Personal Profiles

Ben Blom

Ben Blom: From Urban Kid to Forest Steward

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Ben Blom, Manager of the US Bureau of Land Management’s Headwaters Forest Reserve, gave little early indication that he was destined for a career in forest preservation. “I was an urban kid,” says Blom. “I grew up in Boston, and …

LandPaths' In Our Own Backyard program serves 900 students each year.

Bree Arthur, LandPaths: Getting to Know Nearby Nature

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Sixth-graders trundle off buses and into a sun-speckled redwood forest. It’s terra incognita for most of them. But they are in good hands with educators from LandPaths, a Sonoma County organization supported by Save the Redwoods League education grants program …

Mia Monroe, Site Supervisor at Muir Woods National Monument, has long collaborated with the League to share redwoods with the forest's 1.5 million annual visitors. Photo by Paolo Vescia

Mia Monroe: League, Partner Introduce Wonder of Redwoods to Masses

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Long before Mia Monroe began working as a ranger at Muir Woods National Monument 30 years ago, her family tree intertwined with the Save the Redwoods League. In 1945, the League hosted an international group of delegates tasked with creating …

League member Susan Juhl was glad to protect redwoods, including this one, that were marked for harvesting at Big River-Mendocino Old-Growth Redwoods.

Susan Juhl’s Love of Trees Is a Family Affair

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Susan Juhl is a great devotee of classical music, and she shares her passion with California’s North Coast. One of the first programmers on KZYX, a community radio station that broadcasts from Mendocino County, Susan hosts Loose Canon Classics, a …

Nina Roberts, PhD, is helping Save the Redwoods League to engage all people in redwood forests for their health and happiness and to inspire them to protect these precious natural wonders.

Nina Roberts: Fostering Equal Access to the Forest

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Most Americans who take part in outdoor recreation are Caucasian: According to the 2014 Outdoor Recreation Participation Report by the Outdoor Foundation, in 2013, 70 percent of outdoor participants are Caucasian, 11 percent African-American, 8 percent Hispanic, 7 percent Asian-Pacific …

Gordy Stephens

Gordy Stephens: Decommissioning the Roads He Built

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You can’t train people to do what Gordy Stephens does. Or rather, you can train them – provided you can spare more than 20 years for the teaching process and your trainees demonstrate an aptitude for heavy equipment that borders …

Bob and Harriet Jakovina

The Jakovinas: Protecting Wonder for Tomorrow’s Children

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Bob and Harriet Jakovina have devoted their lives to sharing their love of nature. Their wish is to make it possible for future generations to enjoy redwood forests and other beloved California landscapes. So they named Save the Redwoods League …

Louisa Morris, Director of the Trails and Conservation Program, Mendocino Land Trust (MLT). Photo by Paolo Vescia

Louisa Morris: Shaping Visitors’ Experiences in Nature

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The joy Louisa takes in stewardship shines through as she speaks about her work. She loves giving back to the Earth and restoring land damaged by human activity. As the leader of the California Coastal Trail Program for MLT, her …

Rosemary Cameron

Rosemary Cameron: A Proponent of People-Power for Parks

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Rosemary Cameron has a deep affection for local, county and regional parks. She spent most of her career helping them thrive. Retired from the East Bay Regional Park District in 2010, Cameron is now on the Board of Directors of Save the …

David Weinberg. Photo by Paolo Vescia

David Weinberg: Capturing League History for the Ages

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Fans of the redwood forest have various motivations for supporting Save the Redwoods League. Some want to protect a place of peace and beauty forever. Others pitch in to restore the forests that have been lost to decades of destruction. …

Neal Youngblood - Geologist at Redwood National Park.

Neal Youngblood: Restoring Landscapes One Road at a Time

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If anything is lacking in Neal Youngblood’s life, it isn’t a professional challenge. As a geologist for Redwood National Park, Youngblood supervises logging road retirement. In terms of restoration of the region’s essential natural systems, there is no job that …

Rick Sermon is helping to restore Mill Creek forest. Photo by Mark Bult

Rick Sermon: Forest Restoration Starts in Heart, Nursery

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It had always been Rick Sermon’s dream to bring the joy of a greenhouse and nursery to his workplace. Sermon saved that task for just before his retirement. Before that, he had one last thing to take care of as …

Todd McMahon, Vice President of NCRM Inc., an environmental consulting firm. Photo by Paolo Vescia

Todd McMahon: Using Forest Expertise to Heal the Land

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Todd McMahon is Vice President of NCRM Inc. (external link), an environmental consulting firm. He has helped manage League properties for many years, and has a great ability to understand each forest—what forces have impacted it, and what it needs …

With my conservation hero, Professor E.O. Wilson.

E.O. Wilson Champions Biodiversity Protection

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This week, I had the rare opportunity to meet Professor E.O. Wilson and hear him rally National Park leaders, academic scientists, and conservationists at U.C. Berkeley’s Park Summit to unwaveringly protect Earth’s biodiversity. His powerful charge for us is to set aside …

Priscilla Hunter (holding photo, right) celebrates the League's donation of the Four Corners property to the organization she co-founded, the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council.

Priscilla Hunter: Caring for the Home of Her Ancestors

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As a young child, Priscilla Hunter lived in the Coyote Valley Rancheria northeast of Ukiah, California. Her grandmother taught her to respect the land—its beauty, food, medicinal herbs, and spiritual connections. But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam destroyed …

Peggy Light, League Board of Directors member, gathers redwood trunk measurements while on a staff and volunteer outing.

Peggy Light: Continuing the Family Tradition of League Leadership

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When she was growing up in Connecticut, Peggy Light knew Save the Redwoods League co-founder Arthur Connick as the grandfather who’d “do some kind of financial stuff in New York, then pop up at our house.” She remembers him being …

Natalie Oberman swings a mattock to rebuild the River Trail in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The project was made possible by gifts to the League from The Garden Club of America and members like you.

Natalie Oberman: Restoring Redwoods Trail is ‘a Privilege’

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To Natalie Oberman, the ancient redwood forest is otherworldly. “It’s hard to grasp the size and age of the trees, the uniqueness of the ecosystem,” she said, as she restored part of the fire-damaged River Trail in Humboldt Redwoods State …

League Board of Directors member Andrew Vought, President of Portola and Castle Rock Foundation, worked to keep Portola Redwoods State Park open.

Andrew Vought: Rescuing Treasured Parks from Closure

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When California’s state-park crisis hit in 2011, businessman Andrew Vought was shocked to find that Portola Redwoods State Park was slated for closure. “I couldn’t let that happen,” he said. Vought had long enjoyed hiking and camping at the park, …

Jeff Norman

Event Honors Naturalist, History of Big Sur Parcel

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A celebration this month commemorated the late naturalist Jeff Norman (pictured) and his commitment to protecting Big Sur. His property was safeguarded when it was sold to Save the Redwoods League.