Conservation Spotlight

  • 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.

  • 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!

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

About the Conservancy

The Tejon Ranch Conservancy was created to protect and implement science-based stewardship and provide public enjoyment of conserved areas of the historic Tejon Ranch and Tehachapi Range.  Our vision is to protect, explore, understand, enhance and restore the incredible biodiversity found on the Ranch.  We look forward to working with others who share our vision.  More »