Tejon Ranch: A Biological Treasure
Over the past two years working on Tejon Ranch, Nick has made more than 4,000 herbarium collections representing at least one new species, dozens of new populations of rare species, and countless range extensions.
At 270,000 acres, Tejon Ranch is California’s largest contiguous piece of private land. Located primarily in the Tehachapi Mountains of Kern County, Tejon Ranch occupies one of the most interesting and complex ecological areas in the California: the convergence of the San Joaquin Valley, Sierra Nevada, Western Transverse Ranges, and Mojave Desert.
In the past, Tejon Ranch was the focus of a long and bitter fight to preserve its unique flora, fauna, scenic, and recreational attributes. Prior to 2008, Tejon Ranch was closed to scientific research. Now, 240,000 acres, nearly 90% of the ranch, have been conserved under the Tejon Ranch Conservancy.
Nick recently was awarded his PhD by Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden/Claremont Graduate University. His research interests include biogeography, rare plants, and biodiversity. Nick is also interested in gaining a greater understanding of the threats to California’s plants. Prior to his graduate career, Nick served as the Rare Plant Program Director for the California Native Plant Society and has worked as a botanist for the US Forest Service, Chicago Botanic Garden, and the private consulting industry.
Nick also presented his talk on his Tejon Ranch research at the October 2017 meeting of the Los Serranos Group.
