It’s estimated that about 150 species go extinct per day, so it is always exciting news when a new species is discovered! This spring, we learned about a new mammal found in the coastal redwood range called Humboldt’s flying squirrel.
Summer solstice reminds me of nature’s seasonal cycles and excites me for what’s to come. The study of these seasonal cycles, phenology, is used by the League in our science and education programs.
The League’s strives to integrate art into all of our environmental education programs. Art is such an important outlet for students to express what they learned in a creative way and to teach others about their experiences.
This year’s Earth Day theme was focused on environmental and climate literacy, which means that we need to make sure everyone is educated on the impacts of climate change on our planet and the actions we can take to protect and sustain our environment.
We are excited to unveil our new coast redwood and giant sequoia educational brochures, “Life in the Coast Redwoods” and “Our Giant Sequoia Forests.” Save the Redwoods League has been working hard on these educational resources and are eager to share them with you.
The visitor center at Muir Woods National Monument has something new to share – an exhibit on canopy exploration.
Through our Redwood Phenology Project, we are collecting data on how our redwood forest plants are changing with climate.
If you ask high school students what the impacts of climate change have been, they can tell you that the polar ice caps are melting, that we have extreme weather, and that California has been in a drought for the past few years. But if you ask them how climate change will affect our forests and the plants and animals that live in them, they find it harder to come up with an answer.
When children have unstructured play time in nature, they are better observers, they ask questions, and they become more comfortable with their surroundings. Despite its benefits, all too often, unstructured play time is limited for kids today, especially in the outdoors.
This week we celebrate our love of books and our love of reading! Some of my fondest memories have been relaxing in a beautiful place with a great book and getting so engulfed in the story that hours went by in the blink of an eye.
Coast Redwood Science Symposium showcased a tremendous amount of progress in the field of redwood science in topics ranging from genetics to wildlife.
When you drive north on Highway 101, just past the small town of Orick, you will begin to marvel at the giant redwoods of Redwood National and State Parks. There is no sign letting you know you have arrived; you just slowly become shaded by the great canopies towering above you.
You cannot spend time in a redwood forest without coming across lichen. Only a few lichen species will catch your eye on the bark of a redwood but up in the canopy and on the forest floor an abundance of these organisms will surround you. A few years ago we conducted canopy research at Muir Woods looking at lichen diversity at the tops of the trees.
This week we bring you the coffin tree (Taiwania cryptomeriodes) or Taiwan cedar, one of the largest trees in Asia. This tree is found in forests in mainland China and Taiwan growing alongside plants not unlike those found in our coast redwood forests.
The beautiful Alerce trees, Fitzroya cupressoides, grow in the cool rainforests of Chile, just to the west of the Andes. The Alerce are members of the same conifer family as the redwoods (the Cupressaceae) and the two species share many striking similarities.
New research by Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative scientists Robert Van Pelt and colleagues reveals no forest on Earth has more biomass – wood, bark, and leaves – then the ancient coast redwood forests of Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP).
After the fourth consecutive year of severe drought in California, a team of scientists came together in the summer of 2015 to study the impacts of the historic drought on the world’s largest trees, the giant sequoias.
One of my favorite places on Earth is Muir Woods, so when it was announced that we would be going to Redwood Regional Park as part of a field trip for my UC Berkeley/Save the Redwoods League joint internship, I was insanely excited.
Long before the environmental movement started, Save the Redwoods League began its work to protect redwood forests as part of the early conservation movement. But like most habitats around the world, the redwood forests continue to need our support. The coast redwoods and giant sequoias, the tallest and largest trees in the world, and the diverse plants and animals that inhabit their forests need all of us to be their voice.
Redwoods are in the news this week, reminding the world once again that Earth’s tallest trees are truly ecosystems in their own right. Teeming with life from quite literally their roots to their highest leaves, the magnificent coast redwoods are home to hundreds of other species.
