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2016 Tejon Ranch - May 28 Trip Cancelled

Posted: January 26th, 2016, 1:49 pm
by todd battey
Here are the currently planned dates and destinations for 2016 NAFHA trips to Tejon Ranch.

- 03/19/16 (Sa) - north side of Bear Mountain and Deer Trail (San Joaquin Valley) boards and natural cover
- 04/10/16 (Su) - Blue Ridge (if the roads to the high country are open by then) or alternate destination
- 05/14/16 (Sa) - Blue Ridge (if the roads to the high country are open by then) or alternate destination
- 05/28/16 (Sa) - Comanche Point (San Joaquin Valley) - check boards placed last year and hiking in grasslands

This is all tentative at this point and may change depending on winter rains, weather conditions on the planned dates, limited number of people that sign up, and other competing priorities. I need to pick dates this far ahead to have a chance to go on a particular date. One or more of these dates will likely be cancelled for one reason or another. One or more of the trips may end up being a small, invitation only trip.

If you are interested in any of the planned trips, try to plan around the date(s). Once you are ready to commit to a particular date, please send me a private message and I will put you on the list.

Cheers,

Todd

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: January 27th, 2016, 1:45 pm
by Fundad
Thank You Todd for once again putting this all together for us.. :thumb:


This is a great way to meet other herpers, and contribute to a great cause.

I ll make this a sticky soon Todd, but it will get more attention like this for now.

Brian Hinds
California Chapter President

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: January 27th, 2016, 6:05 pm
by hellihooks
4 / 10 is my birthday... and i do make a point of herping on my birthday... :D

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: January 28th, 2016, 8:42 am
by mattg
I am going to try to make as many dates as possible

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: January 28th, 2016, 7:15 pm
by Jeff Lemm
Matty and I will try to get on at least one trip - preferably the high country

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: January 29th, 2016, 10:39 am
by KichiMark
Can I invite another person who is into herping along?

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: January 29th, 2016, 8:31 pm
by RobertH
Unfortunately, Nick and I most likely won't be able to attend the first two surveys. :( So we may have to wait until May.

Robert

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: January 29th, 2016, 9:54 pm
by yolodave
Hope to join you on one of these trips Todd. Thanks, had a great time last year.

Dave

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: March 9th, 2016, 12:30 am
by mark buck
PM sent.

as Dave said above, had a great time last year!

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: March 9th, 2016, 8:36 am
by todd battey
The 03/19/16 trip to the San Joaquin Valley side of Tejon Ranch is coming up, so please PM me if you are interested and have not yet contacted me. We have a bunch of boards to check and the flowers should be going off.

Todd

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: March 12th, 2016, 10:24 am
by todd battey
Anyone else interested in the 03/19/16 (next Saturday) trip to the San Joaquin Valley side of Tejon Ranch?

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: March 12th, 2016, 2:03 pm
by hellihooks
trying to round up a crew from hd... but... with or without... i'll be there... HQ???

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: March 12th, 2016, 3:39 pm
by todd battey
Hope you can make it Jim. We'll meet at the Tejon Ranch Conservancy at 7:30 AM, then drive north to a second meeting option for any coming from the north. I will email details to people that have notified me they are going and have provided me with their contact info. Jim, are you still using your yahoo email? I'll put you on the list.

Todd

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: March 12th, 2016, 4:58 pm
by hellihooks
yup... my rate of change is downright geologic... getting my first i-phone later today...daughter's giving me her old one... but she's hooked it up with all the herping apps... :crazyeyes:
edit... Jeff M. and his gal say they're in, if there's room.

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: March 13th, 2016, 11:16 am
by 1812rob
very interested, i'll pm you

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: March 13th, 2016, 3:17 pm
by mattg
Todd I sent you a pm . Email is [email protected]

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: March 15th, 2016, 10:59 am
by mattg
Roll call : who's going this Saturday?

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: March 15th, 2016, 2:07 pm
by RobertH
Nicholas and I will be there, as will be my wife and daughter.

