In the late 1980s, Los Angeles development trends extended into the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley when Dale Poe Development bought the historic San Emigdio Ranch. During the downturn in development in the mid-1990s, the property was put up for sale to avoid bank foreclosure. The Wildlands Conservancy purchased more than 93,000 acres to create the largest nonprofit preserve on the West Coast. Acquisition of adjacent lands has increased the preserve to more than 97,000 acres.

The preserve is an ecologically unique region where the Transverse Ranges, Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, western Mojave Desert and San Joaquin Valley converge. Due to this singular geographic location and an elevation range from 640 to 6,005 feet, the preserve has an impressive array of landforms and habitats. The preserve is a critical landscape linkage and wildlife corridor between the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada.

I took a trip over there as it is an easy 20 mile drive. Some of the most spectacular wildflowers I have ever seen.