Inspiring news from Sonoma Coast Redwoods

1,624-acre coastal redwood treasure now protected for all

Some great news that you made possible: Save the Redwoods League has met our $9 million fundraising goal and successfully acquired Sonoma Coast Redwoods. This means permanent protection for a one-of-a-kind property that combines a healthy redwood forest, biodiverse coastal prairie, and jaw-dropping ocean views.

This was truly a collective effort, with people around the globe showing their love for this remarkable redwood ecosystem. Donations poured in from every U.S. state and countries around the world, including Ecuador, Canada, Denmark, UK, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Japan. Thank you for hearing our call to save this vital landscape from private development and answering with such enthusiasm and generosity.

Save the Redwoods League first announced our intention to acquire Sonoma Coast Redwoods in early October, launching an ambitious three-month campaign that included a heartfelt Giving TREESday. The more than 5,000 donations were amplified by two generous matching gifts: $1,000,000 from the Schuman Family Foundation and $200,000 from the Troper Wojcicki Foundation. Key leadership gifts from the Holdfast Collective and the Wombwell Family and an investment from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation also made this important acquisition possible.

These donations will also support stewardship of the redwood forest until the League transfers Sonoma Coast Redwoods to a long-term steward for permanent protection and public access.

A setting sun illuminates golden coastal grasslands with a large swath of redwood trees in the foreground.
More than half of the 1,624-acre property is covered by resilient coast redwoods that store impressive amounts of carbon as they grow. Photo by Justin Lewis/Coldwater Collective.

Sonoma Coast Redwoods lies within the traditional homeland of the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians, the original stewards of this vibrant landscape. Safeguarding the 1,624-acre property from development will reconnect nearly 8 miles of streams and more than 7.8 square miles of protected habitat for fascinating plants and animals. It also creates an exciting opportunity to extend the California Coastal Trail from adjacent Fort Ross State Historic Park and expand recreational access for locals and visitors alike.

Securing this essential redwood landscape will also increase wildfire resilience in fire-prone Sonoma County and set this former timberland on the path to becoming an old-growth forest once more. Currently the property is covered by more than 800 acres of coast redwood forest, ranging from young trees bouncing back from the 2020 Meyers Fire to scattered old-growth giants that have stood for 1,000 years. This variety indicates a healthy recovering forest—the kind where maturing second-growth trees can grow quickly and pack away large amounts of carbon when the planet needs it most.

Sonoma Coast Redwoods map
The acquisition of Sonoma Coast Redwoods is a key step in connecting and permanently protecting a key wildlife and recreation corridor along the California coast.

Sonoma Coast Redwoods represents a key puzzle piece in the League’s larger effort to restore Sonoma’s legendary redwood corridor. We have now permanently protected 22 square miles in Sonoma County, including the addition of 2,157 acres to Fort Ross State Historic Park—an expansion that nearly tripled the park’s size—and helping to acquire 5,630 acres to create Jenner Headlands Preserve. More recent acquisitions include Russian River Redwoods, which includes nearly 400 acres and a mile of scenic riverfront, and Armstrong Ridge, a 360-acre expansion and buffer for the old-growth grove at Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve.

Stay tuned for our next big land protection project in the region. We invite you to support our Redwood Land Fund, which gives us the ability to act quickly to safeguard redwood forests under threat.

About the author

Since 1918, Save the Redwoods League has protected and restored redwood forests and connected people with their peace and beauty so these wonders of the natural world flourish.

bear reading the blog
Get the latest redwood updates in your inbox

Leave a Reply