Wind Wolves Preserve

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Wind Wolves Preserve
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Map showing the location of Wind Wolves Preserve
Map showing the location of Wind Wolves Preserve
Location of Wind Wolves Preserve
LocationKern County, California
Nearest cityMaricopa, California
Coordinates34°59′3″N 119°11′13″W / 34.98417°N 119.18694°W / 34.98417; -119.18694
Area93,000 acres (380 km2)
Max. elevation6,005 feet (1,830 m)
Min. elevation640 feet (200 m)
Created1996
OperatorThe Wildlands Conservancy
WebsiteWind Wolves Preserve

Wind Wolves Preserve is a nature preserve owned and managed by The Wildlands Conservancy, a nonprofit land conservancy. Covering 93,000 acres (380 km2) in Kern County, California, the preserve is located 35 miles (56 km) southwest of Bakersfield and features the San Emigdio Mountains and Pleito Hills. It is the largest nonprofit nature reserve on the West Coast and is part of the list of preserves.[1]

Geography[edit]

The San Emigdio Canyon at the Wind Wolves Preserve

At the southern end of the Central Valley, the land rises to the Transverse Ranges, where the preserve helps connect the Coast Range and the Sierra Nevada mountains. The area provides a critical wildlife corridor between these mountain ranges and facilitates animal movement, thereby improving genetic diversity.[2]

The preserve is adjacent to the Los Padres National Forest.

Two of the most significant Native American archaeological sites are located within the preserve. The Pleito site features some of the most intricate rock art in the world, while Cache Cave is known for its extensive collection of artifacts. To protect these sites, access is restricted. For a period, virtual reality (VR) technology was used to showcase them to the public. Though VR headsets are no longer available, this technology offered an innovative way to experience these sites during special events at the preserve.[3][4][5]

An international team researched the Cache Cave site and produced several papers.[6][7][8][9]

Flora and fauna[edit]

Wildlife includes Tule elk, deer, bear, Western rattlesnake, mountain lions, bobcats, desert tarantulas, and California condors.[10] Endangered species at the preserve include the San Joaquin kit fox, Buena Vista Lake Shrew, blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard, and Bakersfield cactus.[11][12]

In 1998, 19 tule elk were translocated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife onto the preserve, the first of 88 elk that were reintroduced between 1998 and 2005. Natural growth has resulted in the current population, one of the largest in the state. An annual inventory of the tule elk is conducted each fall. Four hundred forty-five tule elk were counted in 2022.[13]

Wildflowers include poppies, lupine, hyacinth, and phacelia.[14]

Recreation[edit]

The preserve has hiking trails, a small waterfall, several ponds, picnic areas, a Ramada, restrooms, and a campground. Outdoor education programs are offered for school children on ecology, wetland ecosystems, geology, and Native American lifeways.[15] The San Emigdio Canyon Sunset Theater provides family-oriented movies in an outdoor setting.

The only part of the preserve that has been developed is San Emigdio Canyon. There are 28 miles (45 km) of trails, one of which connects to an adjacent National Forest trail. One route is a dirt road that can be used for hiking and biking. There are also trails that follow a riparian zone.[16]

Events[edit]

The preserve hosts various events throughout the year, all free to the public.

A bird event has booths providing information about local birds.[17]

The annual Spring Nature Festival has been held in March since 2014, featuring exhibits, wildlife and wildflower viewing, and guided hikes.[18][19] Almost 8,000 people visit over a weekend.[20] The wildflowers typically peak around festival time.[21]

The Earth Day Celebration event has educational booths, live reptile presentations, partner booths, and seed planting information.[22]

There is a Science Sleuths program for kids 10 and up. They must solve a mystery given a set of clues.[23]

Guided sunrise and night hikes are offered.

History[edit]

The Chumash tribe lived in this region until the 18th century.[24] In the 1820s, El Camino Viejo was part of the original road between San Francisco and Los Angeles.[25] In 1842, the property was a Mexican land grant, Rancho San Emidio. From the 1850s to the 1990s, it was a working cattle ranch.

In 1996, Wildlands Conservancy acquired the property and opened the preserve to the public for light recreation. In 2011, lightning started a fire in the Pleito Hills, sweeping through the Bakersfield cactus. The Conservancy restored the cactus at the burned site and established four new sites. In 2021, the Wolf Fire burned 685 acres (277 ha) of grasslands. Firefighters fought the fire using ground and air resources.[26][27]

In 2021, a conservation easement was placed on 14,631 acres (59.21 km2) of land within the preserve. The California Rangeland Trust will monitor the easement.[28][29] Three thousand, five hundred cattle graze on this land.[30]

Works[edit]

