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Two female restoration workers in neon-green vests smile in front of a partially burned sequia forest

So long, Long Meadow, we’re packed for Packsaddle!

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As winter approaches, Save the Redwoods League staff are raising mugs of hot cocoa to toast a wildly productive work season in the giant sequoia range. The big win: Completing risk-reduction and wildfire resilience work in Long Meadow Grove, which …


Redwood tree rises through the canopy

Top 15 League achievements of 2023

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As we approach the end of 2023, we find ourselves contemplating yet another remarkable year at Save the Redwoods League. Our gratitude extends to our wonderful partners, members, and supporters who make possible the essential efforts of safeguarding and restoring …


A view of passengers on an open-air train as it rolls through a redwood forest.

10 amazing redwoods holiday adventures

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Majestic redwood forests are fantastic places to experience the magic of the holiday season, creating unforgettable memories with your loved ones. There’s something for everyone, from wheelchair-accessible train rides to challenging backcountry snow adventures, even activities for your dogs. Here are activities from the towering coast redwood forests to the snowy giant sequoia groves.


A man in a navy blue fleece hugs the trunk of a redwood tree

Top 4 reasons to give thanks for redwoods

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Somehow it’s easy to forget to say thank you. Even with an entire holiday devoted to giving thanks, we often fail to slow down and appreciate the things that truly make our lives better. Things like family, friends, democracy, chocolate …



Five people walking on a wide path through a redwood forest

Redwoods are a sanctuary on a trip for queer teens

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There is something about the way mist clings to the coastal redwoods. Sound is muffled and the world feels insulated— severed from the frantic expectations of modern life. It also feels safe. Safety is an important topic these days, especially …


Three women in aprons stand with three young girls in dresses in front of a wooden structure, circa late 1800s/early 1900s.

Spooky redwoods ghost town remains “a presence”

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Imagine a quintessential ghost town: Tumbleweeds rolling down a dusty main street, a saloon door creaking in the dry prairie wind. The Falk ghost town was something else entirely—a damp and eerie outpost shrouded in the mists of Northern California’s …


Three people look at exhibits

Beacon of renewal: A new welcome center opens

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It’s a spectacular drive heading south from San Francisco on Highway 1, where under an azure sky, the furrowed Santa Cruz Mountains meet the sparkling, blue arc of the Pacific and its craggy sea stacks. In about 60 miles, the …


A construction site with a large excavator and a pond

Prairie Creek restoration revives salmon habitat

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Interesting fact about coast redwood forests: Researchers studying the tall trees near streams can detect marine nutrients in the wood—nitrogen isotopes that salmon have brought back to the freshwater environment. In other words, there’s a little bit of salmon in …


Hendy Woods

10 spots for a natural high in Mendocino County

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This rugged swath of Northern California is famous for spectacular stands of coast redwoods that hypnotize visitors with their pinch-me-I’m-dreaming beauty. These remaining old-growth giants give the groves in neighboring Humboldt County a run for their money, plus they’re a more doable three-hour drive from the San Francisco Bay Area. Add in nearby beachcombing, wine tasting, and sightseeing in coastal hamlets, and you’ve got a recipe for an incredible weekend getaway.


Max Sovine

Redwoods: A safe place to be ourselves

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In a sense, I was a latecomer to the world of the redwoods and the world of being queer. In both of these worlds, I connected with my true self.


scenic vista of redwood studded mountains on a sunny day

Uniting to protect sacred redwoods

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Tom Little Bear Nason, chairman of Big Sur’s Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, describes his tribe’s long-standing relationship with redwoods. He’s working with the area’s non-native communities to integrate cultural burn strategies into land management practices that will protect the forest from catastrophic wildfires. The deep-seated respect for ancient redwoods has inspired Little Bear and his apprentices to share their traditional ecological knowledge of fire mimicry with the Big Sur community.


Russian River

A river runs to it

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Securing a bright future for one of Sonoma County’s tallest redwoods—and its up-and-coming kin—at Russian River Redwoods


League staff in the forest looking at the canopy

President’s Letter

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I hope this issue of Redwoods gives you that “walk in the redwoods” excitement. That our suggestions for redwoods adventures in Mendocino stir your wanderlust. That learning how the League is transforming a former sawmill site into a stunning new gateway to Redwood State and National Parks inspires you with the restorability of even our most impacted landscapes. That you feel hope and gratitude, reading about the generosity of the Esselen Tribe in sharing their traditional ecological wisdom. That you nod in understanding as our Community Voices writer describes how life-saving time in nature can be.


Daen Wombwell standing in front of an ancient redwood tree.

The man who kept his promise

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“I had no idea the redwoods are the best harvesters of carbon dioxide of any forest type in the world.” Whatever it takes to revive the redwoods, Wombwell is in. “If you need me to plant trees,” he says with a grin, “I’ll put on my Wellie boots.” Wombwell’s advice? “If you care about the forests, the climate, Indigenous peoples, wildlife, even the hiking and biking trails, take that step and donate.” To inspire new members of Save the Redwoods League’s Canopy Club the Wombwell family will match new gifts of $10,000 or more up to $750,000.


Four people sit at a picnic table with two camping tents and redwood trees in the background

What does AB 618 mean for your next campout?

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If you’ve ever tried booking a California state park campsite for a popular weekend, you know that sinking feeling. Scrolling past booked campground after booked campground, it seems like the entire state shared your dream of pitching a tent beneath …



Two young people pose for a selfie in front of tall redwood trees.

First experience of old-growth redwoods is “mind-blowing”

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It was a classic California road-trip: Two good friends, a Taylor Swift soundtrack, scenic vistas, one flat tire. But for Sara Williams and Adrian Fausto, the journey north to Humboldt County was the start of a larger adventure—a quest to …


Two men in olive green state park uniforms with ranger hats smile as they speak to a woman in civilian clothes

Redwoods Rising celebrates 5 years of audacious optimism

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With a project as big and bold as Redwoods Rising—an endeavor that will take decades to complete—it’s all about celebrating big milestones along the way. So on a sunny Thursday afternoon in September, project partners Save the Redwoods League, California …


Roosevelt Elk traffic

Video: Redwoods traffic jam

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Watching a group of Roosevelt elk slowly cross highway 101.