Clearing the Air on Tejon Ranch and the California Condor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CLEARING THE AIR ON TEJON RANCH AND THE CALIFORNIA CONDOR

TEJON RANCH, CA, June 10, 2008 --/WORLD-WIRE/--The following is a statement by Peter Bloom, a noted zoologist best known for directing the effort to capture all of the wild free-flying California condors between 1982 and 1987. Bloom recently led a distinguished team of condor experts in making recommendations for how the Tejon Ranch Company, which owns the largest contiguous private property in California, could protect the condor and its habitat.

“In May, five of California's leading environmental organizations -- Sierra Club, Audubon California, Natural Resources Defense Council, Endangered Habitats League and the Planning and Conservation League -- announced a far reaching agreement with Tejon Ranch Company to protect 240,000 acres of the Ranch and create an independent Tejon Ranch Conservancy with permanent funding to support wildlife conservation and habitat restoration. The environmental organizations also agreed to not oppose development on 10 percent of the Ranch.

“In the months leading up to the announcement, a team of condor scientists had an opportunity to independently contribute to and review an internal company report analyzing the impact of the proposed Tejon Mountain Village development on the California condor. Joining me on that team were two of the most highly regarded biologists with expertise in the condor, Lloyd Kiff and Bob Risebrough, who have between them nearly 50 years of unquestionable dedication and leadership in California’s Condor Recovery Program. The report and our input provided the scientific basis for those parts of the recent conservation agreement that had direct relevance to the condor.

“We were willing to give our input and assessment of the report because of our concern for the condor and because Tejon Ranch -- the largest contiguously owned private property in the state -- has a particularly important role to play in expanding the condor’s range from the coastal mountains to the southern Sierra Nevada.

“We were also encouraged by the fact that Tejon Ranch had previously acted in good faith when it came to the condor -- it was one of the first private landowners to ban lead ammunition on its property -- and that our input would be available to the five highly regarded environmental organizations negotiating with the company, including Audubon California, whose commitment to condor science and recovery goes back generations.

“We were asked to give our unvarnished input after we had a chance to review proposed development plans and data about condor activity on the Ranch, and to evaluate habitat on the property first hand. Since those were not small tasks, Tejon Ranch appropriately paid for our time and related expenses. Throughout the process, we maintained the total freedom to agree or disagree, and to do so publicly. To suggest otherwise would be totally false.

“To the credit of Tejon Ranch Company and its environmental partners, all of the condor team’s recommendations were adopted. Among the important improvements we secured for the condor were:

Making the lead ammunition ban binding;
Pulling back development on Grapevine, Squirrel, and Lolas Ridges;
Removing all proposed development from Tunis Ridge;
Pulling back development 3.5 miles on Geghus Ridge,
Protecting the vast majority of the Ranch’s backcountry in conservation easements,
Provision for the purchase of 80 life saving GPS units,
Providing year-round, contaminant-free feeding stations; and
The hiring of a full time Tejon Ranch condor biologist.

“We have spent our lives using rigorous science to promote the recovery of the California condor. We made the decision to participate at Tejon Ranch with those same values in mind. There is no question in our minds that the Tejon Ranch conservation agreement is good for the condor.”

For more information about Tejon Ranch and the recent conservation agreement, please visit: http://www.tejonpreserve.com/

CONTACT:
Eric Antebi 415-901-0111 x328