TomKat Ranch Earns Audubon Bird-Friendly Land Certification

Pescadero, Calif. (July 27, 2026) — TomKat Ranch, based mostly on California’s Central Coast, has achieved the Nationwide Audubon Society’s Chicken-Pleasant Land Certification. Earned by means of the Audubon Conservation Ranching program, the certification acknowledges TomKat Ranch’s efforts to assist grassland birds, biodiversity, and dealing landscapes.  

Audubon Conservation Ranching is a science-based certification program that goals to stabilize the decline of grassland hen populations. Since 1970, grassland birds have skilled the most important inhabitants lower amongst all terrestrial biomes, largely resulting from habitat loss, degradation, woody encroachment, and chemical use. Right this moment, greater than 150 farms and ranches and 4.5 acres throughout america are licensed as bird-friendly, which suggests their lands are managed to assist grassland birds and worthwhile, resilient ranching operations. 

In California, Audubon companions with 18 licensed ranches that span greater than 260,000 acres, now together with TomKat Ranch in San Mateo County. Bought by Tom Steyer and Kat Taylor in 2002, the ranch is residence to the TomKat Ranch Academic Basis, which manages its 1,800 acres as a working ranch, studying laboratory, and academic middle. The inspiration’s purpose is to supply wholesome meals that regenerates the planet and evokes others to do the identical.  

“The TomKat Ranch Academic Basis was constructed on the idea of gathering good science to tell our administration and higher perceive how regenerative ranching advantages ecology,” stated Hayley Strohm, Land Stewardship Supervisor for TomKat Ranch. “Turning into Audubon Licensed Chicken-Pleasant was a no brainer—we already had years of monitoring knowledge, and an ecological lens embedded into our stewardship plans. It’s an evolutionary step for the mission of this ranch.” 

To earn Audubon’s certification, TomKat Ranch meets strict requirements for habitat administration, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare, all verified by means of a third-party audit. TomKat Ranch’s bird-friendly administration practices, together with prescribed fireplace and adaptive pasture rotation, create crucial habitat for a lot of grassland species, together with the Savannah Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, White-tailed Kite, Northern Harrier, and Western Meadowlark. 

Since 2010, TomKat Ranch has partnered with Point Blue Conservation Science to handle the ranch in a regenerative method, holistically grazing cattle and goats throughout 951 acres and shifting herds to imitate the patterns of native grazers. TomKat Ranch was a founding member of Level Blue’s Rangeland Monitoring Community, and each three years, their ecologists measure the ranch’s hen abundance and ecological well being to tell administration choices. 

“Birds are delicate indicators of ecosystem well being, and their presence and abundance function a information to TomKat’s conservation grazing administration, restoration, and scientific trials,” stated Bonnie Eyestone, Level Blue Working Lands Director. “TomKat is an trade chief for testing and demonstrating science-based, regenerative grazing administration that helps ecosystem perform and biodiversity, and this certification speaks to the exemplary partnership triad between TomKat, Level Blue, and Audubon Conservation Ranching.”  

A lot of TomKat Ranch’s trials contain suppressing woody encroachment, one of the vital urgent issues for coastal prairie habitat in California. TomKat Ranch demonstrates how intensive administration may also help curb the unfold of woody vegetation and produce again native perennial grass that birds want for nesting and foraging.  

“TomKat Ranch is on the forefront of coastal prairie administration in California, utilizing progressive instruments comparable to prescribed fireplace and focused, intensive cattle grazing to enhance habitat high quality and scale back brush,” stated Grace Ferguson, Supervisor for the Audubon Conservation Ranching program in California. “We’re thrilled to welcome TomKat into our Audubon Conservation Ranching community to assist, be taught, and share from their conservation trials and restoration accomplishments.” 

The TomKat Ranch Academic Basis additionally has a grassfed beef label, LeftCoast Grassfed, which sells beef to cooks, colleges, and direct-to-consumer. They plan to make use of the Audubon Chicken-Pleasant Land certification seal on promotion and product packaging (together with their different certifications—American Grassfed Affiliation, CCOF Natural, and Savory’s Ecological Outcomes Verification) to share with customers that their purchases assist on-the-ground habitat conservation. 

“Attaining Audubon’s certification will assist extra establishments take discover of our habitat restoration work and grassfed beef operation,” stated Kathy Webster, TomKat Ranch’s Meals Advocacy Supervisor and Supervisor of LeftCoast Grassfed. “Everybody can get behind supporting birds and the environments they depend on, and plenty of are excited to be taught they’ll try this by means of their buying selections, together with shopping for our meat.” 

For extra details about Audubon Conservation Ranching in California, please contact Grace Ferguson at Grace.Ferguson@Audubon.org. For nationwide program data, contact ConservationRanching@Audubon.org. 

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