Newly Audubon Certified, California Ranches Enhance Habitat for Grassland Birds

CALIFORNIA (September 14, 2026) — The National Audubon Society proudly announces five California ranches that have earned its Bird-Friendly Land Certification, which recognizes their efforts to support quality wildlife habitat and resilient working lands. Secured through the Audubon Conservation Ranching program, the newly certified producers include C&R Ranch near Red Bluff, Deer Creek Hills Preserve near Sacramento, Durst Home Ranch near Capay, Gabilan Ranch near San Juan Bautista, and Jalama Canyon Ranch near Lompoc.  

Audubon Conservation Ranching is a science-based certification program that aims to stabilize the decline of grassland bird populations through partnerships with farmers and ranchers. Since 1970, North America’s grassland birds have seen the steepest population declines of all terrestrial biomes. To combat this loss, Audubon works with more than 155 certified farms and ranches in the United States, all taking voluntary conservation action to support grassland birds and biodiversity across a combined 4.5 million acres. Because most grassland birds live on private land, partnering with landowners is one of the best ways to help these species at scale. 

California’s 61 million acres of rangeland provide essential ecosystem services, from food production and carbon sequestration to water infiltration and wildlife habitat. However, research shows that around 20,000 acres of grasslands in the state are converted to other uses each year, harming birds that rely on high-quality, intact rangelands to fulfill their lifecycles. To help birds recover, Audubon expanded its conservation ranching program to California in 2019. Today, Audubon partners with 20 certified ranching operations in California—including the five newly certified ranches—and has enhanced more than 314,000 acres of habitat.  

“These five ranches expressed interest in Audubon Conservation Ranching almost immediately as the program was coming into California,” said Pelayo Alvarez, Program Director for Audubon Conservation Ranching in California. “Now, we’re proud to partner with these producers, each of which is successfully managing its acreage to support birds and other wildlife. From the start, it was clear that all five managers wanted to be good land stewards and learn as much as possible about the flora and fauna in these landscapes.” 

To earn Audubon’s Bird-Friendly Land Certification, ranches must meet rigorous standards for habitat management, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare, verified through independent audits. Producers work with Audubon range ecologists to create Habitat Management Plans tailored to each ranch’s conditions and goals. These plans use practices such as adaptive grazing, invasive species control, and native plant restoration to support biodiverse, resilient grassland ecosystems that benefit wildlife and producers. 

“All five ranches are demonstrating exemplary bird-friendly management, using rotational grazing to achieve specific goals and adapting their practices based on changing environmental conditions and monitoring results,” said Payton Thomas, Rangeland Ecologist for the Audubon Conservation Ranching program in California. “Their bird-friendly grazing practices create a mosaic of grassland habitat that supports the breeding, nesting, and foraging needs of a variety of priority species across the state.” 

Now that these five California ranches have achieved Audubon’s Bird-Friendly Land Certification, they may use the associated seal on beef products, signaling to consumers that their purchases support habitat conservation for imperiled grassland birds. Through their management efforts, these ranches demonstrate how bird-friendly practices can be applied across California’s ecologically rich landscapes, from grasslands and oak woodlands to wetlands and riparian areas: 

C&R Ranch — Red Bluff 

C&R Ranch provides essential habitat for several priority birds in Tehama County, including Western Kingbirds and Lark Sparrows. Following a thoughtful rotational grazing plan, C&R Ranch moves its beef cattle across two properties seasonally, Los Molinos Ranch and Paskenta Ranch. Using high-intensity grazing on their pastures, followed by long rest periods, the land managers work to improve range quality and bird habitat across both properties.  

"Our family loves birds, and we're proud to partner with Audubon to enhance wildlife habitat on our ranch, especially as blue oak savannas continue to disappear in California," said Charlotte and Roy Ekland, Owners of C&R Ranch. "We see tremendous value in using rotational grazing and other bird-friendly practices to improve our soil health, support biodiversity, and strengthen the resilience of our land." 

