Financial Information | Save the Redwoods League

Save the Redwoods League revenue comes from individuals, foundations, corporations, government agencies and investments.

As is common in land conservation, the transaction cycle of purchasing, holding and transferring land for Save the Redwoods League often requires several years for completion. While land and forests are protected from the time the League acquires them, the League often remains a steward of those lands until they can be transferred to a public agency or nonprofit land trust for ongoing stewardship, public access and permanent protection. The program expense is recognized only when a property is transferred to its permanent steward, or when a conservation easement is acquired. Since land divestments and conservation easement acquisitions are episodic and markedly affect the League's expense ratio from year to year, we believe a five-year rolling average is a more meaningful depiction of our program expense ratio. — As is common in land conservation, the transaction cycle of purchasing, holding and transferring land for Save the Redwoods League often requires several years for completion. While land and forests are protected from the time the League acquires them, the League often remains a steward of those lands until they can be transferred to a public agency or nonprofit land trust for ongoing stewardship, public access and permanent protection. The program expense is recognized only when a property is transferred to its permanent steward, or when a conservation easement is acquired. Since land divestments and conservation easement acquisitions are episodic and markedly affect the League’s expense ratio from year to year, we believe a five-year rolling average is a more meaningful depiction of our program expense ratio.

Review our annual audited financial statements and IRS 990 forms below.

Save the Redwoods League is exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our revenue comes from individuals, foundations, corporations, government agencies and investments. With these generous donations, since 1918, the League has protected and restored redwood forests and connected people with their peace and beauty so these wonders of the natural world flourish.

Unfortunately, some ancient redwoods remain unprotected, and forests that are protected face threats from a changing environment, disease and devastating government budget cuts. Your donations help us save these special places, allowing us to purchase redwood land, restore logged forests, study how to best protect them and teach children and adults about these magical expressions of life. See the difference your support has made.

Annual Audited Financial Statements

IRS Form 990

Save the Redwoods League is exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

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Impact of Your Donations

See the difference your support has made.

2015–2016

You can read the complete 2016 Annual Report PDF report online.

Because of our members’ generous gifts, Save the Redwoods League made great progress in our mission to protect and restore the redwood forest and connect people to it throughout the redwoods’ ranges. We reached agreements to protect redwood lands covering a sweeping 15,000 acres. The League helped to restore degraded redwood forests, setting them on a path to become wondrous ancient forests for our children’s children. We moved forward on work to build and restore inspiring trails and create amenities in parks to offer life-changing experiences for all who visit the redwoods. And we brought tens of thousands of new visitors to the forest, inspiring wonder and moments of joy in the parks that our predecessors helped to create.

Nearly all these projects incorporate or will involve the three elements of our work:

PROTECT ancient redwoods and the vibrant forest landscapes that sustain them
RESTORE younger redwood forests so they become the old-growth forests for future generations
CONNECT people to the peace and beauty of the California redwoods through a network of world-class parks and protected areas

PROTECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Mailliard Ranch: In securing an option agreement with the landowners, we reached a major milestone to protect this coveted conservation priority. The conservation easement that the League is working to acquire across this 15,000-acre ranch on the shoulder of the beautiful Anderson Valley is the ideal tool for protecting this redwood forest at a transformative scale.
Westfall Ranch: We launched the campaign to purchase the scenic 77-acre ranch to buffer the spellbinding and neighboring ancient redwood forest of Headwaters Forest Reserve. Thousands of donors answered our call to protect this $1.1 million property by preventing other potential owners from developing or logging the land.
Craig Ranch: Sixty-six acres of rich habitat for rare, iconic animals such as spotted owls and Pacific fishers are protected now that the League has purchased and transferred the $300,000 ranch to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), with assistance from Sequoia Riverlands Trust. By protecting the ranch, the BLM will be able to provide a new gateway to an extraordinary kingdom of ancient giant sequoias on Case Mountain. Hikers, mountain bikers and other visitors will be able to traverse the picturesque ranch to reach the grove, passing a seasonal waterfall and Salt Creek threading between rolling hills, majestic blue oaks and peaceful meadows.

Safeguarding the forest through groundbreaking science

Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative: New League-sponsored research provided a major contribution to our Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative, offering new insight into the climate conditions that the redwoods might face in the future. Published in Global Change Biology, the study refines the climate forecast for coastal California through 2030 and determines that a future of warmer conditions and normal rainfall — the sweet spot for redwoods — is most likely.
Steller’s jays: Another study provides hard data that enables rangers to educate redwood forest visitors on how they can protect imperiled birds by cleaning up picnic sites. Researchers showed that human food in campgrounds is attracting Steller’s jays that prey on marbled murrelets, highly threatened seabirds that depend on ancient redwoods for nesting.
Coast redwood genetic diversity: A study on coast redwood genetic diversity revealed that, contrary to a long-held belief, not all redwoods growing together in a ring are genetically identical. The findings will help us retain genetic diversity when planting redwoods in areas damaged by industrial logging.

