At 270,000 acres, Tejon Ranch is the largest private property in California. Sitting at the confluence of the Sierra Nevadas, the Transverse Range, the Mojave Desert, and the San Joaquin Desert, the biodiversity on Tejon is truly remarkable – even in California. The talk will provide a (brief) history of Tejon Ranch, including how Tejon came to be conserved, an overview of (some) of the rare/ endemic plants in the region, and how the Tejon Ranch Conservancy manages the many sensitive systems on the Ranch. The talk will also discuss the Conservancy's other programs, including collaborations with academic researchers, citizen science efforts, stewardship work, public access, and an ongoing effort to get more students out on the Ranch. Lastly, Mitchell will discuss his personal research on the ecophysiology of halophytes in the San Joaquin Desert.

Mitchell Coleman is a research botanist and land manager working with the Tejon Ranch Conservancy. As a Bakersfield native, Mitchell grew up with the lore and scenic backdrop of Tejon Ranch. He joined the Conservancy in January 2015 as part of the Environmental Educational Partnership Impacting Colleges and Careers (EPIC), which provided funding to conduct his master's thesis research on the Ranch, focusing on the ecophysiology of saltbush shrublands (Atriplex polycarpa) in the San Joaquin Desert. In his current role, Mitchell manages the Conservancy’s science and stewardship programs. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Westmont College, an M.S. in Biology from California State University, Bakersfield, and is currently a PhD student at the University of California, Riverside.