TomKat Ranch Earns Audubon Bird-Friendly Land Certification
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Pescadero, Calif. (July 27, 2026) — TomKat Ranch, based on California’s Central Coast, has achieved the National Audubon Society’s Bird-Friendly Land Certification. Earned through the Audubon Conservation Ranching program, the certification recognizes TomKat Ranch’s efforts to support grassland birds, biodiversity, and working landscapes.
Audubon Conservation Ranching is a science-based certification program that aims to stabilize the decline of grassland bird populations. Since 1970, grassland birds have experienced the largest population decrease among all terrestrial biomes, largely due to habitat loss, degradation, woody encroachment, and chemical use. Today, more than 150 farms and ranches and 4.5 acres across the United States are certified as bird-friendly, which means their lands are managed to support grassland birds and profitable, resilient ranching operations.
In California, Audubon partners with 18 certified ranches that span more than 260,000 acres, now including TomKat Ranch in San Mateo County. Purchased by Tom Steyer and Kat Taylor in 2002, the ranch is home to the TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation, which manages its 1,800 acres as a working ranch, learning laboratory, and educational center. The foundation’s goal is to produce healthy food that regenerates the planet and inspires others to do the same.
“The TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation was built on the concept of collecting good science to inform our management and better understand how regenerative ranching benefits ecology,” said Hayley Strohm, Land Stewardship Manager for TomKat Ranch. “Becoming Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly was a no-brainer—we already had years of monitoring data, 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 standards for habitat management, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare, all verified through a third-party audit. TomKat Ranch’s bird-friendly management practices, including prescribed fire and adaptive pasture rotation, create critical habitat for many grassland species, including 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 manage the ranch in a regenerative way, holistically grazing cattle and goats across 951 acres and moving herds to mimic the patterns of native grazers. TomKat Ranch was a founding member of Point Blue’s Rangeland Monitoring Network, and every three years, their ecologists measure the ranch’s bird abundance and ecological health to inform management decisions.
“Birds are sensitive indicators of ecosystem health, and their presence and abundance serve as a guide to TomKat’s conservation grazing management, restoration, and scientific trials,” said Bonnie Eyestone, Point Blue Working Lands Director. “TomKat is an industry leader for testing and demonstrating science-based, regenerative grazing management that supports ecosystem function and biodiversity, and this certification speaks to the exemplary partnership triad between TomKat, Point Blue, and Audubon Conservation Ranching.”
Many of TomKat Ranch’s trials involve suppressing woody encroachment, one of the most pressing concerns for coastal prairie habitat in California. TomKat Ranch demonstrates how intensive management can help curb the spread of woody vegetation and bring back native perennial grass that birds need for nesting and foraging.
“TomKat Ranch is at the forefront of coastal prairie management in California, using innovative tools such as prescribed fire and targeted, intensive cattle grazing to improve habitat quality and reduce brush,” said Grace Ferguson, Manager for the Audubon Conservation Ranching program in California. “We’re thrilled to welcome TomKat into our Audubon Conservation Ranching network to help, learn, and share from their conservation trials and restoration accomplishments.”
The TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation also has a grassfed beef label, LeftCoast Grassfed, which sells beef to chefs, schools, and direct-to-consumer. They plan to use the Audubon Bird-Friendly Land certification seal on promotion and product packaging (along with their other certifications—American Grassfed Association, CCOF Organic, and Savory’s Ecological Outcomes Verification) to share with consumers that their purchases support on-the-ground habitat conservation.
“Achieving Audubon’s certification will help more institutions take notice of our habitat restoration work and grassfed beef operation,” said Kathy Webster, TomKat Ranch’s Food Advocacy Manager and Manager of LeftCoast Grassfed. “Everyone can get behind supporting birds and the environments they depend upon, and many are excited to learn they can do that through their purchasing choices, including buying our meat.”
For more information about Audubon Conservation Ranching in California, please contact Grace Ferguson at [email protected]. For national program information, contact [email protected].
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 waterquality, 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.