Wind Wolves Preserve

Wind Wolves Preserve is a nature reserve consisting of of land in Kern County, California, United States, southwest of Bakersfield. Located in the Transverse Ranges in Southern California, it stands in stark contrast to the agricultural Central Valley. Picnicking, hiking, mountain biking, and camping are common activities. There are several major archaeological sites. The Wildlands Conservancy manages the site which is the largest non-profit nature reserve on the West Coast.

Geography

At the southern end of the Central Valley the land rises to the Transverse Ranges. The preserve includes the San Emigdio Mountains and Pleito Hills.

The preserve helps connect the Coast Range and Sierra Nevada mountains. Its within the Transverse Ranges facilitating movement of animals improving genetic diversity.

The preserve is adjacent to the Los Padres National Forest.

Two of the best Native American archaeological sites are at the preserve. Pleito is one of the best painted rock-art sites in the world. Rock art of the Chumash people is among the most elaborate rock art. Cache Cave has a substantial collection of artifacts. Neither site can be visited. Pleito is overly fragile. Cache Cave has complex passages. Instead virtual reality is used to show the sites. VR headsets are available for people visiting the preserve during special events.

An international team researched the Cache Cave Native Californian site and produced several papers.

Flora and fauna

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

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 done each fall. Four hundred, forty-five tule elk were counted in 2022.

Wildflowers can include poppies, lupine, hyacinth and phacelia.

Recreation

The preserve has hiking trails, small waterfall, several ponds, picnic area, Ramada, restrooms and campground. Outdoor education programs are offered for school children on ecology, wetland ecosystems, geology and Native American lifeways. 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 of trails. One trail 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.

Events

The preserve hosts a variety of events during the year. All events are open to the public free of charge.

A bird event has booths providing information about local birds.

An annual Spring Nature Festival has been held in March since 2014. There are exhibits, viewing of wildlife and wildflowers, and guided hikes. Almost 8,000 people visit over a weekend. The wildflowers typically peak around festival time.

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

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

Guided sunrise and night hikes are offered.

History

The Chumash tribe lived in this region until the 18th century. In the 1820s, El Camino Viejo was a road that was part of the original road between San Francisco and Los Angeles. 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 Pleito Hills Bakersfield cactus. The Conservancy restored cactus at the burned site and established four new sites. In 2021, the Wolf Fire burned of grasslands. Firefighters fought the fire using ground and air resources.

In 2021, a conservation easement was placed on of land within the preserve. The California Rangeland Trust will monitor the easement. Three thousand, five hundred cattle graze on this land.

See also

* List of The Wildlands Conservancy preserves

References

Further reading

* {{Cite book , last = Butterfield , first = Scott , title = Rewilding Agricultural Landscapes: A California Study in Rebalancing the Needs of People and Nature , publisher = Island Press , year = 2021 , location = Washington, DC , isbn = 978-1642831269

Nature reserves in California
Protected areas of Kern County, California