Author Archives: Harry Pollack

Harry joined Save the Redwoods League’s staff in 2011 as the General Counsel. He brings over 30 years of experience in the fields of law and real estate transactions.

Giant in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

Redwoods and the Passage of Time

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Time.  Einstein said, “Time is an illusion.” We all feel that it goes by too fast. Dr. Seuss said, “How did it get so late so soon?” To make a difference, we have to focus on now.  As Mother Teresa said, …

Montgomery Woods State Park. Photo by Peter Buranzon

Redwoods and the Economy

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Why does the League work tirelessly to save the redwoods? “They are beautiful, peaceful, humbling, inspiring…” according to a recent visitor. Yet there is another important, practical reason: it benefits the economy. Our public lands contribute to the nation’s economic …

The League will own, steward and manage Shady Dell for the foreseeable future until we can transfer it to a permanent steward.

The Tasks Ahead

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“To some it might appear that, having accomplished what will be considered one of the greatest pieces of conservation work in America, the Redwoods League might not have a place of as great importance in the future as that occupied …

You helped us protect the Noyo River Redwoods. Photo by Julie Martin

The Fight to Save the Redwoods: Then and Now

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Since 1918, Save the Redwoods League has been fighting to fund redwoods protection all the while the funding for land conservation in California has continued to change. More recently, between 2002 and 2006, the voters of California approved bond measures to …

Peters Creek Old-Growth Forest. Photo by Paolo Vescia

4 Ways to See the Redwood Forest Anew

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This weekend, I visited a corner of paradise in Portola Redwoods State Park.  This park is the home of some of the tallest, most majestic redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  Now is the perfect time to see a veil …

Mariposa Grove, Yosemite.

“Success”

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That was Saturday’s word of the day, according to our guide, National Park Ranger Dick Ewart. Dick led a group of 15 of us on a hike through the lower Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park.  He …

Giant sequoias in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite.

Grove Protected by Lincoln Offers Historical Perspective

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Next week will be my second visit in eight months to the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park.  That makes me a lucky guy.  My wife Joanne and I visited the Grove in May, while our traveling …

Visitors to Muir Woods can see the dates of redwood tree rings.Visitors to Muir Woods can see the dates of redwood tree rings.

2013: Exploring the calendar year, fiscal year, and tree-ring year

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What is it about the annual cycle that resonates deep within us? Long before most of the world began using the Gregorian calendar as the civil calendar (first decreed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582), humans used other calendars to …

The ancient tree known as “Treebeard” has often been used as a traveler camp, and though burned from the inside many times, it has survived with some portions left dead from the fires. Photo by Mark Andre, Environmental Services

Old-Growth Redwood Burns in Arcata

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“Transient Camp Causes Fire in Old-Growth Redwood Tree,” reads the headline posted by the City of Arcata. The fire did not damage just any old redwood.  It burned (and is apparently still burning) in ‘Treebeard,’ a redwood estimated to be …

Giant sequoia in Wasserburg, Germany

Redwood Stories

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We regularly receive stories about the redwoods from League members and supporters.  Recently we received one from a member who joined the League in 1947.  The story made me wonder if humans are sowing the seeds of a much broader …

Pablo Cunazza Mardones (on my right) and Patricio Contreras Bravo (on my left), colleagues at Parque Nacional Alerce Costero.

Trees Bring Us Together

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Working for Save the Redwoods League is an honor in many ways.  We are able to serve our nearly 20,000 members, honor the League’s nearly 100-year history, seek to benefit one of the world’s iconic species and, occasionally, work hand-in-hand …

Enjoying Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

Hartley Leaves Legacy of Accomplishments for Redwood Forests

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Ruskin Hartley’s most recent and final blog for Save the Redwoods League was titled “Bracing for Rain” and anticipated the Bay Area’s first wet weather of the season.  Ruskin’s resignation from his position as the League’s Executive Director led me …

Hiking in the Wasatch Range east of Salt Lake City.

The Future of the Forest: Why Saving Land is Just the Beginning

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Hiking in the Wasatch (Mountain) Range east of Salt Lake City, the Aspens are golden and shimmering, doing their quaking thing in the autumn sun. I am with land conservation colleagues, taking an afternoon off from the seminars at the …

Majestic coast redwood tree.

Calling on the Wisdom of a Redwood Tree

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The bark on our redwood tree was especially soft this morning.  The ground was squishy beneath my feet.  It was drippy as I stood underneath the tree in the morning fog, and newly fallen redwood leaves littered the ground. I …

Anthony carrying LTA acrreditation binders.

League applies for Land Trust Alliance accreditation

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Today’s quiz: A.  What is Anthony, League Conservation Programs Assistant, carrying? B.  How many redwoods were cut down to generate that amount of paper? C.  Why does Anthony have that look on his face? Answers: A.  Those binders contain the …

Redwood Regional Park

Learning from Our Predecessors’ Vision

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Last week I hiked the French Trail in Redwood Regional Park to take in the quiet of early morning in our neighboring redwood forest. Every time, I appreciate the wisdom, foresight and tenacity of those who preserved these redwoods and …

Shady Dell

Building upon a Legacy of Success

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“I appeal to you to save these mighty trees, these wonderful monuments of beauty.” —Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States of America   As staff at Save the Redwoods League, it is both humbling and inspiring to have …