News
North American Field Herping Association Field Trip
September 20, 2009The Conservancy is conducting biological inventories of the five Acquisition Areas of the Ranch to better document baseline conditions and conservation values. For the herpteofauna (reptiles and amphibians) surveys, the Conservancy has contracted with Live Oak Associates, Inc. to field a team led by Dr. Mark Jennings. In order to increase the size of the field crew, volunteers from the Southern California Chapter of the North American Field Herping Association (NAFHA) to came out to help.
The Conservancy hosts Debs Park Junior Naturalists
August 29, 2009Lebec, CA – The Tejon Ranch Conservancy, in partnership with Audubon California, was pleased to host a group of Junior Naturalists from the Audubon Center at Debs Park located in northeast Los Angeles (link to http://ca.audubon.org/debs_park.php). Twelve Junior Naturalists, many of whom rarely leave the urbanized area of Los Angeles, hiked through the diverse riparian habitats along Tejon Creek, learned about aquatic insects, chased dragonflies and butterflies, and saw up close wildlife such as acorn woodpeckers, side-blotched lizards and mule deer.
Tejon Ranch Conservancy Completes First Year
July 08, 2009The 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.
Tejon Conservancy sponsors Mt. Pinos Sooty Grouse survey on Tejon Ranch
May 18, 2009The Mt. Pinos Sooty Grouse (Dendragapus fuliginosus howardi), a priority 2 California Species of Special Concern, is an endemic subspecies of Sooty Grouse that historically ranged through the southern Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi Mountains, to Mt. Pinos. The Mt. Pinos Sooty Grouse requires mature conifer/fir forests for its habitat. This subspecies has not been observed in the southern portion of its range since the early 1980s, and an extant population on Tejon Ranch would be an important development in the conservation of this subspecies. In May 2009 the Conservancy conducted a focused survey for this species in the conifer forests on Tejon Ranch with Dr. James Bland, and authority on the species. Surveys were conducted over three days using standard protocols, which consisted of walking transects through patches of forest habitat looking for sign (feathers and droppings) and listening for responses to recorded female grouse vocalizations. All suitable habitat on the Ranch was surveyed but no Sooty Grouse were detected.
