360-acre addition will make Armstrong Redwoods stronger

Newly acquired land will expand and buffer Sonoma County’s most popular redwood park

Each of California’s redwood parks is a treasure in its own right. But there’s something uniquely precious about Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. Crisscrossed by footpaths and the burbling Fife Creek, this sublime grove of ancient redwoods contains several notable giants, including the uniquely shaped Icicle Tree and 1,400-year-old Colonel Armstrong Tree. The reserve is also one of the few intact stands of old growth within easy reach of the San Francisco Bay Area.

“Many people in the Bay Area can’t drive five or six hours to get to Redwood National Park,” says Catherine Elliott, the League’s senior manager of land protection. “Armstrong Woods is our local redwood park. It’s a little bit of wilderness right near where we live.”

Expanding parks like Armstrong Redwoods is one of the League’s foundational commitments, and we recently delivered on this promise. In October, Save the Redwoods League acquired Armstrong Ridge, a 360-acre property consisting of two privately owned parcels on the slopes directly above the state reserve. Situated in the traditional lands of the Southern Pomo, the property is home to a mature second growth forest and about 23 acres of old growth redwoods along a steep ravine—a location that may explain how these ancient trees survived commercial logging. The property is now being leased and managed by California State Parks until it can be officially added to the reserve.

Stewards of the land

Two families, the Robinsons and the Ayers, lived as neighbors on the two Armstrong Ridge parcels for years. Both have long ties to this special place and decided to sell to the League so that this landscape could be protected forever as part of Armstrong Woods.

“I’ve always felt that we were merely stewards of the land,” says owner Laura Ayers, who made a life on the ridge with her husband, Jonathan, and two sons. “We agreed that it should go to the park.”

Looking ahead, the addition of Armstrong Ridge will create an opportunity to extend the trail network from the state reserve—an exciting prospect for a small park that sees more than a million visitors a year.

More immediately, California State Parks will restore fire resilience to the property to help buffer the old-growth grove below from the pressing threat of wildfire. “If we’re able to manage the upper slopes, we’re going to have positive change in terms of keeping the grove resilient to catastrophic fires,” says Bill Maslach, Sonoma-Mendocino District superintendent for California State Parks.

Watershed health is also a priority for the park service as it takes over these new redwood lands. Armstrong Ridge contains the headwaters of the east fork of Fife Creek, as well as the headwaters and portions of Hulbert Creek. The private road that runs through the property has been eroding, allowing excessive sediment to enter these streams—a concern for fish and aquatic life that can now be remedied. The expansion will also connect a natural wildlife corridor along the ridge saddle, protecting habitat for mountain lion, black-tailed deer, northern spotted owl, and other species.

A dreamy collaboration

Reconnecting forest ecosystems is part of the League’s larger conservation strategy for Sonoma County. We have already protected nearly 20 square miles in the region, including 1,692 acres that were added to Austin Creek State Recreational Area, located on the other side of Armstrong Reserve, and 394 acres at Russian River Redwoods. We are currently working to acquire another critical property at Sonoma Coast Redwoods.

Transforming privately owned properties into protected public lands is a collaborative process. In the case of Armstrong Ridge, the project involved the combined efforts of Sonoma County Ag + Open Space, Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods, and our longstanding partners, California State Parks. Says Maslach, “Working with the League to expand the protected area of these parks and protect more ancient trees when there are so few left today—it’s a dream in the making.”