As part of its ongoing effort to protect critical bird habitat in Kern County, Audubon California today announced that it has purchased 290 acres of land along the Kelso Creek. The acquisition brings to more than 600 acres that Audubon California has purchased in the last 12 months in the Kelso Creek drainage. All of these lands will be donated to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in order to help expand the Bright Star Wilderness Area. (photo of Keso Creek Sanctuary by Alison Sheehey)

“With every one of these acquisitions, we make an investment in the future of birds, wildlife, and habitat in this spectacular area,” said Reed Tollefson, manager of the nearby Audubon Kern River Preserve.

Kelso Creek is a key drainage into the South Fork Kern River and important to the long-term integrity of the Kelso Creek Sanctuary. The acquisition of these properties would reduce the threat of subdivision and further fragmentation of habitat along Kelso Creek and provide an opportunity for further riparian stewardship just upstream of Audubon’s Kelso Creek Sanctuary in partnership with the BLM.

Kelso Creek provides an important migratory route for raptors, vultures and songbirds moving from the Mojave Desert into the southern Sierra Nevada. The lands acquired by Audubon California are arid lands more typical of the Mojave Desert, but also include streamside willow habitat that is important to number species such as Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Brown-crested Flycatcher, California Thrasher and Summer Tanager.

The South Fork Kern River Valley has been named a Globally Significant Important Bird Area by Audubon California because it hosts nearly 200 nesting species.