None The Nature Conservancy in California Press Releases Search All Press Releases Misty Herrin Phone: (213) 327-0405 E-mail: mherrin@tnc.org

Nature Conservancy Acquires Gateway to Pinnacles National Monument

Purchase gives newly released California condors more protected space to acclimate to their natural environment

Pinnacles, Calif.—February 3, 2005—The Nature Conservancy announced today the acquisition of Pinnacles Ranch, a 1,967-acre property of rolling grasslands, oak woodlands and California condor habitat that serves as the gateway to Pinnacles National Monument. The $5.3 million acquisition is the result of a partnership between the Conservancy, the National Park Service and the landowners.

The Conservancy plans to transfer the property within three years to the Park Service for incorporation into the 24,000-acre park. In the interim, the campground located on the ranch —the only campground to serve Pinnacles National Monument—will continue operating. About 75 percent of visitors enter the park on the eastern side through the Pinnacles Ranch property.

"Pinnacles Ranch is a very important addition to the national monument," said Peggy McNutt, managing director of the Conservancy's Central Coast Ecoregion. "Not only does the ranch serve as the primary "doorway" to the monument and provide public recreational opportunities, it is part of a crucial wildlife corridor in the Gabilan Mountains."

Located just 40 minutes south of Hollister, the ranch and monument support numerous species of birds and numerous animals, including golden eagles, peregrine falcons, deer, bobcats, foxes and most notably, newly released California condors.

The National Park Service and Ventana Wilderness Society, partners in a major condor reintroduction effort, have released 12 young condors from the monument since December 2003. Six more are scheduled for release in 2005. Condors can be seen wheeling high above Pinnacles Ranch, surfing thermal updrafts that rise from the open grasslands.

While the monument’s volcanic rock faces offer prime nesting terrain for the condors, the ranch is a verdant valley of grassy slopes and oak woodlands—the condor’s preferred foraging grounds. Along with extensive native grasslands and riparian habitat, the ranch contains approximately 700 acres of healthy valley oak woodlands. Pinnacles Monument currently has only 40 acres of this increasingly rare habitat type.

"It's a great day for Pinnacles," said Park Superintendent Cicely Muldoon. "The ranch is a treasure—it adds rare habitats to those already preserved in the park, and opens up new opportunities for the public. And it is key to the continued success of the California condor reintroduction effort."

"We felt that the best possible stewards of the land would be the Pinnacles National Monument," said part-owners Peggy and Stu Kingman. "Through the intercession of The Nature Conservancy, the property can now be preserved until it can be purchased by the National Park Service."

The Conservancy leveraged funds for the acquisition from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. By purchasing the land, the Conservancy in effect “bought time” for the National Park Service, preventing possible development of the property while the agency seeks full funding from the Land Water Conservation Fund.