News that wildfire had destroyed most of the buildings and facilities at Big Basin Redwoods State Park created an outpouring of generosity over the past two weeks from donors looking to speed up the iconic park’s comeback.
Fire destroyed the Big Basin Redwoods State Park Nature Museum. Work on the project was well underway in the original building when the CZU August Lightning Complex Fire came through the headquarters on Aug. 18, destroying everything.
Our 2019-20 Annual Report offers a look back at the year’s accomplishments that you made possible.
Fire nearing giant sequoia: We’re continuing to closely monitor the Sequoia Complex Fire in the Sequoia National Forest. As of right now, it appears the fire has started to move west, and is now about a mile away from the Freeman Creek giant sequoia grove.
Armando Quintero has been named to head California State Parks. Director Quintero has had a long and outstanding career in parks and conservation, including his work to engage, train and inspire the next generation of park leaders. We look forward to working with him!
Since the League joined with Sempervirens Fund last week to create the Big Basin Recovery Fund, so many generous people have stepped forward to help. Pachama offered a $5,000 match to the Big Basin Recovery Fund to inspire others to take an active role in rebuilding this wondrous park and the forest around it. Together, we’ve raised more than $100,000 to fund the park’s immediate needs, as well as help lay the groundwork for its reconstruction.
With attention on the coast redwoods, we’re also keeping our eye on fire near giant sequoia. Unlike their coast redwood cousins, giant sequoia lack the ability to sprout after fire, so a severe wildfire can outright kill these ancient trees.
Of more than a million acres burned, wildfires have burned approximately 72,000 acres of coast redwood forest during the August Lightning Siege of 2020. Roughly 9,000 acres of this has been in old-growth redwoods.
Coast redwoods are naturally adapted to resist fire damage. It’s going to be a while before it’s safe for us to visit these forests and assess the fire effects, and it will be longer still before we fully understand the short- and long-term impacts on the trees. In the meantime, we will maintain that cautious optimism, knowing that the ancient giants have survived for centuries and lived through many wildfires.
We have learned that fire has swept into some of California’s coast redwood parks and forests in Sonoma and Santa Cruz Counties.
Wildfires caused by recent lightning strikes and warm conditions in recent days have forced the closure of a number of redwood parks throughout the Bay Area region. We’re keeping a running list of those closures.
In episode 3 of “Explore the Redwoods”, host André Sanchez leads us on a hike through the giant sequoias in Nadler Grove, nestled in Sierra National Forest. “Explore the Redwoods” is an online series produced in partnership with Latino Outdoors and Save the Redwoods League.
I recently had the great pleasure of visiting Redwoods Rising operations in Redwood National and State Parks, and what I saw was incredible.
The League’s Forever Forest: The Campaign for the Redwoods is built on a big, bold idea: Let’s come together and rebuild California’s great redwood forests to their former glory.
President Donald Trump this week signed new legislation that will lock in billions of dollars for national parks, outdoor recreation facilities, and land conservation — including redwoods.
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.”
Our cameras at our Red Hill property captured these great images of California black bears.
In episode 2 of “Explore the Redwoods”, host Jayrlin Molina leads us on a hike through the redwoods of northern California. “Explore the Redwoods” is an online series produced in partnership with Latino Outdoors and Save the Redwoods League.
We’re excited to see Pacific fishers again at our Red Hill giant sequoia property in the Sierra.
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.
We’re still working towards our fundraising goal to protect this beautiful coast redwood landscape.
