Big Sierra's to Tejon Purchase is brewing...

Deal May Open the "Tollhouse" for Wildlife to Cross California

The link between the Sequoia National Forest and the Tejon Ranch conservation project may be purchased soon by the private Nature Conservancy with assistance by the taxpayers. The Tollhouse Ranch is 15,000 acres of oak trees and grasslands lying just north of the 58 Freeway a bit east of Bakersfield. Once saved, the Nature Conservancy plans on re-selling the land with complicated preservation deed restrictions to another buyer. This wildlife corridor is one of the most important in the State of California as it connects the Sierra Nevada mountains to the Angeles and Los Padres National Forests in L.A. and Ventura county, which have trail connections to the remaining undeveloped open spaces in Big Sur and San Diego. So saving this proerty is a really big deal.

I have written about the Sierras-to Tejon-to L.A. wildlife corridor battles here:
http://rare-earth-news.blogspot.com/search/label/Tejon%20Ranch

The sellers of this property are connected to the Rudnick family, which also recently sold another massive ranch further east to wind farm developers. For more on that deal:
http://rare-earth-news.blogspot.com/search/label/Onyx%20Ranch

Grasslands and blue oaks. Photo by E. J. Remson

TOLLHOUSE RANCH IS IN RED (BELOW)

SOME MORE DETAILS FROM THE INTERNET:

Rudnick ranch purchase—15,000 acres for $11 million
http://www.sierranevada.ca.gov/docs/434sum.pdf

http://www.nature.org/aboutus/privatelandsconservation/conservationbuyer/properties/natureorg-buyer-property-data-file-4.xml

Tollhouse Ranch,California, Kern County
Size: 14,945 acres, Price: $7,475,000

At closing, the buyer will be required to convey to the Conservancy a conservation easement as described below.
…TNC does not currently own the property; however, TNC currently holds an option to acquire the property. Consequently, the opportunity represented by this online posting is contingent on TNC’s acquisition of the property. TNC would also consider the possibility of assigning its option to a conservation buyer.

http://www.nature.org/aboutus/privatelandsconservation/conservationbuyer/properties/tollhouse_ranch_project_location-map.jpg

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/transprog/ctcbooks/2011/0511/117_2.5c7_EEM.pdf
$500,000 from CalTrans