Dear Save the Redwoods League Friends,
While conservation at Save the Redwoods League is a science-based process, it is driven by the fundamental and emotional objective of leaving the world better than we found it. This goal requires that we protect what is left of one of our greatest natural legacies — the ancient redwoods. The objective also requires that we pass on to our grandchildren and their grandchildren a vibrant, resilient and naturally functioning redwood forest, regenerated from the roots of the forest we have lost.
We sum up the League’s mission in three words: protect, restore and connect. We must meet all three goals to establish a healthy, resilient old- growth redwood forest for the future in this era of climate change and increased demands on natural resources. We work to protect the ancient redwoods and the vibrant forest landscapes that sustain them; restore young redwood forests so they become the magnificent old-growth forests for future generations; and connect people to the peace and beauty of the California redwoods through world-class parks and protected areas.
Our efforts toward these ends are many, and we describe them in this report. Here are three highlights of the past year.
We reached agreements that permanently protect and connect people to our magnificent Stewarts Point property on the rugged and spectacular coast.
Now the property’s beautiful old-growth and second-growth redwood stands, grasslands and a stretch of river are protected, and an agreement arranges for construction of a public trail with gorgeous coastal views. We also worked to reunite an indigenous tribe with an important ancestral site.
In Redwood National and State Parks, we made great strides toward our vision of restoring this redwood heartland. Our careful planning and research this year will ultimately accelerate the restoration of healthy redwood forest ecosystems in this region.
In the second year of our day-after-Thanksgiving event to connect new visitors to the forest, 35,000 people used free passes to enjoy 116 state parks. California State Parks Foundation and California State Parks collaborated with us to offer this popular event.
As we prepare to celebrate the League’s Centennial in 2018, our volunteers, donors and staff can look back on our accomplishments of this past year with profound satisfaction. We have protected critical redwood forestland, established an extraordinary forest restoration program, connected thousands of young students and new visitors to the redwood parks, and designed a strategic plan to take us into our second century. We have sustained our legacy of leadership in the conservation community and stand ready to extend that legacy in an era when it is needed more than ever.
Thank you for your generous support and contributions. We have made tremendous progress in the past year. We anticipate even greater successes ahead.
Justin Faggioli
Chair of the Board
Sam Hodder
President and CEO
Safeguarding ancient redwoods and the vibrant forest landscapes that sustain them
Our magnificent 870-acre Stewarts Point property is now permanently protected from subdivision and extensive logging and will welcome the public to a breathtaking coastal trail. We also successfully concluded a fundraising campaign and purchased the scenic, 77-acre Westfall Ranch to buffer the neighboring and iconic Headwaters Forest Reserve.
Stewarts Point Permanently Protected
Our magnificent 870-acre Stewarts Point property is now permanently protected from subdivision and extensive logging and will welcome the public to a breathtaking coastal trail. We transferred
an easement to Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District to conserve 700 acres of old- and second-growth redwood forestland, coastal grasslands and a 1.7-mile stretch of the Gualala River. We transferred another easement to the County of Sonoma for the development of a new section of the California Coastal Trail by the end of 2019.
Westfall Ranch Buffers Headwaters Forest
We successfully concluded a fundraising campaign and purchased the scenic, 77-acre Westfall Ranch to buffer the neighboring and iconic Headwaters Forest Reserve. More than 3,000 donors answered our call to protect this property, preventing development and logging.
Twin Trees Protects Richardson Grove State Park
Located on the Wild and Scenic South Fork of the Eel River, Richardson Grove State Park is the gateway to the North Coast redwoods. To buffer this jewel of a park from potential threats on a neighboring property called Twin Trees, Save the Redwoods League purchased a conservation easement from land owner Lost Coast Forestlands. The easement agreement protects more than 255 acres of redwood forestland and river habitat. It also allows Lost Coast to continue to own and manage the property while forever prohibiting other land uses such as unsustainable logging, subdivision and development.
2 Transfers Expand Redwood National Park
We made significant steps forward in our 90-year history of protecting lands in the Prairie Creek Scenic Corridor, a patchwork of private property surrounded by parks. The League transferred two properties to Redwood National Park. The 5.9-acre Berry Glen Trail Connection secures crucial wildlife habitat and important trail connections to the park’s two largest ancient redwood groves. The other property, a 4.7-acre meadow, attracts elk herds and the tourists who love to watch them.
Major Milestones for Conserving Mailliard Ranch
Mailliard Ranch is the largest remaining redwood property still in family hands in the entire coast redwood range. League donors nearly closed the gap for the first phase of the project to protect the ranch’s west and middle portions (totaling 11,000 acres), thanks to a match from Justin Faggioli and Sandra Donnell, League Board Chair and Councilor respectively. The conservation easement that the League is working to acquire across this inspiring 15,000-acre ranch is the ideal tool for protecting this redwood forest at a transformative scale.
Groundbreaking Science for Forest Conservation
Save the Redwoods League funds research to understand how to best protect redwood forests. Researchers submitted the results of two studies: a promising new restoration method and a project that helps protect groves from foot traffic. Our researchers also began a begin study of Mariposa Grove giant sequoias.
Setting young redwood forests on a trajectory to become the old-growth wonderlands for future generations
Together with our public agency partners, we set in motion Redwood Rising, a new initiative to increase the pace and scale of restoration that will put the young forests of Redwood National and State Parks back on the path to old-growth form and function. On three other properties, we reduced accumulations of highly combustible vegetation to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. And we led the planning for the first forest restoration project at San Vicente Redwoods.
