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Supporting Education

New generations of caretakers are needed to support the work to save the magical redwood forests forever.

Supporting Education

Students learn about redwoods at Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve thanks to a grant from Save the Redwoods League. Photo by Gregory Hayes

Since its founding in 1918, Save the Redwoods League has encouraged an appreciation and understanding of the ecological and aesthetic value of coast redwood and giant sequoia ecosystems and connecting landscapes.

The League funds many schools and nonprofit organizations that conduct field trips and programs in the redwoods, enabling students of diverse backgrounds to experience the wonders of the redwood forest firsthand.

Redwood Education

Guided by our Education Committee, the League sponsors innovative education and interpretation programs that encourage more people of diverse backgrounds and ages to protect redwoods. By partnering with leading educators and interpreters in state and national parks, cooperating associations, school districts, and nonprofit community and environmental education organizations, the League continues to expand the range and reach of personally relevant redwood experiences to our growing and varied population.

Our Education Program's goals are threefold:

  • strengthen the connection of the park visitor to the redwood groves,
  • build and support a network of redwood education providers and
  • teach people of all ages about preserving the redwood forest ecosystems

Education Grants

Save the Redwoods League grants funds to schools, park associations and other qualified nonprofits that provide redwood education.

Our grants program aims to foster a deeper understanding of redwoods through visits to the forest and other educational experiences among a broad, diverse audience.

Since 2000, Save the Redwoods League has awarded more than 300 grants to dedicated educators who provide high-quality redwood forest education in and out of the classroom.

Learn more about the League's Education Grants Program and how to apply for a grant.

Questions? Please contact Susan Ingersoll, Education Program Manager, at Education@SaveTheRedwoods.org or (415) 362-2352.

Education Resources

Use these free resources to teach youths and adults about redwoods.

Education Profile

Grantee Spotlight: Giants Provide Lessons in Many Subjects
Grantee Spotlight: Giants Provide Lessons in Many Subjects

Students in the League-sponsored Wilderness Arts and Literacy Collaborative learned about redwood forest ecology and efforts to preserve old-growth forests at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Photo by Conrad Benedicto

Simonne Moreno enjoyed a spectacular introduction to nature, thanks to his high school program, Wilderness Arts and Literacy Collaborative (WALC), a Save the Redwoods League grantee. The San Francisco resident, who graduated from Balboa High School, said he was eager to participate in WALC for a change of scenery.

The program helps underserved San Francisco high school students learn about redwoods through an integrated curriculum and extended field trips to redwood parks.

"I didn't know anything about camping or nature," Moreno said. "I had not seen redwoods before. Now I've seen tons!"

"WALC broadened my perspective," he said, explaining that he learned many points of view about how, for example, redwoods are valued as resources. Moreno plans to pursue a career in teaching.

Based on the quality of their redwood education program, Conrad Benedicto, WALC Executive Director, and his teacher colleagues won the first League Redwood Educator of the Year award in 2011.

Benedicto and the WALC team were selected from among 40 recipients of 2009 League Education Program grants. A League education partner since 2006, WALC received a $500 prize to enhance its redwood education program.

WALC chooses annual themes such as "Struggling for Sustainability: Preservation, Restoration and Environmental Justice." These themes become integral parts of the fall curriculum for 80 students at two high schools.

Students conducted field studies at several parks, including Big Basin Redwoods State Park. They camped at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and restored habitat at Redwood National Park, among other activities.

"Almost all WALC students had never visited a redwood forest before they joined our program," Benedicto said. "This was their first time to be inspired and taught by the redwoods' beauty and intricacy."

Learn More about Education Grants

Your Gifts Help Inspire Future Stewards

Michele Luna shared a story about an inspiring moment with a child who participated in her organization’s redwood education program (pictured), thanks to your support of Save the Redwoods League. The anecdote is from Luna's colleague: The student hiked and completed activities in Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. "Then the student said, 'Thank you for letting me come to your park!' I said, 'This is your park! You can come here with your family and friends.'" Learn about the priceless next moment.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

HIGHLIGHTS: Thirty-seven miles south of Carmel, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park showcases an exquisite 2-mile stretch of the central California coast.

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