Uta Frith

including the potential acquisition of 49,000 acres for a state park, this deal contains numerous ‘poison pill’ provisions, including the development of Tejon Mountain Village in the heart of condor critical habitat and Centennial, the largest single development ever to be proposed in California.” The Tejon Mountain Village project will result in the building of 3,400 homes in the Tehachapi mountains, while Centennial is a planned community of 23,000 homes slated to occupy the southern edge of the ranch. These real-estate projects aside, the dissenters argue that most of the land pledged for conservation is not in any case suitable for development, a fact that seems to diminish the apparent value of the deal. In addition, there is concern that funds necessary to purchase the 62,000 acres of optional property will never materialize. The signatories have alluded to the use of state bonds to pay for the land, but this hinges on the uncertain budgetary priorities of the state of California in the coming years. With regard to the California Condor, potential threats to habitat, such as those imposed by the developments at Tejon Ranch, are cause for concern given the resources invested in saving this species and its still precarious future. In 1987, the 22 remaining wild California Condors were captured and bred in captivity, followed by a progressive release back into the wild that has resulted in the current population of 299 birds. All told, the effort to save the condor has cost over 35 million dollars and represents the most expensive Conservation Program ever undertaken by the US. In the light of this effort, and the uncertain future of the condor, as well as the other endangered species, it is clear why some have viewed the Tejon Ranch deal with a sceptical eye. New moves: The condor may get additional protection in the new Californian state park, but it may acquire some worrying new neighbours. (Photo: Rick and Nora Bowers/Alamy.) Uta Frith