Regaining the Magnificence of the Coast Redwood Heartland
Together with our conservation partners, we are taking action to put the redwood homeland back on the path to vibrance and vitality. We call this collaboration Redwoods Rising, and we are focusing our efforts in and around Redwood National and State Parks. We will acquire land near established parks, connect preserves, heal damaged forests, and expand opportunities for visitors to the redwoods. We have the opportunity to create the redwood forest of the future, a forest of giants rising from the coastal mists of the historic range of Sequoia sempervirens.
Reducing Wildfire Risk in Shady Dell, Cape Vizcaino, Beaver Creek
Consistent with our restoration goals, we reduced accumulations of highly combustible vegetation on a total of 46 acres at our Shady Dell and Cape Vizcaino properties and at Beaver Creek near Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Dead branches, thick brush and closely packed, spindly saplings could fuel catastrophic wildfires and threaten our efforts to accelerate old-growth characteristics in younger redwood forests. This initial step in our restoration work returns nutrients to the forest floor, benefiting redwoods and native understory plants.
Read our Giant Thoughts blog to learn more about how we manage for fire.
Leading the Charge in San Vicente Redwoods
The 8,500-acre San Vicente Redwoods is the largest privately held tract in Santa Cruz County and a critical component of the Santa Cruz Mountains biome. With owners Peninsula Open Space Trust and Sempervirens Fund, we are working to conserve this magnificent forest forever. We led the planning for the first forest restoration project, including strategic thinning of dense young stands. Restoration projects including thinning and prescribed fires will accelerate old-growth characteristics in the forest, benefitting a number of imperiled wildlife species.
Learn more about San Vicente Redwoods.
Linking people to the peace and beauty of the California redwoods through a network of world-class parks and protected areas
Our Green Friday event, education programs, a new trail, inaugural Discover California Redwood Parks brochure and new children’s booklets connected tens of thousands of people with the wonder of the redwood forest and helped build a dedicated, long-term constituency for the conservation of these special places.
2,000 Visit New Peter Douglas Trail, Shady Dell
The Lost Coast is one of the most spectacular wilderness landscapes in the continental United States: a 100-mile stretch of bluffs, long, empty beaches and lush forests reaching down to a pristine sea rich with marine life. The League and its collaborators dedicated the Peter Douglas Trail on our Shady Dell property, extending the southern terminus of the Lost Coast Trail. Since its opening, this 2.3-mile trail has logged more than 2,000 visitors.
35,000 Discover Redwood Parks on Green Friday
The second year of our Green Friday day-after-Thanksgiving event was a smashing success. About 35,000 people used free passes offered by the League and California State Parks Foundation to visit 116 California state parks on November 25. We also produced our inaugural Discover California Redwood Parks brochure, featuring 93 local, state and national parks. This compelling and comprehensive brochure is available at parks and visitor centers throughout the state.
Visitor Center Design Takes Shape
We are making great progress in leading construction of the new Gateway Visitor Center for Redwood National and State Parks, home of the world’s tallest trees. The schematic design phase — the planning that addresses the basic scope of a project, including the relationship between various buildings and the landscape — is now largely accomplished. Pending a future fundraising effort, the completed center on our Orick Mill Site will stand as a dynamic, interactive hub connecting the public with the parks, inspiring passion for and engagement with the redwood forest as never before.
Advancing California State Parks Joint Projects
The League is working with the newly formed California State Parks Partnerships Office to expedite progress on our many joint projects that will restore our collective connection to our spectacular redwood parks. Through these projects, we are creating world-class park facilities and experiences that are worthy of these global treasures and that inspire visitors from all walks of life. Our many projects in progress include these:
Major Steps for Trail Restoration, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Reaching a major milestone, we raised the $1 million needed to restore the popular Pfeiffer Falls Trail after it was destroyed by a 2008 wildfire. Despite floods and a 2016 wildfire, the California Conservation Corps (CCC) built and restored 300 feet of this beautiful trail through the redwoods. This work builds on previous accomplishments by League, CCC, California State Parks and contractors who reconstructed the trail’s lower section and added interpretive signage. We estimate that the team will complete the entire new 1-mile trail and construction of a 70-foot bridge by early 2019.
Transforming Big Basin Museum
In Big Basin Redwoods State Park, we are helping to renovate the Big Basin Nature Museum & Research Center to create an immersive experience that turns spectators into active participants in conservation.
Welcoming Visitors to a Magnificent Grove
In Humboldt Redwoods State Park, our goal by spring 2018 is to complete a new, wheelchair-accessible staging and picnic area for visitors exploring The Garden Club of America Grove, where we restored part of the River Trail earlier. Learn about the grove.
Planning Public Recreation in San Vicente Redwoods
With Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, we planned public recreation in the vast and beautiful San Vicente Redwoods property in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Our goal is to construct and open hiking, biking and horseback riding trails to the public by 2018.
Engaging Students in The Forest
Our Explore Your Watershed, Redwood Phenology, and Redwoods and Climate Change programs brought more than 1,700 San Francisco Bay Area students to the redwood forest. Kids also learned about the redwood and giant sequoia forests using our free educational booklets. These programs provide students with a solid grounding in conservation science and forest ecology, and provide meaningful — and often long-lasting — connections to the outdoors. Also in the San Francisco Bay Area, our education grants supported free field trips to the redwood forest for 5,600 elementary, junior high, high school and college students. Students learned about a variety of redwood forest topics, from ecology to restoration.
