When it comes to development of Tejon Ranch (TRC) land, the chief concern of the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) is the California Condor but they left the negotiation table.  Why are The Sierra Club, National Resources Defense Council and other environmental groups able to work with Tejon Ranch on this issue?

Part of the TRC's plan for the condor includes feeding stations to provide clean, lead-free carrion because the condor is extremely susceptible to lead poisoning.   A CBD press release dated July 8, 2009 states "replacing natural foraging grounds with artificial feeding stations would effectively relegate condors to outdoor zoo species, which the experts describe as 'neither necessary nor desirable'."

"That's inevitable" says Jim Dodson of The Sierra Club.  The species is already dependent on humanity.  The alternative is extinction.  "Many live in a dream world.  We can't let an unwavering ideal get in the way of what can actually be accomplished.  At the start of condor preservation efforts, many were against taking the remaining birds into captivity for their protection.  They turned out to be wrong because it was exactly this that saved the species." 

Barry Zoeller of Tejon Ranch says feeding stations have been standard practice for preservation since the effort started.  A paper titled "Modeling the impact of feeding stations on vulture scavenging service efficiency" published on the ScienceDirect website backs Zoeller's claim saying "the use of feeding stations has been widely advocated in recovery programs". 

The contention the CBD has over the use of feeding stations is not really with Tejon Ranch but with their advisor, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) which still uses this method.  Zoeller said the stations will be placed in a way to entice the condors back to their previously known range up to the southern Sierras.  Ileene Anderson of the CBD said the condor is already in the southern Sierras and wonders what the point is.  In an article by the Ventura County Reporter, Mike Woodbridge of the FWS said "We're still leaving them supplemental feedings at various locations throughout their range.  We’re also encouraging them to feed on their own."

Anderson criticized development plans on some south facing slopes that could hinder draft lift needed by condors.  Laer Pearce, a consultant for Tejon Mountain Village, said those plans were scaled back even though the land would have prime view and value.  The CBD acknowledged the scale-back but does not think it is enough.  According to The Sierra Club, the Tejon Ranch conservation plan, developed with environmental groups and biologists, will do more to save condors than without it. 

Also worth mention is the fact that hunting will be permitted on ranch land but lead ammunition is banned for the condor's sake.  This reporter wonders how developing a relatively small part of TRC land can be considered "replacing natural foraging grounds" given the vast amount of land to be conserved.

Water is a primary concern for the local mountain communities.  Although much has already been written, The Mountain Daily News will report on this aspect of the Tejon Mountain Village project next.