Tejon Ranch Conservancy ENews Fall 2025

First Year of Valley Oak Restoration Project Brings Lessons

By Monica Uriaz, Staff Biologist

If you have ever visited Tejon Ranch, you have likely come across a stand of valley oak (Quercus lobata) trees. Perhaps you were awestruck by their grand stature, unique branching patterns, and deep green leaves that add pops of color to the landscape. Or perhaps you just thought, “Oh look, another tree.”

Landscape view of a stand of mature valley oaks (Quercus lobata) at Tejon Ranch. Photo by Monica Uriaz.

After acorn collection, we got to work planting 2,400 acorns in eight different plots along Chanac Creek. As some may know, Tejon Ranch is a working ranch, so these plots were surrounded by 10-foot cattle fences to prevent any cattle disturbance. We also took the added protective measure of lining each planting hole with copper wire mesh before setting the acorn inside. This deters small herbivores like ground squirrels and gophers from eating the seedlings’ root systems.

Planting was completed in February 2025, and we excitedly awaited the sprouting of our seedlings.

One of eight valley oak (Quercus lobata) restoration plots at Tejon Ranch, surrounded by 10-foot cattle fencing. Photo by Monica Uriaz.

We are optimistic that we will have much greater success this time around. The seedlings transplanted this winter will each have its own 24-inch tree tube to protect its roots and shoots. The seedlings will also be older and larger at planting time compared to our initial attempt, so they will have sturdier, more resilient stems. Their more developed root systems will help the seedlings survive through the harsh drought conditions of the southern San Joaquin Valley.

We believe that these factors, along with our determination, will help us to successfully restore the valley oak populations on the Ranch. As for the few seedlings that did not fall victim to the ground squirrels and gophers in the first attempt? They have survived through the harsh Central Valley summer and are remaining quite healthy thanks to the help of our great docents who have been diligently watering them each week.

Stay tuned to hear more updates on this valley oak restoration project over this next year. If you are interested in volunteering, let us know. Just send an inquiry to muriaz@tejonconservancy.org. We have plenty of volunteer opportunities coming up and would love to have more help!

We would like to give a special thanks to all those who have volunteered their time and effort toward this project, our docents, Mrs. Gayle Batey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, and Chevron San Joaquin Valley Business Unit.

Some of the valley oak (Quercus lobata) seedlings currently growing in the greenhouse. Photo by Mitchell Coleman.

Students, Seniors, Birders Visit Tejon Over Two Seasons

By Reema Hammad, Public Access and Education Coordinator

Spring was in full bloom at Tejon Ranch this year, and with it came a season packed with public hikes, private tours, and interactive educational adventures. From birdwatching at sunrise to hands-on plant identification in the field, every outing offered participants a chance to experience the Ranch’s rich natural heritage up close.

The Big Sycamore Canyon Hike is a favorite among hikers wanting to explore the Ranch's unique ecosystems. Photo by Reema Hammad.

We were thrilled to welcome a wide variety of groups, including the Arts Council of Kern, California State University Bakersfield’s 60+ Club, LA Senior Society, Kern Audubon, Bakersfield College’s Forestry and Outdoor Education and Art classes, Golden Valley High School, and many more. Each group enjoyed customized activities designed to spark curiosity and connection —whether through spotting wildlife, studying native plants, or learning about our ongoing conservation efforts.

The Bakersfield College Forestry and Outdoor Recreation Class took advantage of a beautiful day to learn about the many tree varieties on the Ranch. Photo by Reema Hammad.

“Escape. Create. Connect.” That was the description of our new event where nature meets creativity in the heart of the Tehachapi Mountains. An exclusive scenic drive through the northwestern extent of the Mojave Desert took us through dense Joshua tree woodland, then up to the southern extent of the Sierra Mountains where mixed conifer forests allowed participants to immerse themselves in the biodiverse and rarely accessed landscape of Tejon.

A new event combines tasty art and nature. Edible paint lets participants make something beautiful, then eat it. Photo by Reema Hammad.

Since the high-country pines on Tejon Ranch — P. coulteri, P. jeffreyi, and P. lambertiana — tend to occur far from ranch roads (thus it’s quite a workout to get to them) and in small clusters amidst the larger sea of white fir, we occasionally find clusters that have yet to be documented. These pines blend in well with the white fir at the landscape level, and sometimes you need to be standing very close to differentiate the two.

