Parks Stay Open; Stable Funding Still Needed

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled a plan last month that would allow for all state parks to remain open instead of closing many of them to reduce the budget deficit. The news followed months of parks enthusiasts’ efforts to block the proposed closures of hundreds of parks, many of which include redwoods that Save the Redwoods League members have helped to protect. The Governor’s plan reduces ongoing maintenance, major equipment purchases and shortens hours and/or days of operation at most parks. “While it is clearly good news that people will continue to enjoy their parks this year, it does nothing to address the fundamental challenge that California State Parks faces as budgets are cut annually,” said Ruskin Hartley, League Executive Director. The League will continue to explore and promote sources of stable funding for California State Parks, Hartley said. Photo: Sean Dreilinger, Flickr Creative Commons

More Redwoods Protected in Big Sur

Thanks to our members’ support, Save the Redwoods League has acquired an 80-acre property, about half of which is old-growth redwood forest in Big Sur, at the southern limit of the coast redwood range. The parcel, in a remote canyon surrounded by Los Padres National Forest, has stunning ocean views and abundant wildlife. This acquisition protects the parcel from the threat of luxury home development and will allow extension of the Los Padres Prewitt Creek loop trail. To return the land to a natural state, the League paid for improvements including the removal of cabins. Because the canyon is steep, the materials were removed by helicopter (pictured). The property will be transferred to the Los Padres National Forest after Congress appropriates funding for it. Photo: Connie McCoy

Help Redwoods Survive Climate Change

Redwoods have migrated over the ages, but not as quickly as it may be necessary to adapt to rapid climate change. Save the Redwoods League and partners have launched the Redwood Climate Change Initiative to ensure that future generations can walk among these giants. The League will provide the lacking hard science to assist land managers and other decision-makers in implementing redwood policy directives. We need your support! Redwood enthusiast Ken Fisher is helping to launch the project with a generous offer to match every gift, for a total up to $500,000. Double the impact of your gift—please donate to the Ken Fisher Matching Fund.

See Our New Redwood Transect Kit for Educators

Our new suite of free online resources for K-12 teachers, environmental educators and interpretive naturalists is available for teaching students about redwood ecosystems! The kit includes materials for different grade levels, reading and field trip lists, a transect activity and related gallery onto which students can upload their photos, and links to related media. Be sure to tell a friend!

39 Grants Will Help Organizations Teach People about Redwoods

With support from our generous donors, Save the Redwoods League recently awarded 39 grants totaling $100,032 to California schools, park interpretive associations and environmental education organizations. The Education Program awards for the 2009-10 fiscal year contribute to our efforts to connect people of all ages to the majestic redwoods so they will know and want to protect the trees.

New PBS Series Features League Founder

Learn about one of Save the Redwoods League’s founders, Stephen T. Mather (pictured), who was featured in a new PBS documentary last month. The National Parks: America's Best Idea, is a six-episode documentary that tells the stories of everyday Americans who fought to preserve inspiring natural places for all to enjoy. Mather was the first director of the National Park Service and is featured in episodes three and four. Learn how the League has contributed to the national and California state parks systems and how you can help protect redwood parks.

Event Highlights League-Funded Exhibits

The public is invited to Yosemite National Park for a Saturday, October 24, 2009, celebration including the dedication of outdoor educational exhibits funded in part by Save the Redwoods League. The Yosemite Fund will host the event at the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias (pictured) from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. to honor those who have supported the Fund. Ranger-led hikes and a Big Trees Tram Tour will follow the dedication. For more information, contact Darlene Bellucci at (800) 469-7275 or darlene@yosemitefund.org. Photo: roadman22, Flickr Creative Commons

Favorite Redwood Hike: Stout Grove Trail, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte County

In this recurring feature, our staff members and volunteers share their favorite places to experience redwoods.

Name and Title: Corrina Furrow, Staff Accountant and Benefits Administrator

Trailhead: Stout Grove Trail. If you come up Howland Hill Road from the south, the trailhead is at about mile 5. The park is just east of Highway 101 and Crescent City, about a dozen miles south of the Oregon border.

Difficulty/Distance: Easy; 0.6 mile.

Why I like it: The ancient, enormous coast redwoods—20 feet in diameter—are amazing. I had a sense of the mystical and of time standing still—like I walked back into an ancient age. It almost made me feel a bit like I was an intruder, granted a rare moment in a world so far removed from my own.

More information on the park
See this park on our new, interactive map

Photo: Michael Holden, Flickr Creative Commons

Featured Photo

The Mill Creek Trail winds through the lush green wonderland that is Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The League has protected more than 5,500 acres in this park. Photo: Miguel Vieira, Flickr Creative Commons.

Featured Favorite Redwood Memory

"At 79 years old with two knee replacements, my favorite park is Jed Smith (Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park) because of Howland Hill Road, which is the next best thing to hiking a long distance in the redwoods."

— John, member since 1998

PS

• Give a green holiday gift: Have a redwood seedling planted
• Members, check your mailboxes for your invitation to the November 12, 2009, Save the Redwoods League membership reception in San Francisco. To thank our members for their support, we will serve appetizers and beverages from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Marines’ Memorial Club and Hotel.
• Visit our booth at the 31st Annual Humboldt Redwoods Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K on October 18 in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Enter a raffle to win a 2-foot-by-6-foot print of the first-ever high-definition, seamless composite photograph of an entire redwood tree, part of which is on the October 2009 cover of National Geographic magazine.
• Scientists: Apply for a redwoods research grant by November 13.