The Tejon Ranch Conservancy is an independent, non-profit organization created as a result of the 2008 Tejon Ranch Conservation and Land Use Agreement. The Agreement provides for the permanent protection of 240,000 acres of Tejon Ranch, and designated the Conservancy as the holder of conservation easements, the legal instrument which ensures preservation of the property, over the 240,000 acres. Through the conservation easements it holds, the Conservancy will contribute an independent scientific perspective to Tejon Ranch Company’s management of the lands.

The Conservancy is governed by a 12-member Board of Directors, consisting of four members appointed by Tejon Ranch Company, four members appointed collectively by the country’s most respected environmental resource organizations and four independent members jointly appointed. Graham Chisholm, Conservation Director of Audubon California, is currently serving as chair of the Conservancy’s Board of Directors.

Tejon Ranch Company is providing the initial funding for the Conservancy, but long-term funding will come from transfer fees on the sale of homes with Tejon Mountain Village and Centennial. In that way, conservation and the Conservancy will benefit as the Ranch’s environmentally sensitive communities achieve success.

The Conservancy’s mission is “to preserve, enhance and restore the native biodiversity and ecosystem values of Tejon Ranch and the Tehachapi Range for the benefit of California’s future generations.” This mission will be realized through the work of a team of employees with expertise in land trust administration, conservation biology, and open space land management.

More information on the Conservancy, including current staff and information on Conservancy-led public access events can be found on the Conservancy’s website at  http://www.tejonconservancy.org.