Author Archives: Deborah Zierten

Deborah joined the League's staff in 2013 as the Education & Interpretation Manager. She brings with her extensive experience teaching science, developing curriculum and connecting kids to the natural world.

Coffin tree. Photo by Brian Chlu, Flickr Creative Commons

Coffin Tree, a Redwood Relative in Taiwan

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This week we bring you the coffin tree (Taiwania cryptomeriodes) or Taiwan cedar, one of the largest trees in Asia. This tree is found in forests in mainland China and Taiwan growing alongside plants not unlike those found in our coast redwood forests.

Join the Great American Backyard Campout

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Join us this Saturday as we spend the afternoon at Oakland’s Joaquin Miller Park, hiking and camping among the redwoods. League staff will lead a hike through the forest to talk about the state of the redwoods and how we need the public of all ages to help us monitor these amazing beauties.

The redwood forest inspires the students in our Redwoods and Climate Change High School Program.

Redwood Haikus

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It is well known that the redwoods inspire people in many different ways. Some want to study how the trees and forest function; others hike beneath the branches for exercise, and still others paint and photograph these majestic beauties.

Infographic describes the benefits that redwoods provide for people and wildlife.

Infographic Shows How Redwoods Help People and Wildlife

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Did you know that the California Legislature named the coast redwood as California’s official state tree on April 3, 1937? In honor of our magnificent redwoods, we’ve created an infographic to show just some of the ways that redwoods support people and wildlife.

From the Redwoods to the Bay

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We all know that redwood forests are part of a larger ecosystem, the components of which can find themselves closely intertwined and interconnected. This system can often be referred to as a watershed, where all the land-borne water downward, starting at the tops of the hills and making its way to the ocean. Everything in a watershed is connected, from the redwood forests to the San Francisco Bay — and knowing your place within the watershed can be a powerful tool in protecting these natural areas.

Knitted ruffle lichen by Celeste Woo.

Amazing Knitted Canopy Creatures Coming to Muir Woods

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Although you will not see a great abundance of lichen on the trunks of redwood trees, high up in the canopy the branches are covered with a rich variety of lichen species, adding to the complex habitat the redwoods are …

Giant sequoias in the snow. Photo by divwerf, Flickr Creative Commons

Join Me for a Snowy Sequoia Adventure

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We here in California are all pretty relieved by the rain and snow we have received this winter. Our plants are starting to bounce back, we can go skiing again, and our shoes are actually getting muddy when we hike …

Bird's nest fungus. Photo by pellaea, Flickr Creative Commons.

Fall Rains Bring Forest Mushrooms

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With all these wonderful rainy days the forests are probably bursting at the seams with mushrooms. Some mushrooms, like the bright scarlet waxy cap or the colorful coral fungus, immediately draw your attention as they poke up out of the …

Yosemite National Park

100 Years of National Parks and Happy Birthday to One Special One

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John Muir, William Kent, Theodore Roosevelt, Stephen Mather. Many men with the same vision: To protect and preserve the natural beauty of this country so others might activate our curiosity, experience a sense of awe, and exercise our imaginations! No places accomplish that more than our many national parks.

Ponderosa pine

Christmas Tree Species in the Redwood Forest

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Thinking about the different variety of holiday trees makes me think about the different conifers that share the forests with our mighty coast redwoods and giant sequoias. Often we concentrate so much on our magnificent state trees that we look past the other trees that stand tall next to them.

The Turret Spider

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Turret spiders are related to tarantulas and part of a larger group of folding trapdoor spiders. They are found only in California and live in moist forests, often near streams. The coolest thing about these spiders is the burrows they build.

Wildlife at Cape Vizcaino

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For the past few years the League has been actively restoring our Cape Vizcaino property along the wild and beautiful Mendocino coast. Our wildlife cameras have captured pictures of deer, foxes, coyotes, mountain lions and even bears.

Yosemite Valley by simone pittaluga, Flickr Creative Commons

Happy Birthday Yosemite!

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I have been to Yosemite National Park a handful of times, and on each visit I have a very different experience. Whether I am rock climbing in the valley, backpacking in Tuolumne or hiking trails with tourists from all over the world, every time the park takes my breath away. Its towering peaks, rushing waterfalls and granite rocks warrant some steep competition for other natural areas.

Oracle Employees Take to the Forest

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Since about 92% of the redwood forest is second and third growth, restoration will be a key strategy. Restoring young forest so that it can become old growth once again is essential for the future of conservation. Restoration at San Vicente Redwoods started recently with a volunteer day. Twelve volunteers from the Oracle Corporation spent the morning pulling invasive weeds amongst the redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Clarkia amoena

Perfect for Your Garden: Drought-Tolerant Clarkia

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If you live in California and have a garden, then you are probably like me — trying to find plants that will make your garden look beautiful without requiring too much water. Well, look no further because I have the …

Lace Lichen

Introducing Our New State Lichen!

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As many people know, each state has selected symbols to represent its natural and cultural heritage. In California, these symbols range from the state rock, serpentine; to the state marine mammal, the grey whale; to the state tree, the mighty …

Wolf lichen (bright green) and tube lichen (gray-green) on a sequoia cone

Giant Sequoia Cones Provide an Unexpected Home for Lichen

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Wolf lichen (bright green) and tube lichen (gray-green) on a sequoia cone I often think of lichen as slow movers. Although they may be the first organisms to colonize a new area, they need a stable substrate to grow on …

One year after a wildfire, burnt redwoods regrow foliage. Photo by Benjamin S. Ramage

Re-Sprouting After Fire

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Last weekend, while I was hiking in the forests of Northern California with strong winds and thunder and lightning storms, I was reminded that we are entering fire season. While the thought of forest fires often stir fear in us …

Video: Oakland High School Students in the Redwoods

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Save the Redwoods League launched its Redwoods and Climate Change high school program in 2014. The program brings urban youths to the redwoods in order to connect them to their local redwood park and use the redwoods as an avenue …