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| Tom contemplating the future of conservation. . . or is he napping? |
For this week's staff interview, we talk with Executive Director Tom Maloney. As the first ED of Tejon Ranch Conservancy, Tom has successfully navigated the implementation of the Ranch-wide Agreement as well as overseen the drafting of the first ever Ranch-wide Management Plan written by the Conservancy. Let's see what he has to say for himself:
Where are you from? What’s your background?
My life has essentially been bi-coastal with New England
being where I have spent most of my adult life.
I went to college at Boston University and Graduate School at Antioch
New England in Keene, NH. Prior to
moving back to California – where I spent my junior high school and high school
years – I worked on the Connecticut River and in the pine barrens of
Massachusetts.
Word on the street is that you’re a big birder. Can you
describe a favorite birding moment on Tejon Ranch?
There have been several but the one that still stands out is
a phenomenal migration morning on May 1, 2009.
Conservancy staff and Audubon California staff witnessed hundreds of
neo-tropical migrant songbirds migrate off of the Mojave desert into Sacatara
Canyon at the southeast corner of the Ranch.
This reinforced the role that these desert canyons can play in the
migratory ecology of many species.
Further understanding that has been a challenge but the Conservancy and
other partners have been trying to as a way to inform the siting and operations
of industrial scale wind energy projects in the Tehachapi Mountains.
I’m proud that one of the Conservancy’s first restoration
projects is in Sacatara Canyon.
Is there anything in particular on Tejon Ranch you have not
yet seen?
So much! This is a
vast landscape and I haven’t had enough time to just explore…
Please describe one amazing nature moment you had in 2013.
Over Christmas, my wife and I had the opportunity to snorkel
in the company of whale sharks near Espiritu Santo Island off of La Paz,
Baja. Ever since I was a little kid
watching Jacques Cousteau specials, this has been a dream of mine.
We at the Conservancy are pretty big audiophiles. Can you
list 5 of your favorite albums?
In no particular order, Neil Young, Live at Massey Hall, Talking Heads, Fear of Music, Pink Floyd, Meddle,
Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street and, in the current
rotation, Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness
Rock Record. For the record, I think Wilco is today's Great American Band.
We like to talk about how Tejon Ranch is at the confluence
of 4 of Ca’s major ecoregions (southwestern Ca, SJV, Sierra Nevada, Mojave
Desert). Do you have a favorite one?
Not really. I think
my favorite thing about Tejon is finding sites where these habitats are all
jumbled together.
Besides Tejon Ranch, can you list 5 California locations you
love?
1.
The
Eastern Sierra Nevada – it’s like the Tetons on steroids!
2.
The Central Coast – centrally located but far
from everything with great wine.
3.
The North Coast – I spent a lot of time fishing
there with my older brothers. And great wine.
4.
The Trinity Alps – amazing peaks and great
backpacking.
5.
The Carrizo Plain – a glimpse of what the
southern San Joaquin Valley may have looked like…
So many more.
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| L to R: Dan Ashe, Director of the USFWS; Mark Kehke, VP, DMB Pacific Ventures; Joel Reynolds, Western Region Director, NRDC and Tom Maloney, Executive Director of Tejon Ranch Conservancy |
