Saturday, November 24, 2007 Tejon Ranch EIRs nearing completion

Environmental opponents get ready to battle

By TINA FORDE Environmental impact reports for the more preservation of the land. We Valley Press Staff Writer 23,000-home community of Centennial, want to make sure the critical habitat in the Los Angeles County portion of is preserved and there is public access As environmental impact reports on two the ranch, and for the Tejon Mountain where appropriate.” planned developments at Tejon Ranch - Village community, near Interstate Eileen Anderson, staff biologist for the the largest contiguous expanse of land 5 at Lebec and extending up Bear Tuscon-based Center for Biological under single ownership in California Trap Canyon, will be ready for public Diversity, calls Tejon Ranch “the - work their way toward completion scrutiny sometime in 2008, according to epicenter of natural California.” in 2008, opponents are lining up their Barry Zoeller , vice president, director own battle plans. of corporate communications for Tejon Ranch Co. From a biological viewpoint, she said, “It’s an incredible area. It’s the only The Sierra Club has created a Tejon place where four ecosystems converge Ranch Task Force whose members “We are confi dent that the plans for - the southern Sierras, the western will examine issues including biology, Centennial and Tejon Mountain Village , the Central Valley and geology, hydrology, traffi c, buildings will be environmentally sensitive, will the (the mountains standards and water. set a new standard in California and will serve as a model for how future covered by the Angeles and Los Padres “The group is putting together resources development should take place,” Zoeller national forests).” to respond (to the EIRs),” said Henry said. “The public will realize this is the The ecoregions make contact in the Schultz, chairman of the Santa Clarita way to plan.” ranch property, which creates a link for group of the Angeles Chapter of the plants and animals to move through, Sierra Club. “They split up into tasks While challenging development on Anderson said, enabling genetic fl ow and break into topics by different Tejon Ranch is a shared mission, the and robust populations. The ranch is groups and different areas.” ultimate goal for the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, the a “biodiversity hot spot,” she said, Sierra Club Conservation Program Native Plant Society, The Natural containing “charismatic megafauna:” Coordinator Jennifer Robinson, in Resources Defense Council, the bear, deer, bobcats and mountain lions Los Angeles, said two staff members National Audubon Society and other as well as the plant habitats that support and volunteers are working with other environmental activist groups is to them. Tejon Ranch, she said, “retains environmental groups on the effort to transform most of the 270,000-acre the quintessential California landscape stop or minimize development at Tejon ranch into a state or national park. - oak woodlands, riparian streams - and Ranch. it’s a microcosm of what California Robinson said the Sierra Club “hopes looked like before the building of tons “We’re working on some education,” to see a park on a large portion of land. of houses.” Robinson said. “We are trying to let … We would like to see 240,000 of residents of local areas know about those acres preserved.” Anderson, whose Center for Biological the proposals. With a development like Diversity was the lead advocacy group this, it’s hard to know what stages the “We’re hoping Tejon Ranch will that sued to stop expansion of the developers are in.” continue to be good stewards of the Tejon Industrial Complex - delaying land,” she said. “We look ahead to construction for 4½ years until the 5th District Court of Appeals approved the We call for an extensive portion of the “I have not been there,” said Anderson, fi nal EIR April 9, 2007 - said the ranch ranch to remain natural forever.” who relies on decades-old state records recently made a good decision. for information on species and natural The developments will not inhibit the resources. “To Tejon’s credit,” she said, “they no regional ecological fl ow, Zoeller said. longer allow lead shot (for hunting) on Schultz said his group has been to Wind the ranch.” In addition to The Trust for Public Land, Wolves private nature preserve on the the Pacifi c Crest Trail Association has west side of I-5 from Tejon Ranch to On the other hand, she said, the ranch’s taken a proactive rather than adversarial get a feeling for the natural landscape proposed 100,000-acre set-aside for position to gain environmental of the ranch. preservation “doesn’t address our traction. concern” about the north-south, east- “Not many people have been to Tejon west ecological linkages. “We’re still in negotiation with Tejon Ranch,” the Sierra Club’s Schultz said. Ranch,” said Liz Bergeron , executive “One of the best ways to learn about it Reed Holderman, executive director director of the Pacifi c Crest Trail is from Huell Howser’s shows on DVD. of the San-Francisco-based, national Association, which is mapping a trail He was invited to the ranch and toured nonprofi t conservation organization through the property. “We’ve spent around. It’s the best view I’ve had.” The Trust for Public Land, which quite a bit of time on the ranch. We have partnered with Tejon Ranch in 2003 to a route that we’d like to see happen. More than 100 fi rms are involved in develop a proposal to set aside 100,000 We’re pretty much in agreement.” the EIR process for the two proposed ranch acres as a natural preserve - developments, Zoeller said, and hundreds including a 37,000-acre site for condors The approximately 35-mile trail of people are studying “everything” on - confi rmed the ecological importance through the ranch would be a triumph the ranch, including geology, botany, of the property: for the Pacifi c Crest Trail Association, biology and hydrology. which wanted to open a route through “The ranch is home to many rare and the ranch in 1968 when Congress fi rst The EIRs, he said, “are an exhaustive endangered species and has one of the authorized the 2,650-mile-long passage look at the potential impact and largest unspoiled oak woodlands in the from Mexico to Canada as part of the mitigations of the impact,” and “the state. It is also the connecting point National Trails System. The owners of scale and scope of the research is for four distinct regional ecosystems, the ranch then refused access, and the leaving no stone unturned to complete including a critical wildlife corridor that route snaked along jagged property a thorough job.” links the Pacifi c Coast to the Sequoias lines on the desert in the Mountains.” fl oor and adjacent to the California “The cost of the planning, studies Aqueduct - a section of the trail that and environmental documents for The ranch, publicly held and traded on has become known as the worst part of Centennial and Tejon Mountain Village the New York Stock Exchange, lies in the entire trail for its lack of water and is $70 million to date. It’s close enough southern Kern County about 30 miles dismal conditions. to the end we hope it won’t be a lot south of Bakersfi eld and 60 miles north more. It takes a signifi cant investment of Los Angeles in northern Los Angeles In addition to a narrow “trail tread,” and a complex process to do land County, spreading across the western Pacifi c Crest Trail negotiations include development in California. If you want Antelope Valley’s grasslands, rolling a view corridor which takes into account to do it right you have to be able to foothills, fl atlands what the hikers see as they progress. make that kind of investment. That’s and 7,000-foot . Zoeller said, “It’s a signifi cant piece what it takes to create fi ne quality of property - 15,000 acres they’ll be communities.” At 426 square miles, the ranch is about using.” 40% the size of Rhode Island. The third area of development on the “It’s the fi rst time we’ve at a look at ranch, the Tejon Industrial Complex, Proponents of turning the land into a different areas,” Bergeron said. “It’s near Grapevine Center at Laval Road park face a major hurdle. a beautiful landscape with incredible and home of the IKEA distribution views and awesome wildlife. I’ll miss center, is partially built out, and the “We’re the landowner,” said Zoeller. that Aqueduct walk.” section of industrial land east of I-5 that “Nothing will happen without us doing was challenged in court is “approved it. It can’t be forced from the outside. Representatives of other environmental and entitled,” Zoeller said. groups have yet to see the beauty “We don’t view it as a threat. We as a fi rsthand. company are committed to conservation.