  • "Carmel Valley's Newest Preserve and Kern County's Tule Elk". OpenRoad. Episode 92. April 7, 2024. NBC Bay Area. Retrieved May 5, 2024. OpenRoad had editorial control. The Wildlands Conservancy funded the episode.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Wind Wolves Preserve a Meeting Place of Mountains". The Santa Barbara Independent. March 16, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  2. ^ Hammond, Jon (April 3, 2023). "Wind Wolves Preserve: Been there lately? Go now". Tehachapi News.
  3. ^ Cassidy, Brendan; Robinson, David (December 11, 2017). "How virtual reality is opening up some of the world's most inaccessible archaeological sites". The Conservation.
  4. ^ Bowles, Adam (December 14, 2017). "Archeological sites located at Wind Wolves Preserve!". 23 ABC News.
  5. ^ Rozaki, Kiriaki (2019). "Rebuilding the Ancient World Through Virtual Reality". Greek Media Group.
  6. ^ "Cache Cave". University of Central Lancashire. 2017.
  7. ^ Robinson, David (2017). "Assemblage Theory and the Capacity to Value: An Archaeological Approach from Cache Cave, California, USA". Cambridge Archaeological Journal.
  8. ^ McArthur, Dan; Robinson, David (2016). "'Getting Caned?' Assemblage Theory and the Analysis of Cane Material from California" (PDF). Society for California Archaeology Proceedings.
  9. ^ Cassidy, Brendan; Sim, Gavin; Robinson, David; Gandy, Devlin (2019). "A Virtual Reality Platform for Analyzing Remote Archaeological Sites". University of Central Lancashire. 31 (2): 167–176. doi:10.1093/iwc/iwz011. S2CID 69737226.
  10. ^ https://www.inaturalist.org/places/wind-wolves-preserve
  11. ^ Morley, Veronica (November 29, 2021). "Help protect the endangered Bakersfield cactus found solely in Kern". 23ABC News Bakersfield.
  12. ^ https://wildlandsconservancy.org/preserves/windwolves
  13. ^ Hamilton, Denise (December 7, 2022). "Rounding the Horn: The return of the protected tule elk to Southern California". Alta Online.
  14. ^ Behrens, Zach (March 4, 2016). "10 Great Off-The-Radar Spots To See Wildflowers In Southern California". Southern California Public Radio.
  15. ^ Munoz, Anabel (November 29, 2015). "Kern County's best kept secret: The Wind Wolves Preserve". KABC Television, LLC - Bakersfield Eyewitness News.
  16. ^ Rose, Sarah (April 16, 2022). "Wind Wolves Preserve". The Loop.
  17. ^ Hood, Cedric (February 17, 2023). "Wind Wolves Preserve "For the Birds" event". KBAK/FOX58 Bakersfield Eyewitness News.
  18. ^ Liera, Laura (March 12, 2017). "Discovering Wind Wolves Preserve". The Bakersfield Californian.
  19. ^ Salazar, Tony (March 8, 2023). "Unleash your inner explorer at Wind Wolves Preserve's annual Spring Nature Festival". KBAK/FOX58 Bakersfield Eyewitness News.
  20. ^ Luiz, Joseph (March 5, 2020). "Wind Wolves Preserve looking for volunteers to help with Spring Nature Festival this month". KGET. Nexstar Media Inc.
  21. ^ unknown (March 17, 2023). "Flowers bloom at Wind Wolves". KGET.
  22. ^ Salazar, Tony (April 20, 2023). "Experience nature this weekend at Wind Wolves Preserve's Earth Day Celebration event". KBAK/FOX58 Bakersfield Eyewitness News.
  23. ^ Salazar, Tony (December 6, 2022). "Wildlands Conservancy's Wind Wolves Preserve: New and adventurous Science Sleuths program". KBAK/FOX58 Bakersfield Eyewitness News.
  24. ^ Greenlee, Diana (April 30, 2016). "Wind Wolves Preserve presents opportunities for learning, convening with nature". The Bakersfield Californian.
  25. ^ Hammond, Jon (September 6, 2016). "Wind Wolves: An enormous nature preserve in the Tehachapi Mountains". Tehachapi News.
  26. ^ CalFire (February 18, 2021). "Wolf Fire Incident". CalFire incident website.
  27. ^ "Fire at Wind Wolves Preserve fully contained". KGET. January 20, 2021.
  28. ^ Menting, Pete (November 18, 2021). "Nearly 15,000 acres of Wind Wolves Preserve to be permanently protected". 23ABC News Bakersfield.
  29. ^ Salzano, Miabelle (November 18, 2021). "First step towards total conservation, 15,000 acres of Wind Wolves Preserve permanently protected". KGET. Nexstar Media Inc.
  30. ^ Goss, Madison (May 3, 2022). "Wind Wolves Preserve: The Value of the Sky Above and Land Below". California Rangeland Trust.

Further reading[edit]

  • Butterfield, Scott (2021). Rewilding Agricultural Landscapes: A California Study in Rebalancing the Needs of People and Nature. Washington, DC: Island Press. ISBN 978-1642831269.

External links[edit]

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