For Immediate Use Contact: Garrison Frost, (510) 601-1866, Ext. 225
April 15, 2010

Sacramento, CA – In recognition of his years conserving habitat in the South Fork Kern River Valley, the Sierra Business Council this week gave Reed Tollefson one of its prestigious Vision 2020 Awards. Tollefson, who has been manager of the Audubon Kern River Preserve for 13 years, was given the award in thanks for his work to both preserve lands through conservation, but also by acquiring new lands for protection.

“I’m honored to receive this award that not only recognizes my conservation work, but also recognizes the importance of the South Fork Kern River Valley,” said Tollefson. “The Kern River Preserve, and the valley in general, sits in the middle of a vitally important nature corridor that runs from the Sierra Nevada to the desert and coastal ranges. These are some of California’s most spectacular habitat areas, and are really worth our effort to protect.”

The Sierra Business Council created the Vision 2020 awards to recognize and encourage leadership in the Sierra, honoring community members as their work continues to achieve excellence in projects and approaches that foster community vitality, environmental quality, economic prosperity, and social fairness.

Tollefson’s tenure at the Audubon Kern River Preserve has been marked by the understanding that habitats are interconnected – by water, by wildlife corridors, by human activity. Thus, while land stewardship has been vital to protecting the native cottonwood-willow forest habitat along the Kern River, it has proven to be just as important to ensure that adjacent habitat wasn’t degraded or lost to development.

The Audubon Kern River Preserve is also helping to address regional conservation issues in the face of climate change and threats to wildlife and biological diversity with the Southern Sierra Partnership, a collaborative effort with The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Business Council, Tejon Ranch Conservancy, Sequoia Riverlands Trust and the National Parks Service.

The South Fork Kern River Valley has been named a Globally Significant Important Bird Area by Audubon California because it hosts nearly 200 nesting species, including Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Southwestern Willow Flycatcher.

About Audubon California 
Audubon California is building a better future for California by bringing people together to appreciate, enjoy and protect our spectacular outdoor treasures. With more than 50,000 members in California and an affiliated 48 local Audubon chapters, Audubon California is a field program of the National Audubon Society.