Deer Creek Hills Preserve — Sacramento 

Located in southeastern Sacramento County, Deer Creek Hills is a nature preserve and cattle ranch managed by the Sacramento Valley Conservancy (SVC). As one of the largest remaining areas of blue oak woodland, grassland, and riparian habitat in the region, Deer Creek Hills is an optimal home for Savannah Sparrows, Oak Titmice, and other birds. The land is only grazed by cattle seasonally, with its grazing intensity and rest periods planned around forage growth. 

"As land managers, SVC stewards land in a way that supports responsible livestock grazing and humane animal care,” said Eric Kellegrew, Stewardship Director for SVC. “This extends beyond cattle; it includes high-quality habitat for birds and other wildlife, long-term sustainability, which supports biodiversity and resilient ecosystems. The ACR recognition is a testament to decades of work by SVC staff, docents, long-time rancher Mike Harry, and a multitude of conservation partners who help keep Deer Creek Hills wild and healthy. By implementing responsible agricultural practices, we’re maintaining cattle traditions while also protecting the birds and wildlife that depend on these landscapes." 

Durst Home Ranch — Capay 

Durst Home Ranch supports several priority species in Yolo County, such as the California Quail and Western Bluebird. Cline Livestock Co., the ranch's grazing tenant, uses strategic grazing rotations to promote desirable forage species, oak regeneration, and healthy levels of shrub cover in riparian areas, all essential to providing quality habitat for birds. Adam Cline is also the grazer at Audubon’s Bobcat Ranch, a conservation ranching demonstration site in Winters.  

“The Durst Home Ranch has welcomed the opportunity to partner with Cline Livestock and Audubon to develop a conservation plan to enhance habitat for wildlife, build soil health and grow healthy livestock feeds,” said Fritz Durst, Manager and Shareholder of Durst Home Ranch. 

Gabilan Ranch — San Juan Bautista 

Owned by the Reeves, Baldocchi, and Boyle families, the land at Gabilan Ranch is managed to promote increased native perennial grass and wildlife diversity in Monterey and San Benito Counties. With annual grasslands, valley oak woodlands, and riparian areas, the ranch creates essential habitat for the California Condor, a state and federally endangered species. Gabilan Ranch runs a feeding station with cull carcasses and cameras to monitor the condors. 

“Our family has been on Gabilan Ranch for almost 100 years. We have always managed the land for the benefit of wildlife as well as to support a regenerative grazing strategy for our cow-calf operation,” said Darrell Boyle, Chairman of Gabilan Ranch. “We control grazing in pastures to protect ground-nesting birds; we introduced Tule elk to the Gabilan Range; we have a nesting pair of California Condors on the ranch; and we get to watch bald eagles fledge every year. Working with Audubon helps us provide a home to an abundance of bird species.” 

Jalama Canyon Ranch — Lompoc 

Located in Santa Barbara County, Jalama Canyon Ranch provides high-quality habitat for species such as the Black-headed Grosbeak and Grasshopper Sparrow. Owned by the White Buffalo Land Trust since 2021, the organization operates under a mission to “practice, promote, and develop systems of regenerative agriculture for local, regional, and global impact,” seeking to strengthen relationships between people and the land. With their beef cattle and goats, White Buffalo grazes with a high enough intensity to prevent shrub encroachment but with long enough rest periods to allow perennial grass to recover. 

"Regenerative grazing is ultimately about strengthening the relationship between people and land, and the return of grassland birds is one of the clearest signs that relationship is healthy," said Jesse Smith, Director of Land Stewardship, White Buffalo Land Trust. "We're proud to partner with Audubon because their certification holds us to a high standard—showing that grazing with the right intensity and rest periods can bring perennial grasses, and the birds that rely on them, back to the Central Coast Ecoregion."

For more information about Audubon Conservation Ranching in California, please contact Payton Thomas at Payton.Thomas@audubon.org. For national program information, contact ConservationRanching@Audubon.org. 

About Audubon Conservation Ranching 

Audubon Conservation Ranching partners with ranchers to sustain healthy grasslands, abundant birdlife, and resilient rural communities. Through our bird-friendly land certification and science-based approach, we empower land stewards to enhance habitat, improve soil health and water quality, and strengthen the connection between conservation and ranching. By purchasing products from Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Land, consumers become conservationists, helping protect America’s grasslands and the birds, wildlife, and people that depend on them. For more information, visit www.audubon.org/ranching.