This week marks the first anniversary of the landmark Tejon Ranch Conservation Agreement, which ensures permanent protection for up to 240,000 contiguous acres of spectacular California wildlands. The agreement – reached by Audubon California and five other environmental groups with the Tejon Ranch Company – represents one of the most significant conservation victories in California in decades.

One year into the agreement, we are already seeing the benefits. The agreement established the Tejon Ranch Conservancy as an independent entity to manage and restore landscape, monitor the conservation easements, and provide for public access. Audubon California, which played a leading role in the negotiations leading up to the agreement, will continue to play a role in the conservation of the Tejon Ranch property. Graham Chisholm, Audubon California’s executive director, is also chair of the Tejon Ranch Conservancy. The Conservancy is off to a running start, naming a board, hiring a capable leader in Tom Maloney, conducting plant, mammal and bird surveys, working with UC Santa Barbara to establish a biological monitoring program, and opening the property to tours and other visits. Clearly we’re at the beginning of a great era for the ranch, and it all started with the agreement one year ago.

Check out this blog post by Joel Reynolds of the NRDC, which also observes the one-year anniversary of the agreement.