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This is a place for personal insights into our work by Save the Redwoods League leaders. Please join the conversation by posting your stories and comments.

Kids on bridge

League announces 2025 Redwood Connect grantees

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When someone has a memorable interaction with the natural world, it can shift their perspective, reveal new possibilities, sometimes even shape an entire life. Especially when that someone is a young person. That’s why the League is thrilled to announce …


Giant sequoia silhouette against a night sky illuminated by pink northern lights

25 things for redwood lovers to look forward to in 2025

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It’s been a rough start for many of us, but there are still plenty of amazing things ahead in 2025. So many opportunities to honor the world’s tallest and largest trees—and the wildlife and communities they shelter and nourish. So …


Woman in a pink jacket walks down a fern-lined hiking trail in a misty redwood forest

5 wonderful winter hikes in the redwood forest

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Something magical happens to California’s redwood forests during winter. Clouds insulate the trees from the outside world, making a walk among these giants feel cozy and nostalgic. The rains conjure up the earthy smell of the soil and the brisk …


A setting sun illuminates golden coastal grasslands with a large swath of redwood trees in the foreground.

Inspiring news from Sonoma Coast Redwoods

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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 …


Close-up image of a hand, palm up, holding heart-shaped leaves in a forest

League supporters share Giving TREESday inspirations

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GivingTuesday is a global event dedicated to giving back that offers a much-needed counterpoint to the consumer-driven frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Here at the League, we’ve reimagined this day as Giving TREESday—a celebration of generosity and gratitude …


Two smiling women in a helicopter wearing white helmets and bright yellow safety jackets.

League scientist plays frontline role on the Coffee Pot Fire 

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With a flash of lightning, a fire ignites naturally near several giant sequoia groves in California’s Sierra Nevada. It’s early August and the overly dense vegetation surrounding some of the sequoias is dry and flammable. The threat of a high-intensity, …


Osprey in flight carrying a fish

10 fascinating animals and plants of the Sonoma Coast

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Along its wild western edge, Sonoma County hosts a menagerie of feathered, furred, and finned creatures—many of them at-risk species. Protecting these amazing animals is a key driver behind the League’s efforts to acquire Sonoma Coast Redwoods, a 1,624-acre property that connects more than 7.8 square miles of wildlife habitat and nearly 8 miles of streams. This biodiverse mix of redwood forest and coastal grasslands also provides essential habitat for vulnerable flora and fauna.


A teen boy and his father in muddy earth tone clothes, hiking backpacks, and sunglasses, smiling and pointing at a large park sign titled High Sierra Loop Trail. The teenager is pointing to the 211-mile long John Muir Trail route.

14-year-old helps redwoods while hiking John Muir Trail

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Lewis McColgan is a self-described “regular person” from Fremont, California. This past summer, at age 14, he spent more than three weeks in the Sierra Nevada backcountry, hiking all 211 miles of the John Muir Trail (JMT). His goal: to …


League CEO Sam Hodder

Election results and the future of our forests

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Across the US, there’s a shared commitment to conserve forests, beaches, open spaces, and sources of clean water. Sam Hodder, president and CEO of Save the Redwoods League addresses what the election results mean for California’s redwoods.


Yes on Prop 4

Proposition 4 win brings $10 billion to climate fight

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Prop 4 delivers $10 billion to prevent wildfires, protect clean water, and conserve California’s forests and beaches. This historic funding prioritizes restoration, public access, and long-term sustainability—a transformative win for the environment.



pipe cleaner trees at big basin

Three parks, multiple fires, one bold restoration plan

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The newly unveiled Forest Management Strategy helps ensure that future wildfires will not be as destructive to places like Butano State Park, which has provided recreation and renewal for generations of visitors.


A line of middle-aged hikers follow a path through a redwood grove

Redwood field trips: Not just for little kids

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On a sunny summer morning, I met up with a group of two dozen adults for a hike through Butano State Park in San Mateo County. Some of the participants had gone on previous hikes with me, but others were …


A rain-swollen stream flows through a redwood forest.

Why Dark Gulch is the “missing puzzle piece”

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Dark Gulch fills a critical hole in the Montgomery Woods Initiative, particularly from a fire resilience perspective. Protecting the nearby Dark Gulch property will help buffer the reserve’s old-growth redwoods from fire and encroaching development. Consolidating ownership helps us implement fuel reduction projects more efficiently and reduce the severity of wildfires. By connecting Atkins Place to Weger Ranch, Dark Gulch helps secure the region’s redwood footprint and creates a new protected corridor for fish and wildlife. It allows us to be better stewards within a changing climate.


Close-up of a shoulder badge that reads "California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection: CALFIRE since 1988" in an emblem that includes the outline of the state of California and a sun on the horizon.

Prop 4 could be a game changer for redwoods 

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California’s redwood forests have long been a symbol of the state’s natural beauty. But these majestic trees also provide incredible ecological benefits to our water quality, wildlife habitat, and the health and well-being of local communities. With Proposition 4—”Prop 4″—on …


Overhead view of a few firefighters watching smoldering burn piles in green scrub in the shadow of tall trees.

Banned for 100 years, cultural burns could save sequoias 

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On a cloudless day in California’s Sierra Nevada, the Tule River Indian, North Fork Mono, and Tübatulabal Tribes gathered to lead a small cultural burning demonstration in the Alder Creek Grove. Since the California ban was lifted in 2022, only two off-reservation cultural burns have taken place in the giant sequoia range: The demonstration at Alder Creek Grove and an earlier burn led by the Tule River Indian Tribe on Forest Service land.


Three young people stand in front of a large giant sequoia tree against a bright blue sky

Could your organization use $6k for field trips?

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Fall always signals fun changes. The school year beginning, the foliage shifting to shades of gold and red, the window opening to apply for Redwood Connect Grants. Now is the time to think about how a $6,000 grant might support …


A hiker wearing a bright red jacket and a gray backpack walks through a redwood forest carpeted with giant ferns.

Redwoods backpacking, the antidote to stress

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Sometimes modern life can feel like a daunting list of deadlines, debt, and difficult decisions. But all it takes to unzip from these everyday stresses is to walk deep into a redwood forest to live for a weekend, sustained by …


Giant sequoia seedling

Can the giant sequoias recover on their own?

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Two new comprehensive research studies published by the USGS Western Ecological Research Center discuss the drastically low number of seedlings found in sequoia groves in the wake of recent mega-fires. Their findings: inadequate natural seedling recovery and high tree mortality rates create a substantial risk of losing portions of sequoia groves.


People walk along a dirt lane lined with tall trees.

Discovering dawn redwoods on Nami Island

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On a sweltering June day, I stepped off a ferry and onto Nami Island, one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Korea, 33 miles outside of Seoul. Hundreds of needle firs and Korean pines welcomed me, my husband, …


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