Tejon Ranch Conservancy

DETERMINE FERAL SWINE HARVEST DATA AND COMPARE TO POPULATION ESTIMATES FROM FIELD STUDIES.

TO CONDUCT A STUDY OF FERAL SWINE ON THE TEJON RANCH CONSERVANCY.

THE PROPOSED VALLEY OAK (QUERCUS LOBATA) AND BLUE OAK (QUERCUS DOUGLASII) RESTORATION PROJECT WILL BE PLACED IN A MIXED OAK STAND WITHIN JOAQUIN FLATS, LOCATED WITHIN A CONSERVATION EASEMENT HELD BY THE TEJON RANCH CONSERVANCY IN KERN COUNTY, CA (FIG. 1). POSITIONED WITHIN THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC FLYWAY ECOREGION, BLUE AND VALLEY OAKS ARE KEYSTONE SPECIES WITH DECLINING POPULATIONS AND THE SEEDLING STAGE HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A BOTTLENECK TO POPULATION GROWTH. IN THIS RESTORATION PROJECT, APPROXIMATELY 2,000 VALLEY OAK AND BLUE OAK SEEDLINGS WOULD BE CULTIVATED IN A GREENHOUSE USING BLUE-X GROW TUBES AND THEN LATER TRANSPLANTED TO JOAQUIN FLATS WITHIN PRE-EXISTING UNGULATE EXCLOSURES (FIG. 2). THE DESIRED OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT ARE INCREASES IN VALLEY OAK AND BLUE OAK ABUNDANCE AND INCREASES IN NATIVE BIODIVERSITY. THIS PROJECT WILL ACHIEVE DOI PROPOSED STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3.4 SPECIES AND NATURAL RESOURCES ARE PROTECTED AND ITS BIG IDEA ECOSYSTEMS ARE HEALTHY, BALANCED, AND THRIVE BY RESTORING EXISTING VALLEY OAK AND BLUE OAK POPULATIONS, ENSURING THAT THESE SPECIES ARE CONSERVED AND CAN CONTINUE TO SERVE AS KEYSTONE SPECIES FOR NUMEROUS OTHER NATIVE SPECIES.

THE PANOFSKY-WILSON PRESERVE, OWNED BY THE NON-PROFIT LAND TRUST TEJON RANCH CONSERVANCY SINCE 2015 AND LOCATED IN KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, IS SITUATED APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES EAST OF BAKERSFIELD AND 0.4 MILES WEST OF THE UNINCORPORATED COMMUNITY OF CALIENTE. THE PRESERVE IS POSITIONED APPROXIMATELY 0.5 MILES DOWNSTREAM FROM THE CONFLUENCE OF CALIENTE AND TEHACHAPI CREEKS, OF WHICH, CALIENTE CREEK FLOWS THROUGH THE PRESERVE FROM THE NORTHEAST. A LARGE RANCH (TOLLHOUSE RANCH) RESTS AND IS OWNED BY THE NATURE CONSERVANCY AS PART OF THE LARGER RANDALL PRESERVE, PROVIDING A CRITICAL HABITAT LINKAGE TO THE PRESERVE AS WELL AS ON TEJON RANCH. HOWEVER, THERE IS CURRENTLY NO SOUTHEASTERN BORDER FENCE OR GEOGRAPHIC BARRIER BETWEEN THE TEJON RANCH RANGELANDS AND THE PANOFSKY PRESERVE. AS SUCH A FENCE IS NEEDED TO PREVENT STRAY CATTLE FROM ENTERING PRESERVE BOUNDARY.THE PRESERVE IS WITHIN AN IMPORTANT BIOGEOGRAPHIC REGION AND POINT OF CONTACT BETWEEN CLOSELY RELATED SPECIES. IT SITS IN THE CALIENTE CREEK WATERSHED, SUPPORTING MIXED AGE STANDS OF RIPARIAN VEGETATION, BOBCAT (LYNX RUFUS), FERAL PIGS (SUS SCROFA), SMALL MAMMALS, AND MANY RIPARIAN BIRDS ARE COMMONLY OBSERVED ON THE PRESERVE. MOREOVER, CALIENTE CREEK IS THE ONLY KNOWN SITE WHERE THE THREE SPECIES OF SILVERY LEGLESS LIZARD COULD POTENTIALLY CO-OCCUR: ANNIELLA STEBBINSI, A. GRINNELLI, AND A. PULCHRA. THE PRESERVE ALSO CONTAINS NATURALLY OCCURRING STANDS OF THE FEDERALLY AND STATE LISTED ENDANGERED BAKERSFIELD CACTUS (OPUNTIA BASILARIS SSP. TRELEASEI), AS WELL AS THE SAN JOAQUIN COACHWHIP (COLUBER FLAGELLUM RUDDOCKII), A CALIFORNIA SPECIES OF SPECIAL CONCERN. THE PRESERVE IS WITHIN THE RANGE OF THE ENDANGERED CALIFORNIA CONDOR (GYMNOGYPS CALIFORNIANUS), WHICH IS FREQUENTLY OBSERVED IN THE SKIES ABOVE. OVERALL, 134 PLANT SPECIES, 44 AVIFAUNA (34 BIRDS AND 10 BATS), 12 HERPETOFAUNA, 26 INVERTEBRATES, AND 7 MAMMALS HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED ON THE PRESERVE SINCE 2015.RECENTLY, DROUGHT CONDITIONS BECAME MORE APPARENT IN 2021-2022. THE PORTIONS OF CALIENTE CREEK, WHICH NORMALLY FLOWS PERENNIALLY, RAN COMPLETELY DRY WITH WIDESPREAD CANOPY DIEBACK AND MORTALITY. UPLAND VEGETATION FARED BETTER, SHOWING A MODERATE RECOVERY FROM A GRASS FIRE. ALTHOUGH THE PREVIOUSLY DENSE STANDS OF BAKERSFIELD CACTUS HAD NOT RECOVERED BY 2022, WITH THREE SMALL REMNANT CLUMPS IN TOTAL. ADDITIONAL CACTUS PROPAGATION AND PLANTING WILL HELP TO RECOVER THE ON-SITE CACTUS POPULATION.HABITAT RESTORATION ACTIONS ARE CURRENTLY UNDERWAY AND MOVING FORWARD UNDER A NATURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION SERVICE CONTRACT. THIS PROJECT WILL COMPLEMENT THE EFFORTS BY:1.INSTALLING A CATTLE FENCE TO PREVENT UNWANTED DISTURBANCE CAUSED BY STRAY CATTLE. THIS WILL BENEFIT THE INVASIVE VEGETATION REMOVAL (COMPLETED UNDER CONTRACT), AND THE PARTNERS ACTIONS DESCRIBED IN THIS WORKPLAN.2.RESTORING 10-ACRES BAKERSFIELD CACTUS.3.PLANTING NATIVE RIPARIAN VEGETATION TO RESTORE AREAS IMPACTED BY THE DROUGHT.4.PLANTING UPLAND SHRUBS AND POLLINATOR PLANTS TO RESTORE AREAS THAT WERE IMPACTED BY FIRE (ATRIPLEX LENTIFORMIS, LEPIDOSPARTUM SQUAMATUM, PERITOMA ARBOREA).5.IMPROVING THE 1.0 MILE TRAIL SYSTEM AND INSTALLING SIGNAGE.6.IMPROVING HABITAT FOR THE LEGLESS LIZARD POPULATION.7.IMPROVING HABITAT FOR SAN JOAQUIN COACHWHIP.