Industry Happily Takes a Backseat to Conservation

Can't imagine big land developers and environmentalists ever seeing eye-to-eye? Well it's happening in Tejon Ranch concerning a massive expanse of wilderness privately owned by the Tejon Ranch co., and as unbelievable as it sounds they're willing to give most of it up for conservation.

Together with an alliance of different environmental groups, they managed to strike an historic agreement. A whopping 90%, or 375 square miles, of land will go to preserving the valued piece of wilderness. The remaining 10% will be used to develop large housing and shopping centers. This is a momentous occasion for the state of California. "All of us consider this agreement on the future of Tejon Ranch one of the great conservation achievements in California history," said Joel Reynolds, senior attorney and director of the Southern California Program of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Reynolds is right, and this historic pact should stand as a testament to what can happen when industry and environmentalists compromise to ensure the protection of important species their natural habitats.