[pct-l] Tejon Ranch - GOOD NEWS!

[cmkudija at earthlink.net (cmkudija@earthlink.net)]

Thought everyone would appreciate seeing this press release!
Liz Bergeron & Mike Dawson of the PCTA staff have been working VERY, VERY
hard to accomplish our part in the Tejon Ranch Preserve project and keep the
PCTA at the table.   I've yet to see the maps, but I'm extremely encouraged
that Liz is quoted in the press release.

Christine "Ceanothus" Kudija
PCT partially '94

-----Original Message-----
From: Tejon Ranch Co. [mailto:alert@ccbn.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 10:03 AM
To: cmkudija@earthlink.net
Subject: Saving the Best of the Best: Environmental and Conservation Leaders
Join Tejon Ranch Co. and the Trust for Public Land in Unveiling of
100,000-Acre Tejon Ranch Preserve

Tejon Ranch Co. has added a press release to its Investor Relations website.
Title: Saving the Best of the Best: Environmental and Conservation Leaders
Join Tejon Ranch Co. and the Trust for Public Land in Unveiling of 100,000-
Acre Tejon Ranch Preserve

Date: 5/24/2005 1:01:00 PM

For a complete listing of our News Releases, Please go to this url:
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=72959&p=irol-news
    TEJON RANCH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 24, 2005--Environmental
and conservation leaders today joined Tejon Ranch (NYSE:TRC) and the
Trust for Public Land (TPL) officials to unveil the much-anticipated
100,000-acre, science-based Tejon Ranch Preserve on the historic
ranch, located 60 miles north of Los Angeles.

    The Preserve was mapped after nearly 2 years of scientific study
designed to identify the best of the natural resources on the ranch.
The process included review and recommendations by a scientific peer
review panel and an independent environmental advisory group.

    "We are very proud to unveil this preserve design based on hard
science after nearly 2 years of research, on-site verification and
peer review by an independent Science Advisory Panel and a group of
environmental advisers. The Tejon Ranch Preserve will protect a
pristine, unique and historic landscape equal to the size of Yosemite
Valley and twice the size of Santa Catalina Island," said Reed
Holderman, executive director of the Trust for Public Land California.

    Tejon Ranch and TPL also have signed an agreement to pursue the
purchase, by a public agency or non-profit organization, in fee or
through conservation easements, of the land within the defined
preserve boundaries.

    "The proposed 100,000-acre nature preserve on Tejon Ranch offers
an extraordinary opportunity for protection of California's wildlife
heritage," said Natural Resources Defense Council senior attorney Joel
Reynolds. "This acquisition is critical to ensuring the preservation
forever of this essential biological connection between the Sierras
and the mountains of Southern California."

    "The design of the 100,000-acre proposed nature preserve on Tejon
Ranch is an excellent model for science-based conservation planning.
It is designed to protect the best wildlife habitat from destruction,
degradation and fragmentation which are the driving forces behind
today's decline in species and biodiversity all over the country,"
said Paul Henson, Ph.D., assistant manager, Ecological Services,
California/Nevada Operations, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

    "The preserve design is the result of intensive scientific
research and groundtruthing. Local environmentalists reviewed the
design and offered input. The result is a sound preserve rooted in
science with sensitivity to local environmental issues," said attorney
Carlyle Hall, co-founder and chairman of the board of the Center for
Law in the Public Interest in Los Angeles.

    Overall, the Tejon Ranch Preserve protects the habitat of
threatened and endangered species, preserves wilderness areas and
provides public access as the preserve design includes a
long-hoped-for realignment through Tejon Ranch of the Pacific Crest
Trail, a 2,650-mile long congressionally designated scenic trail from
the Mexican border to Canada.

    "We are excited that the Pacific Crest Trail will have a secure
and permanent corridor as part of the Tejon Ranch Preserve. This
reroute of PCT will allow public access and a much improved user
experience in this wonderful region of California," said Liz Bergeron,
executive director of the Pacific Crest Trail Association.

