Blog

This is a place for personal insights into our work by Save the Redwoods League leaders. You can explore posts by category: It Takes a Forest SM focuses on League project and program updates; Off the Beaten Path gets you into the redwood forest; Redwoods Futures illuminates the issues affecting our redwood forests; and The Eighth Wonders explores the art, education, and science of the redwood forests. Please join the conversation by posting your stories and comments.
A female California State Parks naturalist interpreter in park ranger fatigues gives her presentation before a tablet on a tripod on which she is livestreaming a virtual program to Facebook.

Bringing redwoods to the people

by Garrison Frost on

The pandemic presented both a daunting challenge and the opportunity to take a flying leap toward an idea that had long been in the making. Since early March, the North Coast Redwoods District’s interpretation team has been delivering five to 10 PORTS programs each week, as well as daily Facebook live programs to the general public.  During this period, more than 5,000 students have received coast redwood-related PORTS programs, and their Facebook Live presentations have been viewed over 250,000 times. As to how his team came to the decision to hold daily events in the middle of a national crisis, Robbins deadpanned: “We just decided to do it.”

... Continued
Bear at Red Hill

Bears at Red Hill

by Save the Redwoods League on

Our cameras at our Red Hill property captured these great images of California black bears.

... Continued
Landscape-style shot of the trunks of healthy, second-growth redwood trees.

Reimagining the Future of a Historic Family Forest

by Catherine Elliott on

For Andersonia West in northern Mendocino County, the human story, of course, starts with the Sinkyone people. They have lived in this area for countless generations, and their descendants continue to protect, care for, and maintain their cultural connections with surrounding traditional lands and waters. The League humbly acknowledges our very short history in this place. Yet, we are so thrilled that we have been able to protect this coast redwood forest and its biodiversity forever. The idea to permanently protect the western tract of Andersonia started in 1980.

... Continued
A pair of marbled murrelets, small birds with black and white feathers, float together on the ocean.

A seabird that lives in the redwoods?

by Garrison Frost on

Of all the plants and animals that occupy the coast redwood ecosystem, among the more fascinating is the marbled murrelet, a brown and white seabird that’s a little bigger than a robin. This otherwise nondescript bird – called “fog larks” … Continued

Huey Johnson

We lost one of the greats of conservation yesterday

by Sam Hodder on

I want to share some brief thoughts on the passing of Huey Johnson. Huey was a powerhouse and created the “land for people” era of the modern conservation movement. Starting with the Marin Headlands that have since grown to define … Continued

A man in a blue t-shirt walks down a dirt path towards the camera on a sunny day. He is dwarfed by the surrounding redwoods and vegetation.

A great start toward the future of redwoods conservation

by Suzanne Moss on

Forever Forest: The Campaign for the Redwoods has already made a tremendous impact. And while the campaign is all about creating a foundation for the future, we’ve already put these funds to work. Contributions to the Forever Forest Campaign have already been used to protect spectacular coast redwood and giant sequoia landscapes. Check the list to see how we’re getting started!

... Continued
A group of visitors walk along a paved footpath through a redwoods forest.

Landmark conservation bill moves forward

by Jessica Little on

Great American Outdoors Act could have tremendous benefits to redwoods: In a major advance for what could end up being the most far-reaching conservation legislation in decades, the U.S. Senate recently passed the Great American Outdoors Act, which will lock in billions of dollars for national parks, outdoor recreation facilities, and land conservation.

... Continued

Video: Redwoods Rising gets to work

by Save the Redwoods League on

Save the Redwoods League, California State Parks, and the National Park Service got together in June on Facebook to talk about Redwoods Rising, a joint partnership to restore 70,000 acres of redwood forest in Redwood National & State Parks. Work on this massive endeavor got underway in earnest in June.

... Continued
Book cover of Who Saved the Redwoods? The Unsung Heroines of the 1920s Who Fought for Our Redwood Forests by Laura and James Wasserman. The book is resting on a redwood log.

Spotlight on Forest Heroines

by Save the Redwoods League on

Women Who Played Crucial Roles in Redwoods Conservation Who Saved the Redwoods? The Unsung Heroines of the 1920s Who Fought for Our Redwood Forests Laura and James Wasserman Who Saved the Redwoods is an absorbing, well-researched account of the mid-1910s … Continued

Close up view of Redwood sorrel growing on a mossy log. The background is out of focus, giving an atmospheric feel of dappled light shining through the canopy.

Coolest Thing I’ve Seen in the Forest

by Save the Redwoods League on

In the last edition of Redwoods, we invited you to tell us the coolest thing you’ve seen in the forest. Here’s what our members and fans have to say. Our Question for the Next Edition What is your favorite activity … Continued

A California condor glides over Big Sur, California. Photo by Sebastian Kennerknecht/Minden Pictures.

Soaring Soon

by Juliet Grable on

Federal agencies and the Yurok Tribe have partnered to reintroduce California condors to Redwood National and State Parks. Before too long, visitors to Redwood National and State Parks may spy the condors, which have been missing from the area for more than 100 years.

... Continued

Logging Miles on the Travel Log

by Deborah White on

National Public Radio tells the story: “From 1917-1921, Kellogg took his Travel Log on the road. He drove it across the country four times, coast to coast, bringing word of the redwoods to people who had never heard, let alone imagined, there could be such trees. He spoke of the accelerated logging taking place in the redwood forests, made impassionate pleas for the trees’ preservation, and spread the word about a fledgling organization looking for members. It was called the Save the Redwoods League.”

... Continued
A photographer wearing a sun hat and khakis stoops at the bottom of a sloping hill while aiming a camera at the young redwood forest.

Is it OK to use redwood as a building material?

by Joan Hamilton on

Can people who care about protecting redwood forests buy these redwood products with a clear conscience? Douglas D. Piirto, Ph.D., provides his perspective as an expert on the subject. He is a California Registered Professional Forester with broad experience studying and managing redwood forests on public and private lands.

... Continued
A long line of people wearing yellow, white, and blue construction hats walk through ferns past a large redwood tree stump. Photo by Max Forster

Put Californians back to work through conservation

by Sam Hodder on

Redwoods restoration can integrate climate adaptation into economic recovery As Governor Newsom and California’s lawmakers grapple with how best to mitigate impacts of COVID-19 on our lives, health and the economy, the people of our state have voted with their … Continued

New 2020 Redwoods Rising apprentices pose for a picture at their first field outing.

Building a Conservation Workforce As We Restore Young Forests

by Matthew Morassutti on

A new bill authored by Senator Maria Elena Durazo, SB 1296––titled the Nature & Parks Career Pathway and Community Resiliency Act––seeks to build jobs in the natural resource field by focusing on job creation and training in working class communities and communities of color.

... Continued

The Allure of Big Sur

by Dana Poblete on

Life is a journey, not a destination. That’s Big Sur—a journey, the quintessential scenic route. Named for the pioneer family that conveyed to the state of California a key piece of land here, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is home to some of the region’s most impressive redwoods. From fanciful trees and hidden swimming holes to dramatic coastline vistas, the southern end of the coast redwood range beckons along Highway 1.

... Continued

Senate bill aims for new jobs, green recovery

by Jessica Little on

A new bill authored by Senator Maria Elena Durazo, SB 1296––titled the Nature & Parks Career Pathway and Community Resiliency Act––seeks to build jobs in the natural resource field by focusing on job creation and training in working class communities and communities of color.

... Continued

Join our newsletter

Get the latest redwood updates in your inbox
   Please leave this field empty