coast redwoods

Your gifts are helping to decommission former logging roads and plant redwoods in Headwaters Forest Reserve. One day, the restored areas will resemble ancient redwood groves like this one at the reserve. Photo by Humboldt State University

Heal Headwaters Forest Reserve

on

Your generous donations are restoring habitat for wildlife and speeding development of tomorrow’s beautiful old-growth groves at Headwaters Forest, the reserve established in 1999 after a long and contentious dispute over the logging of its ancient coast redwood forest.

Kathy Bailey co-founded Hendy Woods Community, the group that helped keep the Hendy Woods State Park open when it faced closure because of a state budget crisis. Photo by Joan Hamilton

Kathy Bailey Champions Hendy Woods

on

When Hendy Woods State Park faced closure in 2011 because of California State Parks budget cuts, Kathy Bailey said she knew she had to get involved. So she co-founded Hendy Woods Community, which, with Save the Redwoods League, helped keep the park open for all to enjoy.

Genetic profiles of specific coast redwood strains mean some trees could demonstrate greater resilience in certain types of climatic conditions than others. Photo by Paolo Vescia

Genes Could Influence Trees’ Conservation

on

Genetic profiles of specific coast redwood strains mean some trees could demonstrate greater resilience in certain types of climatic conditions than others.

Warming Redwood Weather

on

Wendy Baxter and Anthony Ambrose from Todd Dawson’s Laboratory at U.C. Berkeley have been tracking weather in the League’s Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative research plots in the coast redwood and giant sequoias forests. Check out their latest weather report …

Sniffing for Science

on

Scientists certainly come in all shapes and sizes, but did you know sometimes they have four paws?! Recently, the League partnered with Tim Beam (Humboldt State University), Scott Osborn (California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife), and Working Dogs for Conservation …

Turkeys in the Redwoods

on

As we sit back and relax on the day after Thanksgiving, our bellies still full from our decadent meals the day before, I’m thinking about turkeys, redwoods, and what the Native Americans might have eaten years before us at this …

Rain creates colorful mushroom show

on

Aren’t we all more than a little relieved for the recent coast rains after too many dry, drought-stricken months here in California? I always look for mushrooms on the forest floor as proof that the rain has really sunk in. Last week …

Wild strawberry plant.

Protecting Plantings

on

Recently, I visited Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and was surprised to see mesh bags dotting the forest floor. Taking a closer look, I saw a variety of plants hidden under the mesh coverings. Park ecologist Jeff Frey explain the park …

Green Cones Go Red

on

Typically, cones mature on the redwood branches in autumn. They turn slightly yellow as the cone scales separate, exposing the seeds hidden within to the elements. Rain then washes away tannic crystals that hold the seeds inside the cones and …

Brad Pitt and the Redwoods, Seriously?!

on

I nearly fell out of my chair when I came across a feature article about Brad Pitt doing a shoot in Humboldt Redwoods State Park for Details Magazine. My first thought was, “Okay, why wasn’t I invited?” And second, “Who …

Entre Los Gigantes

on

Qué maravilla— ¿cómo es que estos gigantes existen? ¿Qué cuentos han de saber y cuantas historias han de conocer? ¿Qué me dirían a este momento? Recalling one of my most memorable experiences among the redwoods at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State …

Creek in the redwoods

The Evolution of a Park

on

Save the Redwoods League was established in 1918, and 96 years later, we have quite the vantage point to look back and see how things have changed. It’s the nature of things, for people and organizations alike, that we don’t …

Largest WWII Memorial in U.S. Rediscovered in the Redwoods

on

In 1945, with victory in Europe and Japan within sight, individuals and organizations all across the country united in a nationwide effort to preserve 5,000 acres of old-growth redwoods as the National Tribute Grove. The effort, led by Save the Redwoods League …

Redwood Weather

on

  RCCI researcher Wendy Baxter describes below why we are tracking weather in the woods: Monitoring the local weather and long-term climate is an integral part of the Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative (RCCI). Beginning in 2011, scientists from UC …

When We Can’t See the Trees for the Forest

on

Guest bloggers Doug and Joanne Schwartz – League members and dedicated volunteers – are serving this summer as our Redwood Explorers-in-Residence, exploring the northern parks, and ground-truthing and mapping the groves of ancient forest they find. Along the way, they’re documenting the many …

Many new redwoods grow in areas with old-growth cutting. Photo by Joanne and Doug Schwartz

A Strange and Wonderful Mystery Forest

on

Guest bloggers Doug and Joanne Schwartz – League members and dedicated volunteers – are serving this summer as our Redwood Explorers-in-Residence, exploring the northern parks, and ground-truthing and mapping the groves of ancient forest they find. Along the way, they’re …

Yosemite Valley – 1866. Photo by Carleton Watkins

The Power of Photography: Connection and Conservation

on

For almost a hundred years, Save the Redwoods League has been protecting and restoring redwood forests and enabling people to connect with their peace and beauty. Photographers and painters began connecting people to redwoods decades earlier, beginning with Carleton Watkins’ …

Longtime League Councillor and research advisor, Bill Libby, says hello to a squawking Steller's jay being studied at Big Basin State Park.

Bird in hand and two in the bush

on

Several weeks ago, a wily Steller’s jay outsmarted me while I cooked breakfast under the redwoods in Humboldt Redwoods State Park.  I was about to sit down and eat my scrambled eggs, but decide to first fetch the boiling water off my …

“This photo shows the friendship, fun and bonding that took place in the redwoods. Our experience with the volunteers and staff at the state park was wonderful — everyone seemed genuinely pleased to meet Betty and to help this become a memorable trip.” -Trina Baldwin (Betty’s friend and driver on the trip)

Betty’s Trip to the Redwoods in Photos

on

In my last blog I introduced you to Betty Thompson, a 66-year-old woman from Georgia with cerebral palsy, who was about to realize her lifelong dream of seeing the redwoods. In June, Betty and her friends embarked on a weeklong …