Author Archives: Glen Martin

Glen Martin was an environmental reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle for many years, and has contributed to more than 50 magazines, including Discover, Audubon, Men’s Journal, Forbes, Sierra, Outside, Recode and Wired. Before his journalism career, Martin worked as a wildfire fighter for the U.S. Forest Service in the Shasta/Trinity and Mount Baker National Forests. His book, Game Changer: Animal Rights and the Fate of Africa’s Wildlife, was published in 2012 by the University of California Press.
An ancient redwood in the Grove of Titans. Photo by Max Forster

Heroes Unite to Protect Superhero Trees

by Glen Martin on

Home of some of the tallest and most extraordinary trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Portola Redwoods State Park provides visitors with a much-needed escape from life in nearby Silicon Valley.

Fritz Wonder Plot. Photo by Andrew Slack

The Race to Restore

by Glen Martin on

We can bring back the redwood forests that store more carbon than any other forest type on Earth— places that epitomize resilience when we need it most—and raise the spirits of all who explore these cathedrals of nature.

This spectacular tree is among Red Hill Grove’s 110 ancient giant sequoia. Photo by Paolo Vescia

Red Hill: a Giant Win for Conservation

by Glen Martin on

Red Hill shelters 110 ancient giant sequoia, by most assessments, the largest, oldest and most magnificent trees in the surrounding area of Giant Sequoia National Monument.

Pristine unnamed creeks run through Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve.

Hidden Ancient Haven Saved

by Glen Martin on

Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve will become the first ancient redwood park created in a generation. For decades, the privately owned reserve was a natural wonder containing 352 acres of old-growth redwoods unknown to the public.

Felicia Marcus. Photo credit: California Water Resources Control Board

Felicia Marcus Promotes Protecting the Forest to Save Water

by Glen Martin on

California’s Water Resources Control Board has a broad purview, overseeing water rights, regulating groundwater, and maintaining and enforcing standards for drinking water. And that’s just what they do as a critical partner with Save the Redwoods League in forest lands management and watershed restoration efforts.

Rue Mapp, founder of Outdoor Afro.

Redwoods Hold Particular Significance for African Americans, Says Rue Mapp

by Glen Martin on

In 2009, Rue Mapp started Outdoor Afro. Initially, the website served as a frame for Mapp’s blogs on her personal connection to nature, but it quickly evolved into a national conversation platform for the African-American community. And as people connected online, they got together to hike, camp, bike, fish, and ski.

T. A. Barron. Photo by Aimee Giese

T. A. Barron Writes of Wonder in the Redwoods

by Glen Martin on

T. A. Barron, a Councilor for Save the Redwoods League, grew up in rural Colorado, where his connection to nature was immersive and powerful. The lofty peaks, pristine streams, and expansive aspen and spruce forests of the Rocky Mountains constituted …

Teresa Baker at Muir Woods National Monument.

Teresa Baker Blazes Trail for Racial Diversity in Parks

by Glen Martin on

“America is changing demographically,” said Teresa Baker, founder of the African American Nature & Parks Experience. “People of color will soon be in the majority, and we need to do everything possible to connect them to the outdoors, to help them experience the power of nature.”

Janet Jackson Explores Local Redwood Watershed with Inner City Youth

by Glen Martin on

Jackson does what she can to expand the horizons of her students. Each month she takes three or four students to a regional park for an extended hike. She has also participated in outreach programs sponsored by universities and conservation groups, including Exploring Your Watershed, a Save the Redwoods League project that teaches kids about the linkages between the East Bay’s redwood forests and San Francisco Bay.

Christina Jaromay in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

Christina Jaromay Strengthens Parks through Lasting Partnerships

by Glen Martin on

As the Chief of the California State Parks Partnership Office, Christina Jaromay’s primary challenge is figuring out connections: how to make new ones and strengthen old ones. The long-standing partnership between Save the Redwoods League and California State Parks is one such relationship Jaromay oversees.

T. A. Barron. Photo by Aimee Giese

Supporter Profile: Redwoods Inspire Best-Selling Author

by Glen Martin on

T. A. Barron, a member of the Save the Redwoods League Council, is the best-selling author of over 30 novels, children’s books, and nonfiction nature books, including the Merlin Saga. He said the redwoods inspire him as an enduring symbol of conservation and are a recurring and central theme in his work.

Emily Burns, PhD, League's former Director of Science, reaches for the captivating cream-colored needles of an albino sprout growing out of a redwood. “It lacks chlorophyll, so it’s white, and it’s caused by a mutation on that particular sprout’s DNA,” she said. Further genomic research could confirm hypotheses that albino sprouts are more than parasites. It’s clear that the deeper we go into the redwood genome, the more we’ll know. Photo by Paolo Vescia

Mapping the Redwood Genomes

by Glen Martin on

Save the Redwoods League is leading research to fully sequence the coast redwood and giant sequoia genomes — for the first time — utilizing conifer genetic sequencing techniques unavailable until now. By the end of this five-year project, the genome sequences and the screening tools developed will allow researchers to quickly assess genetic diversity in redwood forests to inform management plans that restore the health and resilience of these forests throughout their natural ranges as they face environmental stressors such as climate change.

José González, Executive Director of Latino Outdoors. Photo by Jordan Bloch, Earthjustice

José González Promotes Discovery in the Outdoors

by Glen Martin on

Outdoor adventure is often characterized as a highly idiosyncratic pursuit, one that engages a single individual with the challenges of nature. That’s all well and good, but José González, the founding Executive Director of Latino Outdoors, promotes another perspective: connecting communities and families with the power and beauty of the planet’s wild places.

Leonel Arguello addresses the crowd at the League's Annual Meeting 2013. Photo by Paolo Vescia

Leonel Arguello Seeks Restoration of Redwood Ecosystems in RNSP

by Glen Martin on

Arguello has worked at Redwood National and State Parks ever since, and he is now Joint Chief of Resource Management and Science, often collaborating with partners such as the League to implement restoration projects. Today, his foremost task as chief is much the same as when he was hired as a student so many years ago: help restore the park’s world-renowned redwood ecosystems.