Wildlands Conservancy - Wind Wolves Preserve

In the late 1980s, Los Angeles development trends extended into the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley when Dale Poe Development bought the historic San Emigdio Ranch. During the downturn in development in the mid-1990s, the property was put up for sale to avoid bank foreclosure. The Wildlands Conservancy purchased more than 93,000 acres to create the largest nonprofit preserve on the West Coast. Acquisition of adjacent lands has increased the preserve to more than 97,000 acres.

The preserve is an ecologically unique region where the Transverse Ranges, Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, western Mojave Desert and San Joaquin Valley converge. Due to this singular geographic location and an elevation range from 640 to 6,005 feet, the preserve has an impressive array of landforms and habitats. The preserve is a critical landscape linkage and wildlife corridor between the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada.

Tule elk were reintroduced to Wind Wolves Preserve, the southernmost extension of their historic range. The elk herd has grown to more than 200 animals and the California Department of Fish and Game estimates the preserve can support up to 2,000 tule elk.

At 97,000 acres, Wind Wolves is the largest nonprofit preserve on the West Coast.

On the San Joaquin Valley floor, the preserve is a 30-square-mile veritable sea of grasslands with remnant stands of saltbush. These grasslands are home to the endangered San Joaquin kit fox and blunt-nosed leopard lizard, and one of the largest stands of the endangered Bakersfield cactus. Rolling grasslands rise from the valley floor and transition into classic California blue oak and valley oak savanna with extensive riparian wetlands. Pinyon-juniper woodland and chaparral can be found at medium and upper elevations along with pockets of big-cone spruce and ponderosa pine.

Through its spectacular and scenic beauty and rich diversity of life, Wind Wolves Preserve has the power to inspire people to preserve their natural and cultural heritage. At Wind Wolves, The Wildlands Conservancy offers free outdoor education programs in which over 100,000 children have participated. Programs focus on ecology, Native American life ways and local history, which complement the State’s science curriculum.

Wind Wolves Preserve is open to the public on weekends from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for hiking and picnicking. Camping hours are Friday 2:30 p.m. through Sunday 5:00 p.m. by advanced reservation only. For more information, call (661) 858-1115.