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Sierra Club Settlement Secures Protection for 240,000 acres
Case Updates:
March 7, 2011
Sierra Club and its allies have finalized the purchase of conservation easements on more than 62,000 acres of diverse wildlife habitat on Tejon Ranch in Los Angeles and Kern Counties. The purchase marks a major milestone in the implementation of the environmental group’s landmark settlement with the Tejon Ranch Company, which established a plan to set aside the largest parcel of land for conservation in the history of California. Together with Tejon Ranch Company’s agreement to dedicate conservation easements on an additional 180,000 acres of the Ranch, this latest action ensures that all 240,000 acres set for protection in the agreement will be preserved in perpetuity.
May 7, 2008
California’s sprawling Tejon Ranch is a place unlike any other- situated where the Sierra Nevada, the Mohave Desert, the Coastal Range and Central Valley all meet, this region is home to a wide array of native plants and animals. For years, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups have worked to ensure that this unique area will be a place that future generations can enjoy. On May 7, 2008, these groups, with the leadership of local Club staff and volunteers, achieved a monumental settlement that will protect the area forever.
As a result of this settlement, the vast majority of the Tejon Ranch will be set up as a conservancy, setting aside the largest parcel of land for conservation in the history of the state of California. This deal will preserve vital habitat for a number of species, including elk, bears, eagles and condors. Now 375 square miles of desert, woodlands, and grasslands will remain the treasured wild places they are today for years to come.
Details and Documents:
News Articles:
Conservation on a Staggering Scale at Tejon
May 9, 2008 by Peter Firmrite, San Francisco Chronicle
Major Deal Preserves Ranch Land in California
May 9, 2008 by Felicity Barringer, The New York Times
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