Author Archives: Sam Hodder

President and Chief Enthusiast for the Outdoors (CEO) of Save the Redwoods League, Sam brings more than 25 years of experience in overseeing land conservation programs from the remote wilderness to the inner city.
A group of people gather in a large circle with sequoia trees in the background.

We are all in this together

by Sam Hodder on

It is clear that when it comes to protecting and healing what we love most, we are all in this together. This issue of Redwoods follows these threads of collaboration and commitment as they weave through some of our most exciting and urgent projects. We take you to Sonoma Coast Redwoods, a dramatic stretch of California coastline whose preservation depends on a collective effort by the League, our partners, and our full community of supporters. We meet dedicated scientists working to unravel the complex relationship between redwoods and fog — and the growing impacts of climate change. And we explore how the League’s Redwood Rides program, working in partnership with local organizations, is helping to connect underrepresented communities with nature.

League CEO Sam Hodder

Election results and the future of our forests

by Sam Hodder on

Across the US, there’s a shared commitment to conserve forests, beaches, open spaces, and sources of clean water. Sam Hodder, president and CEO of Save the Redwoods League addresses what the election results mean for California’s redwoods.

Crew walks among native plants planted as part of a revegetation effort at ‘O Rew.

President’s letter

by Sam Hodder on

We explore an exciting vision for a groundbreaking conservation model and the success of another landmark partnership, the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition.

League staff in the forest looking at the canopy

President’s Letter

by Sam Hodder on

I hope this issue of Redwoods gives you that “walk in the redwoods” excitement. That our suggestions for redwoods adventures in Mendocino stir your wanderlust. That learning how the League is transforming a former sawmill site into a stunning new gateway to Redwood State and National Parks inspires you with the restorability of even our most impacted landscapes. That you feel hope and gratitude, reading about the generosity of the Esselen Tribe in sharing their traditional ecological wisdom. That you nod in understanding as our Community Voices writer describes how life-saving time in nature can be.

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President’s letter: If we make the right choices and investments today, the redwoods can help save us

by Sam Hodder on

When I walk in places like Humboldt Redwoods State Park and the League’s Alder Creek property, I see magnificent, towering coast redwoods and giant sequoias that tell a story of hope and resilience. We tell that story in this edition of Redwoods, spotlighting what we’ve learned from the groundbreaking Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative launched in 2009. The more we learn about the redwood and giant sequoia forests, the clearer it is how significant their role could be in the climate-change solution. That is, if we act quickly and make the right investments now.

Montgomery Woods

President’s letter

by Sam Hodder on

A letter from Save the Redwoods League president and CEO Sam Hodder in the Resilient Future Edition of Redwoods magazine, published Winter 2022.

Portrait of a person at a desk in a room beneath large landscape photographs of redwoods

Meeting the moment

by Sam Hodder on

Save the Redwoods League has been so honored to have a relationship with Dr. James. As a member of our Redwood Legacy Circle, he decided last June that rather than leave a gift for the League in his estate, he would pay it forward now to meet the moment in these extraordinary times. We are incredibly grateful for his generous gift to the League.

A woman stands in a forest looking up at the trees.

Two historic projects

by Sam Hodder on

We celebrate the success of the Forever Forest Campaign and historic projects on the Lost Coast that restored Indigenous guardianship to Tcih-Léh-Dûñ and protected the spectacular Lost Coast Redwoods.

Nina Roberts, PhD, is helping Save the Redwoods League to engage all people in redwood forests for their health and happiness and to inspire them to protect these precious natural wonders.

In honor of Nina Roberts

by Sam Hodder on

Save the Redwoods League honors the life of a towering force in conservation and parks.

Pfeiffer Falls Trail walkway

Re-emergence and hope

by Sam Hodder on

The theme for this edition of Redwoods is Returning. We were hopeful that by now we’d be returning to some form of normalcy. We knew that would likely be a new normal, with the challenges we faced embedded in our hearts.

Second-growth coast redwoods regenerating after fire.

A time of regrowth and renewal

by Sam Hodder on

The theme for this edition of Redwoods is Renewal. We dive into the 30 by 30 movement to protect 30% of Earth by 2030. Forest and human well-being can progress in tandem.

A view of a reservoir surrounded by forested mountains and a blue sky, framed by branches of an oak tree, with an owl flying through.

Reflections on nature during our pandemic year

by Sam Hodder on

Spotting a barn owl in the wild, League President and CEO Sam Hodder reflects on the role nature has played in inspiring and sustaining people during a global pandemic.

A man with a beard and glasses standing in front of a park sign with a car in the background

Wishing our friend Bob Doyle at EBRPD well as he retires

by Sam Hodder on

After starting as a ranger at East Bay Regional Park District and becoming its general manager, Bob Doyle retires after 47 years of looking after many of the Bay Area’s most treasured landscapes.

Save the Redwoods and outdoors advocates from underrepresented communities visit the League’s Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve. Photo by Wondercamp

Hope and healing amid ongoing crises

by Sam Hodder on

In this edition, we strive to depict a more holistic story of redwoods culture—one in which we all stand together to protect and restore these forests to which we are connected.