs to conduct new research on the Ranch’s extraordinary biodiversity, acquire additional protection to high priority areas and give Californians a chance to experience the Ranch’s wildlife and scenic beauty up close. Read more..
Tejon Ranch sits at the confluence of four ecological regions, click on the map to explore its natural resources.