After two years of negotiations, EHL and other conservation groups reached an historic agreement with the Tejon Ranch Company to permanently protect 240,000 acres of this spectacular 270,000-acre property.



The Tejon Ranch straddles Los Angeles and Kern Counties. At the confluence of multiple ecoregions, its San Joaquin Valley prairie, Tehachapi Mountain woodlands, and Mojave Desert scrub link the Coast Ranges to the Sierra Nevada. Its diverse oak resources are of staggering scope, along with wildflower fields and native grasslands. Publicly traded on Wall Street, the Tejon Ranch Company has development applications for major projects pending in both Los Angeles and Kern.

In return for non-opposition to development on 10% of the ranch, the dedications and purchase options spelled out in the agreement comprise the best and most realistic conservation outcome. The reserve design was vetted by the Conservation Biology Institute, South Coast Wildlands, and leading experts on the California condor.

EHL will serve on the Board of Directors for the new Tejon Ranch Conservancy, tasked with managing and restoring the ecosystem in conjunction with limited agricultural uses.


Photos of Tejon Ranch
Antelope Valley poppies and Blue Ridge – Mike White
Sleet covered oaks at Winters Ridge – Bill Corcoran