See you then,

Robert

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: March 17th, 2016, 12:04 am
by Chrispherp
I will be there, will be good to see everyone again and meeting anyone new. Looking forward to it!

Chris P.

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: March 17th, 2016, 6:31 am
by hellihooks
myself, Jeff M & girlfriend will be there... still waiting for e-mail with directions

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: March 17th, 2016, 10:14 am
by todd battey
TR Field Trippers (03/19/16 Trip),

We're all set for a long day of herping in the San Joaquin Valley portion of Tejon Ranch. It looks like we'll have a big group. We'll meet at the Tejon Ranch Conservancy headquarters in Lebec at 7:30 AM on Saturday, March 19, 2016. I emailed a map with directions to those that provided me with an email address. If you still need to provide me with your email, please send it to me in a Field Herp Forum Private Message.

For those attending, please don't be late. If you are running late, call me on my cell before the meeting time. We'll consolidate vehicles, sign waivers, load boards, etc., then head down the Grapevine Grade to our first stop in the San Joaquin Valley. Please be ready to make room in your vehicle for others and/or transfer into other vehicles. If you have a reliable field vehicle, we may need you to drive for the day.

I suggest you arrive at the meeting location with the food, water, and the clothes you'll need for the day and a full tank of gas. There is relatively cheap gas at the Flying J truck stop one exit to the south, just off the Frazier Mountain Park Road exit. They also have a minimart.

I'll see you bright and early.

Todd

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: March 31st, 2016, 12:56 pm
by mattg
Are we still on for Sunday April 10th ?

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: March 31st, 2016, 3:29 pm
by hellihooks
todd battey wrote:
I'll see you bright and early.

Todd
I'm never early and not too bright... :crazyeyes:

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - Tentative Dates

Posted: April 4th, 2016, 6:35 pm
by hellihooks
we still on, right? I'm thinking the projected change in the weather may actually help us... ;)

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - April 10 trip cancelled

Posted: April 5th, 2016, 3:44 pm
by todd battey
The trip to Tejon Ranch tentatively planned for April 10 is cancelled due to weather. The forecast currently shows rain Friday through Sunday. The roads to the high country have not been graded since October 2015 and there are many downed trees making roads impassable. Tejon Ranch is not planning to grade the roads until the rainy season is clearly over to prevent rework. Many of the possible alternative destinations, such as canyons on the Antelope Valley side of the Ranch, are not drivable for days after a rain due to clay content in the soils.

The next opportunity to visit Tejon Ranch is tentatively planned for May 14, which is a Saturday. If the weather cooperates and we get enough people to sign up, we will do that trip as described at the top of this thread. Please send me a private message if you plan to attend the May 14 and/or May 28 trips to Tejon Ranch.

Todd

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - April 10 trip cancelled

Posted: April 5th, 2016, 4:02 pm
by mark buck
Bummer.

Hopefully the roads get taken care of by May,
looking forward to spending some time up on Blue Ridge.

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - April 10 trip cancelled

Posted: April 5th, 2016, 5:04 pm
by Fieldnotes
Too bad, sounds like the Tejon Ranch doesnt really want people there, it only takes an hour to clear a half dozen fallen trees.. They are really missing out on a wealth of free research, well worth clearing that road sooner. But then, isn't the Tejon Ranch planning to build over that property soon; wouldn't want the finding of something spectacular messing up the development. Hmmm, Batrachoseps stebbinsi comes to mind.

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - April 10 trip cancelled

Posted: April 5th, 2016, 6:37 pm
by ricrabt
Ashley and I didn't get a response to that date in the first place....Guess he already had an idea it wasn't going to happen...

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - April 10 trip cancelled

Posted: April 5th, 2016, 6:53 pm
by hellihooks
time to go find me a Ca Gila on my birthday, I guess... :crazyeyes:

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - April 10 trip cancelled

Posted: April 6th, 2016, 12:17 am
by Brian Hubbs
I know where you can see one...

