wildlife

A mountain lions talks across an open grassy field surrounded by forest

Caught on camera: Majestic elk, playful fawns, slinky pumas

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Something wonderful happens when a redwood forest is protected. Just ask the black bears, coyotes, and mountain lions padding past the League’s wildlife cameras at Lost Coast Redwoods. These creatures can be seen loping down former logging roads or nosing …

Red Hill Grove provides critical habitat for a wide variety of rare, threatened and endangered species, including the northern spotted owl. Photo by Tom Kogut/USFS, Flickr Creative Commons

Celebrating 50 years of the Endangered Species Act

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Oil prices were skyrocketing. Gerald Ford was stepping into Spiro Agnew’s tarnished VP shoes. The Exorcist was nominated for Best Picture. Such was the national landscape on December 28, 1973, when President Richard Nixon signed one of the country’s most …

A closeup of the front half of a mottled brown salamander

Protecting a sensitive salamander

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Near the jade waters of the Smith River in Redwood National and State Parks is the habitat of a small amphibian species that may depend on redwood forests as its environment changes. The southern torrent salamander (Rhyacotriton variegatus) seeks clear, …

A brown and white owl perches on a branch.

How to bar barred owls

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Barred owls and northern spotted owls have a lot in common: Both are brown-and-white owls; both are denizens of mature forests. The spotted owl hoots a four-note call, while the slightly larger barred owl hoots, “Who cooks for you?!” But …

silver-haired bat

Redwoods may offer bats a haven amid disease, rising temperatures

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Bats are a top conservation priority. Not only are these fascinating mammals vulnerable to climate change, but many species around the world are also falling victim to a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome. New research funded by Save the Redwoods League suggests that coast redwood forests may offer bats refuge from both of these threats.

silver-haired bat

Redwoods may offer bats a haven amid disease, rising temperatures

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Bats are a top conservation priority. Not only are these fascinating mammals vulnerable to climate change, but many species around the world are also falling victim to a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome. New research funded by Save the Redwoods League suggests that coast redwood forests may offer bats refuge from both of these threats.

condor release

Time to spy a rare bird in the sky

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Next time you visit Redwood National and State Parks, you may see California condors taking flight among the redwoods. California condors, magnificent creatures that have been absent from this area for more than a century, were nearly extinct by the 1980s. Thanks to a monumental conservation effort and successful captive breeding program, there are now wild condor populations in Central and Southern California, Arizona, and Baja Mexico. Now, condors may even be returning to Northern California skies.

A woman stands at the base of a large coast redwood tree

A guide to nature journaling

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To be a naturalist or an artist—or of course both, like Clay Anderson—requires paying attention; to the world around you and how you respond to it. Nature journaling is one of the ways you can do that.

Man standing next to a giant redwood tree

Mailliard Ranch: Nearly 15,000 Acres Protected

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Home to the largest coast redwood forest still in private family hands, Mailliard Ranch is a 14,838-acre property near Boonville, California, in southern Mendocino County. In February 2021, Save the Redwoods League permanently protected this landscape with three conservation easements, closing the final phase of the project.

Threatened and endangered wildlife in the redwoods

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As controversy erupted in recent months over the protected status of the northern spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest, it was another reminder that California’s coast redwood and giant sequoia forests play host to many threatened and endangered wildlife species. …

A view of a reservoir surrounded by forested mountains and a blue sky, framed by branches of an oak tree, with an owl flying through.

Reflections on nature during our pandemic year

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Spotting a barn owl in the wild, League President and CEO Sam Hodder reflects on the role nature has played in inspiring and sustaining people during a global pandemic.

Bear at Red Hill

Bears at Red Hill

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Our cameras at our Red Hill property captured these great images of California black bears.

Pacific fisher at Red Hill

More Pacific fishers at Red Hill

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We’re excited to see Pacific fishers again at our Red Hill giant sequoia property in the Sierra.

A pair of marbled murrelets, small birds with black and white feathers, float together on the ocean.

A seabird that lives in the redwoods?

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Of all the plants and animals that occupy the coast redwood ecosystem, among the more fascinating is the marbled murrelet, a brown and white seabird that’s a little bigger than a robin. This otherwise nondescript bird – called “fog larks” …

Mountain lion at Red Hill

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As we monitor and research the habitat at Red Hill to determine future conservation strategies, we find some really cool stuff on our trail cameras. For instance, these shots of a mountain lion captured just a few days ago. Big thanks to our wildlife biologist friends at Colibiri Consulting for catching this moment on camera.

Pacific fisher

Spotted: The Elusive Pacific Fisher at Red Hill

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These nocturnal critters are mid-sized carnivores in the weasel family. Females have home ranges up to 10 square miles, and males have even larger home ranges since they mate with multiple females.

California red-legged frog

New Study Shows Habitat Corridors Increase Biodiversity

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Imagine this: There’s an amazing neighborhood farmers’ market that’s a safe and easy walk from your house. You shop for fresh local produce there every week, until one day, the market is relocated to a spot that’s just out of reasonable walking distance. To top it off, there’s now a six-lane freeway that you’d have to cross to get to it. Your habitat has just been fragmented.

Mountain lion

Redwoods Rising apprentice shares tale of mountain lion encounter

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As I was heading toward the gap in the logs, I noticed that the one to my right had a large dark area under it. I didn’t think it was anything because most of the time it’s either charred or shaded making it look darker than it really is.