    "The Tejon Ranch Preserve is a central part of our overall vision
for the future of Tejon Ranch and is consistent with the Ranch's
historic core values of conservation and good stewardship," said Bob
Stine, president and chief executive officer of Tejon Ranch Co. "We
believe the Tejon Ranch Vision, which also calls for continuing our
historic ranching and farming operations and the limited development
of about 5 percent of the Ranch over the next 25 years, is a
responsible and balanced plan for the future of Tejon Ranch and shows
our commitment to preserving California's legacy and providing for
California's future," Stine continued.

    Tejon Ranch Co. and TPL announced their partnership in 2003 to
protect up to 100,000 acres of the Ranch. Following the announcement,
TPL hired Michael Josselyn, Ph.D., an authority on Southern California
natural resources and president of WRA Inc., of San Rafael, Calif., to
lead a team of experts to evaluate the entire 270,000-acre Tejon Ranch
and to design a 100,000-acre nature preserve.

    Dr. Josselyn and his team had exclusive, full access to Tejon
Ranch's surveys and data and together with on-the-ground
verifications, mapped important habitat areas of the ranch, including
high-value, environmentally sensitive lands, and lands connecting key
habitats, and identified key areas for permanent conservation using
six conservation priorities: watershed integrity, biodiversity,
landscape connectivity, special status plant species, special status
wildlife and regionally underrepresented habitats.

    "We have designed a preserve using sound conservation principles
and the best scientific knowledge we have to meet the needs of special
habitat species and regional goals, including the protection of the
California condor, the ranch's vast oak woodlands, and the unique
biodiversity of Tejon Ranch," said Josselyn.

    Josselyn consulted with local and statewide environmental and
biological experts, nonprofits, government agencies and others who
have information important to the creation of the preserve. He also
worked on the design of the science-based preserve with the project's
Environmental Advisory Group, which includes Joel Reynolds, senior
attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council; Esther Feldman of
Feldman and Associates; Professor Victoria Sork, Ph.D., chair of the
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of
California, Los Angeles; environmental attorney Carlyle Hall Jr. of
the law firm Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP, and Terri Stoller,
co-founder of the Smart Growth Coalition of Kern County and a
Bakersfield agribusiness owner.

    The Environmental Advisory Group was formed at the outset to
provide Tejon Ranch and TPL with advice on how to enhance conservation
planning efforts.

    "The next steps are to begin the appraisal process to determine
the value of the land and then to seek funding to purchase it. Working
together, we hope to protect the many sensitive habitat lands that are
home to the California condor and the largest unspoiled oak woodland
in the state, as well as the critical wildlife corridor that links the
coast to the sequoias," Holderman added.

    TPL is a national land conservation organization dedicated to
conserving land for people as parks, greenways, wilderness areas and
natural, historic and cultural resources for future generations.
Founded in 1972, TPL has protected more than two million acres
nationwide.

    Tejon Ranch Co. is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the
symbol TRC. Its principal asset is the 270,000-acre Tejon Ranch, which
is located approximately 60 miles north of Los Angeles and 30 miles
south of Bakersfield. Founded in 1843 as several Mexican land grants,
Tejon Ranch is now home to farming operations, cattle grazing, oil
production, mining, recreational activities and limited development
along the Interstate 5 corridor. More information is available at
www.tejonranch.com.

    The statements contained herein, which are not historical facts,
are forward-looking statements based on strategic plans, economic
forecasts and other factors, which by their nature involve risk and
uncertainties. In particular, among the factors that could cause
eventual outcomes to differ materially from such statements are the
following: results of scientific surveys and analyses, outcomes of
negotiations, governmental decision-making, governmental fiscal
conditions, business conditions and the general economy. For further
information on factors that could affect Tejon Ranch Co., the reader
should refer to its filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.

    Editor's Note: High-resolution maps and graphics on Tejon Ranch
Preserve are available for downloading by going to
www.tejonranch.com/news/trpreserve.



    CONTACT: Tejon Ranch Co.
             Barry Zoeller, 661-663-4212
             or
             Trust for Public Land
             Mary Menees, 415-495-5660, Ext. 375
             Cell: 415-608-2645

    SOURCE: Tejon Ranch Co.

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