Remote sensing or even Google Earth are not much help here. Case in point, back in 2019-2020, we discovered a small cluster of pines on Blue Ridge we initially identified as limber pine (P. flexilis), which would have been an exciting addition to Tejon’s known flora. However, subsequent examination of the morphological characters (specifically, the female cones) in 2021 indicated this small stand of pines is sugar pine (P. lambertiana). Both P. flexilis and P. lambertiana are five-needled pines, which have similar growth forms, thus, the cones were needed for identification. It was still sweet to document this previously unknown cluster of sugar pines.

Looking west across the windswept crest of Blue Ridge at an area dominated entirely by white fir (Abies concolor), note how the branches of many trees are flagged to the south — the wind in this area often blows in excess of 20 mph, usually to the south, affecting the canopy structure of the trees. This area has been proposed as a possible re-route for the Pacific Crest Trail.

The seed cones of sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) are the longest of any pine in California, sometimes exceeding 24 inches.

Not all pines on Tejon Ranch occur above 6,000 feet. At lower elevations, we see a different suite of pine species which are much more tolerant of dry, hot conditions.

Foothill, or gray pines (Pinus sabiniana), as the common name suggests, line much of the foothills between 1,000 and 4,000 feet. You can see abundant foothill pines when driving along highways 58 and 138, both of which bisect Tejon Ranch. Moreover, pinyon pines (Pinus monophylla) — an oddity among all pine species since it has only one leaf per growing point (fascicle) — are common in many parts of Tejon, particularly on the dry south-facing slopes of Blue Ridge. Pinyons are also one of those species thought to be part of a species complex, the aforementioned syngameon. Do you have reservations that such a thing is possible? That’s okay, I respect your “pinyon.”

A scattered group of foothill pines (P. sabiniana) in the Horse Camp in the foothills of the Liebre Mountains, on the far southern side of Tejon Ranch is near the proposed Pacific Crest Trail realignment.

Pinyon pines (Pinus monophylla) are an oddity among all pine species since they have only one leaf per growing point (fascicle). Other pines have two or more leaves per fascicle.

Young incense cedars on Winter’s Ridge, near the Haul Road, underwent drought-induced mortality in 2021.

A distant relative of the incense cedars (also in the family Cupressaceae), are the junipers. Tejon Ranch has only one juniper species, the California juniper (Juniperus californica). Like all junipers, a casual inspection of this species would not obviously identify it as a gymnosperm. Its “berrycones,” being very fleshy, do not at all resemble the woody cones of most other conifers. Veteran Elder Scrolls/Skyrim fans like me immediately think of Ralof’s famous quote at the beginning of the game: "I wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in." Not berries, Ralof, cones. Fleshy cones. Yes, junipers are gymnosperms, and they form crucial habitat across the California Floristic Province. On Tejon, California junipers mostly occur in the Antelope Valley.

This Juniper woodland (Juniperus californica) is near Sacatara Canyon.

This close-up shows the scale-like leaves of California juniper (Juniperus californica). The cones are not pictured — maybe Vilod took some to make mead.

Last, but not least, we enter the most obscure gymnosperms on Tejon, the gnetophytes. All gnetophytes on Tejon and California belong to the shrubby Ephedraceae — more commonly known as ephedra or Mormon tea (Ephedra californica, E. nevadensis, E. viridis).

Scattered populations of ephedra occur on both the Mojave Desert and San Joaquin Desert sides of Tejon Ranch, but they are more abundant in the Mojave. Long before Europeans arrived, Indigenous peoples used Ephedra sp. as a tea or poultice to treat a variety of ailments. In modern times, Ephedra sp. are used to produce epinephrine. As with many native plants with medical uses, these plants are also toxic — not to be used without proper knowledge.

A close-up of ephedra (Ephedra viridis) pollen-bearing cones on Antelope Peak. Look closely and your spidey senses may tingle!

Well, that concludes our quick tour of gymnosperms on Tejon Ranch. As with any group of organisms, it is impossible to do gymnosperms the justice they deserve within the confines of a newsletter article. There is a rich library of Indigenous and scientific knowledge on these plants — very much worth taking the time to learn about.