RESTORE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Gateway to Redwood National and State Parks: We led a public and private partnership on our Orick Mill Site, with support from the California State Coastal Conservancy, and studied how to restore pasture from pavement, improve the health of Prairie Creek, and bring salmon, elk, and redwoods back to the home of the tallest trees.
Shady Dell: In a unique redwood forest on the Lost Coast, we set younger stands on the path to become as magnificent as this forest’s ancient redwoods — by reducing dangerous buildups of combustible vegetation that could fuel a catastrophic wildfire.
Big River-Mendocino Old-Growth Redwoods: We plotted our course to heal this place that protects two forest types in one magnificent location: a rare pygmy forest and a breathtaking ancient redwood forest. Top priorities are preventing catastrophic amounts of sediment from burying spawning and rearing habitat of endangered coho salmon in nearby Big River.
San Vicente Redwoods: With Peninsula Open Space Trust and Sempervirens Fund, we completed a plan for managing and restoring this vast forest, a critical part of the Santa Cruz Mountains’ ecosystem. The work brings us closer to conserving this precious landscape for all its uses: protection of old-growth redwood trees and drinking water, wildlife habitat restoration, ecologically sustainable timber harvesting and public recreation. We also led enthusiastic volunteers from Oracle Corporation who helped care for the forest.
Headwaters Forest Reserve: Helping to restore this reserve and accelerate the emergence of ancient forest characteristics, the League supported the planting of redwood trees and decommissioning of logging roads. About half this magnificent ancient forest had been harvested before a protracted logging dispute made national news and led to the reserve’s establishment in 1999.

CONNECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Free Redwood Parks Day: Creating a new tradition on the day after Thanksgiving, we inspired 20,000 new visitors to enjoy the wonders of 48 California Redwood State Parks. Providing passes to these magical places cultivated long-term supporters for the forest’s protection.
Gateway to Redwood National and State Parks and Visitor Center Project: We are leading public and private organizations to create a hub for recreation and discovery that will engage diverse audiences and inspire their love and appreciation of redwood forests as never before. With support from The James Irvine Foundation, we hired award-winning Siegel & Strain Architects to develop a conceptual plan for a replacement visitor center in the home of Earth’s tallest trees. We also hired AldrichPears Associates to plan innovative educational exhibits, as well as LACO Associates to develop a master plan for integrating the development with the landscape restoration of our Orick Mill Site.
Shady Dell: We built a 2.3-mile extension of the Lost Coast Trail in our Shady Dell forest, winding past enthralling ancient candelabra-shaped redwoods and dramatic bluff-top vistas. The League collaborated with California State Coastal Conservancy, California Coastal Commission, Mendocino Land Trust and California State Parks to make this trail possible.
Humboldt Redwoods State Park: We made great progress toward reuniting thousands of hikers with the beloved River Trail through the spectacular, ancient Garden Club of America Grove. We finished restoring the surface of this fire- and storm-damaged trail and installed three bridges. In addition, the grove’s day-use area now has five new picnic tables offering uplifting views. Next steps include addition of a bathroom and three remaining bridges.
San Vicente Redwoods: The public is closer to experiencing this vast, mountainous forest laced with streams, teeming with wildlife and overlooking the Pacific Ocean, all within an hour of many of the San Francisco Bay Area’s cities. Working with POST, Sempervirens Fund, and Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, we completed the draft of a plan allowing public recreation.
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park: Visitors learned the secrets of this park’s redwoods, thanks to our new interpretive kiosk. We also collaborated with California Conservation Corps and California State Parks to rebuild part of the fire-damaged Pfeiffer Falls Trail. The work is just the first phase of our effort to eventually restore the entire trail, the park’s most popular footpath, which showcases a redwood canyon and a delightful 60-foot waterfall.
Limekiln State Park: Working toward our objective of ensuring an inspirational and transformative park experience for all who visit the redwoods, the League helped replace a failing footbridge. The new bridge serves the nearly 16,000 annual visitors who enjoy the dramatic Big Sur coastline, awe-inspiring 100-foot Limekiln Falls, rare California condors and the southernmost old-growth redwood grove in California.
San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club: Reaching new audiences during a sold-out event, Sam Hodder, League President and CEO, delivered a presentation on today’s threats to the redwoods; how we can ensure that our irreplaceable forests will thrive into the future; and why listeners should care. Hear the presentation and see a slideshow.
Education Grants: In the San Francisco Bay Area, our grants supported free field trips to the redwood forest for 860 junior high, high school and college students. Youths from Santa Rosa to Half Moon Bay spent a day exploring the redwoods as scientists, collecting data, and learning how the redwoods are playing a role in combating climate change. See a video on this program. Also because of our education program, 5,000 California students visited a local redwood forest, learned why redwood forests matter and what needs to be done to protect them.

Florida Disclosure: A copy of the official registration and financial information for Save the Redwoods League, (registration no. Ch13793), may be obtained from the division of consumer services by calling 800-435-7352 or visiting their website www.freshfromflorida.com. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state.