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - April 10 trip cancelled

Posted: April 6th, 2016, 6:01 am
by hellihooks
Brian Hubbs wrote:I know where you can see one...
thx... but i like finding stuff myself... not being taken somewhere and being shown stuff... i'm funny that way. ;)

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 14, 2016 Trip - Sign up if intere

Posted: May 4th, 2016, 10:37 am
by todd battey
Our next trip to the Tejon Ranch (TR) is scheduled for Saturday, May 14, 2016. The plan to is to try to drive from the Antelope Valley side up to the "Black Oak outcrop", try to take the logging road to the north side of Blue Ridge for salamanders, and then proceed to the Blue Ridge high country. The TR Conservancy (TRC) staff have not yet driven all the way up to Blue Ridge and the roads have not yet been cleared, so it is not clear that we will be able to make to the site where we’ve found some of the high elevation snakes. We’ll give it a try, but we may get turned back by a road blockage that we cannot clear. Be prepared to help clear rocks and branches off the road. If we get turned back, we’ll drop down to one or more of the canyons on the south side of the Tehachapi Mountains along the edge of the Antelope Valley (Mojave Desert).

The former TRC field trip coordinator, Scot Pipkin, has left the TRC. They have hired a new administrative coordinator, Tim Bulone, who is trying to keep the field trip coordination moving along. Consequently, it is imperative that I get the following information by Sunday night, May 8: first name, last name, email address, mailing address (street address, city, and zip), home phone, cell phone, and the type of vehicle you will be driving. We will NOT have the flexibility to add people at the last minute as we have done on some previous trips.

We really need high clearance 4-wheel drive vehicles for this trip. We’ll consolidate into the best vehicles, so not everyone one needs to have 4-wheel drive, but we need to get enough field vehicles to transport the entire group.

As usual, this trip may be cancelled if not enough people contact me with the required info by May 8 or if we do not get enough field-worthy vehicles to transport the group. If the trip is a go, I will email details to the attendees.

I hope to see you at Tejon Ranch on May 14.

Todd

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 14 Trip - Sign Up Now if Interest

Posted: May 4th, 2016, 5:34 pm
by hellihooks

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 14 Trip - Sign Up Now if Interest

Posted: May 4th, 2016, 5:46 pm
by fangmaster
Count me and Lynda in for the 14th

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 14 Trip - Sign Up Now if Interest

Posted: May 4th, 2016, 10:47 pm
by RobertH
Nick and I are in, too. I'll e-mail you our info tomorrow.

Thanks,

Robert

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 14 Trip - Sign Up Now if Interest

Posted: May 6th, 2016, 10:12 am
by todd battey
Fanmaster (and anyone else that wants to attend the May 14 trip), I need the info requested above (5/04/16 reply) for you, Lynda, and anyone else riding with you by Sunday night. I need to enter all this info a TRC webpage to get the permit we need (new process).

RobertO, I got your info. Thanks.

Todd

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 14 Trip - Sign Up Now if Interest

Posted: May 8th, 2016, 8:44 am
by mark buck
PM sent.

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 14 Trip - Sign Up Now if Interest

Posted: May 9th, 2016, 7:51 am
by hellihooks
e-mail sent

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 14 Trip - Sign Up Now if Interest

Posted: May 9th, 2016, 8:51 am
by todd battey
Today I need to register our attendees for the May 14 strip (this Saturday). Here is the current list:

- Todd Battey
- Ben Witzke
- Amy Patten
- Robert Hess
- Nicholas Hess
- Jeff Mintz
- Lynda Foley
- Brian Hinds (maybe)
- Charles ("Ben") DeLancey
- Mark Buck
- Phil Buck
- Matt Gruen

If you hope to go and your name is not listed above, please email me your contact info (see 05/04/16 post above) to me ASAP.

Todd
[email protected]

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 14 Trip - Sign Up Now if Interest

Posted: May 9th, 2016, 12:34 pm
by todd battey
And....

