This featured article appears in Redwoods magazine’s Winter 2022 Resilient Future Edition.
Within the traditional lands of the Northern Pomo people, Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve is an old-growth grove nestled in a quiet valley 10 miles as the crow flies from Ukiah in Mendocino County, a region known for its vast forested landscapes and its logging history. Home to what was once the tallest known tree in the world, Montgomery Woods and neighboring protected forests are islands surrounded by thousands of acres of timberland.
Save the Redwoods League has a long history of protecting this special place and connecting people with its ancient redwoods. Since 1947, the League has expanded the reserve to 2,743 acres and partnered with California State Parks to create an accessible and inspiring park experience here.
Now the League is broadening its vision for Montgomery Woods and the surrounding region. The League acquired and protected the adjacent 453-acre Atkins Place property for $1.18 million in August 2022. The League is now raising $1 million toward the purchase of a $14 million conservation easement on the adjacent sustainably managed working forest of the 3,862-acre Weger Ranch and $2 million for a partnership with California State Parks to redesign the visitor experience at Montgomery Woods, which borders both properties. The acquisitions will protect wildlife habitat within the Big River watershed and provide buffers to the old-growth forest, while creating opportunities for expanded public access to Montgomery Woods.
Save the Redwoods League and California State Parks, with the help of the Mendocino Area Parks Association, are engaging local Indigenous groups and historically underrepresented communities in the project development and to support visits.
Together, these projects — the Montgomery Woods Initiative — are representative of the League’s big vision of landscape-scale forest protection and restoration and inspirational redwood park experiences for all.
Visit the links below to learn more about this comprehensive project.
PRESS RELEASES
- April 16, 2024 — Save the Redwoods League and California State Parks Expand Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve
- October 25, 2022 — Save the Redwoods League secures opportunity to protect 3,862-acre Weger Ranch in Mendocino County through conservation easement.
- September 27, 2022 — Save the Redwoods League launches Montgomery Woods Initiative with purchase of 453 acres of redwood forest and groundbreaking on vital park improvements
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MEDIA COVERAGE
This feature appears in the beautiful printed edition of Redwoods magazine, a showcase of redwoods conservation stories by leading scientists and writers, as well as breathtaking photos, and ways you can help the forest. Only a selection of these stories are available online.
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Tags: Atkins Place, Land Project, Montgomery Woods Initiative, Montgomery Woods Park Project, Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve, park expansion, park improvements, public access, renovations, Rocky Ridge, Weger Ranch