A word about the 2020 election and redwoods

The League will embrace new opportunities for conservation

lady bird johnson trail
Rhododendron bloom in the primeval Lady Bird Johnson Grove in Redwood National Park. Photo: Max Forster

I’ve said it before: 2020 has put us all to the test in ways we never could have imagined. As we’ve all been stretched to the limit navigating crisis after crisis, the most contentious presidential election in our lifetimes added another layer of collective anxiety.

Members of Save the Redwoods League hail from different backgrounds and hold a range of ideologies. But we find common ground in our shared vision to protect and restore California’s iconic redwoods and connect all people to these forests. The League doesn’t support individual candidates, but we acknowledge that election results matter both to redwoods and the people who enjoy them. We will immediately seek to pursue opportunities with President-Elect Joe Biden’s administration on funding for forest land conservation, restoration, wildfire preparedness, climate change, and much more. A lot of hard and important work is ahead of us.

For more than 100 years, Save the Redwoods League has delivered on our mission through many political eras. Different presidents with different political agendas have come and gone. Through it all the League has rallied people together to halt the destruction of our coast redwoods and giant sequoia, relied on the best science to build back the great forests of our past, and worked with our partners to connect millions of people to life-changing experiences in nature. We have never wavered from this mission, and we won’t do so now.

Our work to protect and restore redwood forests is fundamentally linked to the health livability of our human communities. The parks we help to create and expand, serve to both secure the redwood forest of the future and to connect future generations to the transformational experience of a simple walk through these magnificent forests. Similarly, we seek to ensure that all communities have access to these special places, and that our shared redwood parks and public lands are ready for the people who need them.

The crucial element in our success is you, the champions of the redwood forests who have always been there. We hope we can count on your continued support as we journey forward to protect and restore coast redwoods and giant sequoia.

As this year draws to a close and the holidays approach, I encourage you to look to the redwoods for inspiration, strength, and perseverance—and hope for the better days ahead.

This piece has been edited slightly from its original version.

About the author

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.

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2 Responses to “A word about the 2020 election and redwoods”

  1. Michael

    I hope, in all this, the League, unlike the NPCA, will recognize the enormous contributions the Great American Outdoors Act and the One Trillion Trees initiative have made and will make to preserving and saving our country’s parks.

    Reply
  2. Franklin Graham

    Yes! It is NOT enough just to save what little is left of our majestic redwoods. In a world that desperately needs the restorative benefits of these trees, we must expand their footprint. They give back precious oxygen, impound carbon, and help to clean our waters. They are more resistant to fires. All this, to say nothing of their beauty and how the remind us that the planet is a living system, one not to be mindlessly exploited. So, long live redwoods!

    Reply

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