- Jim Bass

I registered everyone who contacted me on the TRC self registration webpage, so you will probably get an email to confirm your confirmation (if I got an email address from you). The email says time, date, and that directions will be distributed a week prior to event. Please disregard this info in the auto-generated email. I will email you with the meeting location and time in the coming days. I'm still working out some details with the TR Conservancy staff.

So stay tuned...

Todd

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 14 Trip - Sign Up Now if Interest

Posted: May 9th, 2016, 7:15 pm
by hellihooks
Yeah... I got their e-mail... nice of them to take us on a 'tour'... :roll: As a Docent, you should inform this 'new guy', Who's helping Whom... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 14 Trip - Sign Up Now if Interest

Posted: May 11th, 2016, 2:22 pm
by todd battey
Jim, the docents have been through the appropriate training, including wilderness first aid training. Before anyone volunteers to spot a vehicle as it backs up, we'll have to be sure they have been through the "spotter training" module. ;)

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 14 Trip - Sign Up Now if Interest

Posted: May 11th, 2016, 7:20 pm
by hellihooks
last trip... we ran into another docent, taking folks on a pig hunting 'tour'... he ALL BUT pulled a gun on us... insisting that we should have our 'paperwork' on our persons... once i convinced him our paperwork was with the TWO OTHER Docents, we were with... he mellowed out... :lol:

He actually surprised me with his knowledge of local herps (as in knew the diff tween skiltons/gilberti... :shock: ) don't know if they got their pig, or not... but after pointing them towards fresh track... we heard gun shots not long after... 8-)

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 14 Trip - All Set for this Saturd

Posted: May 12th, 2016, 1:51 pm
by todd battey
This morning I emailed a map with directions and meeting time to all those signed up for the Tejon Ranch trip this Saturday, May 14. If you think you're signed up for the trip and did not get the email, please PM me immediately.

Thank you.

Todd

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 28 Trip Cancelled

Posted: May 17th, 2016, 1:52 pm
by todd battey
I'm pulling the plug on the May 28 trip due to a personal conflict. We did two trips to TR this year and the last one was a bit disappointing due to the extremely dry conditions, even up on Blue Ridge.

The next opportunity to do another trip to the Ranch will be in the fall. Anyone interested it that?

Regards,

Todd

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 28 Trip Cancelled

Posted: May 17th, 2016, 4:22 pm
by RobertH
Nicholas and I might be interested in a fall survey depending on where we go.

Thanks again for organizing this last survey, even if it wasn't what everyone had hoped for.

Here's a partial group shot taken at the top of Blue Ridge:

ImageP1060890 by Robert Hess, on Flickr

And here's where I'd like to spend some more time looking for scutes in fall:

ImageP1060880 by Robert Hess, on Flickr

Let's not forget, though: We did manage to record the first Long-Nosed Leopard Lizard on TR. Nicholas will post his voucher shot shortly.

Robert

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 28 Trip Cancelled

Posted: May 17th, 2016, 4:29 pm
by hellihooks
i don't know what i'm doing next week, much less this fall... but... ALWAYS interested... :crazyeyes:

Me n Matt went cruisen my neck of the woods, after the survey... saw 2 lyres, 2 scutes, a speck & a winder in like 40 min.... :shock: :thumb:

you & Nic see anything on the way home, Robert?

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 28 Trip Cancelled

Posted: May 17th, 2016, 4:34 pm
by hellihooks
RobertH wrote:
Let's not forget, though: We did manage to record the first Long-Nosed Leopard Lizard on TR. Nicholas will post his voucher shot shortly.

Robert
It was (i thought) cool that Nic not only spotted it... but got the only voucher shot... :thumb:

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 28 Trip Cancelled

Posted: May 17th, 2016, 6:58 pm
by Thorny
Let me start by saying :cry:

I'm always interested (assuming I am available) and you guys have way higher standards of what is thought of a successful trip. I caught a gopher snake and, after a massive amount of photo editing, got a good pronghorn photo. What more could you want in life?

Re: 2016 Tejon Ranch - May 28 Trip Cancelled

Posted: May 24th, 2016, 9:00 pm
by RobertH