For Immediate UseContact: Garrison Frost
May 14, 2008(323) 951-9620

Caliente, Calif. – Nearly 10,000 acres of ecologically important land in the southern Sierra Nevada will be preserved through a partnership of Audubon California and The Nature Conservancy. Audubon California provided key grant funds to purchase conservation easements that will protect the 9,576-acre Parker Ranch in Kern County from development.

“It was a pleasure to meet the Parkers and help to preserve their ranch,” said Reed Tollefson, manager of the nearby Audubon California Kern River Preserve. “It didn't take long to see how deeply they are committed to the land and ultimately that commitment is why this ranch is being protected."

The conservation easements on Parker Ranch come at a time when neighboring ranches and parcels are being subdivided and sold to prospective developers, which often leads to the destruction of critical habitat and the fencing out of wildlife.

Parker Ranch is home to sycamore canyons, gray pine forests, juniper/oak woodlands, annual grasslands, wet meadows and spectacular displays of annual spring wildflowers. The area supports wildlife from desert, mountain and grassland environments, and is a vital migration corridor for animals between these ecologically distinct regions.

Parker Ranch also supports a small population of the federally endangered Bakersfield Cactus and rare species such as the Piute Mountains navarretia, Golden Eagle, Coast Horned Lizard, Cooper’s Hawk and Tehachapi Slender Salamander.

A horseshoe of mountains encircles the southern San Joaquin Valley, and these mountains are the critical link between the Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, Tehachapi Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. Parker Ranch is one of several private ranches at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada that protect the biological and genetic diversity of numerous species – black bear, gray fox, mule deer, bighorn sheep, to name a few.

Owned by the Parker family for five generations, the ranch is an example of responsible land stewardship and will remain so for generations to come. Bill and Tom Parker's eyes sparkle when they speak of their love for the land and the ranching lifestyle.

“We consider ourselves land stewards first and ranchers second,” says Bill Parker, a fourth generation rancher. “Knowing that this ranch will remain just as it is now, for our children, their children and the generations to come, is a dream come true.”

“This conservation outcome is a win-win situation that continues the Parker family legacy and leaves the land in open space in perpetuity for the benefit of the people of California and its wild heritage,” added Tollefson.

About Audubon California

Audubon California is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. With more than 50,000 members in California and an affiliated 48 local Audubon chapters, Audubon California is a field program of Audubon. This relationship links Audubon California to a national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engaging millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in conservation.

More information is available at www.ca.audubon.org.