coast redwoods

Kids and adults alike will love exploring lush Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Photo by oskay, Flickr Creative Commons.

Springtime Family Redwoods Getaways

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What are your fondest childhood memories? It’s often the small moments we share with loved ones, like sitting around a campfire and watching the stars, that stick with us for life. And you don’t have to shell out the big …

Students collected data about the redwoods forest at BioBlitz 2014.

Kids in the Redwoods, Part 1

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Did you hear about the BioBlitz in the Bay Area last week? Scientists, community members, families and school groups converged on Muir Woods and Crissy Field to explore, catalog and discover our local ecology. I was at Muir Woods on …

Deborah Zierten worked with junior high students from San Francisco to document species at Muir Woods during BioBlitz. Photo credit: Tonatiuh Trejo-Cantwell

BioBlitzing with students!

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On March 28th, over 4,000 visitors and volunteer scientists arrived at Muir Woods National Monument ready to learn, discover, and explore this absolutely amazing redwood forest. Thousands more visited the Crissy Field Center for the Biodiversity Festival. Whether or not …

View of the coast redwood canopy. Photo by Stephen Sillett

BioBlitz is Here!

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The time we have been preparing for during the past few months, BioBlitz 2014, is finally here! For the next two days you will find us at Muir Woods National Monument and the Crissy Field Center as we explore, learn, …

Will wandering salamanders be among the creatures found in the canopy during the BioBlitz? Photo by Dan Portik

BioBlitz at Muir Woods: What Will We Find in the Canopy?

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The Muir Woods BioBlitz is just a couple weeks away, and folks around here are getting excited.  One of the hot topics of conversation around the Save the Redwoods League office is which species the scientists will find living in …

Marin high school students use their cell phones to participate in Redwood Watch, our citizen science program.

Using Cell Phones for Science

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These days, I think it’s a pretty safe bet that many people spend more time on their cell phones — checking email, posting to Facebook, playing games— than they do out in nature. This trend seems especially prevalent among our …

Crown‐mapping involves measurements of heights, diameters, distances, and azimuths of all branches. Here Jim Spickler (left) extends a steel tape to measure the horizontal extension of a dead branch while Bob Van Pelt (right) records the measurement. Photo by Stephen Sillett, Institute for Redwood Ecology, Humboldt State University

Countdown to BioBlitz!

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In 21 days we will have a major scientific event happening throughout the Bay Area: the 2014 National Park Service BioBlitz. Here at the League we are busy preparing for this 24-hour exploration of the ecologically diverse areas of the …

Shaggy Mane Mushroom in a Forest Near You

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Finally, with the onset of rain, we have amazing mushrooms pushing up throughout the coast redwood forest. One of my favorites is the shaggy mane mushroom, Coprinus comatus. This is a gilled mushroom that emerges with a white scaly cap …

Some redwoods are genetically adapted to wet, foggy environments; some are better suited to drier locales.

“Right” and “Wrong” Redwoods?

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When we want to restore forests, it’s as simple as just planting some redwoods, right? You may be surprised to hear that the business of replanting a forest is a bit more complicated than that. When we work to restore forests, we try to make sure that the forests we rebuild are as close as possible to those that were lost — and there are also very practical reasons for doing so

Drought in the Redwoods

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Last week I traveled northwards up the coast redwood range to check on weather conditions in the forest at Humboldt Redwoods, Prairie Creek, and Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Parks. Through our Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative, we are studying how …

The Future of Redwood Conservation

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Much has been said about the importance of old-growth redwood forests. Their superlative beauty, their mind-bending longevity, their capacity to sequester carbon, and their ability to inspire peace, awe, and contemplation are all reasons why our commitment to their protection …

A trail camera captured this beautiful mountain lion as it roamed the CEMEX property.

Thankful for New Discoveries, Mountain Lions and More

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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I sure have a lot to be grateful for this year.  Our work at the League has never been more diverse or more important; and more than anything, I am thankful to have the opportunity to …

Top 5 Redwood Parks to Visit This Winter

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5. Calaveras Big Trees State Park As the story goes, in 1852 a hunter named Augustus T. Dowd wounded a grizzly bear and chased him into this forest, only to find trees that were three times bigger than any he’d …

Students measure fern fronds through a Save the Redwoods League education program at Redwood Regional Park. Photo ©Save the Redwoods League.

Our Redwood Classrooms

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Bay Area residents got a sneak peek into the hopes and dreams of the Department of the Interior last week when Secretary Sally Jewell came to Crissy Field (external link) to announce the department’s new campaign to connect the next …

A Perspective on Albino Redwoods

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This week, arborist and horticulturist, Tom Stapleton, shares his perspective on the fascinating and mysterious ghosts of the redwood forest…the albino redwoods! By studying these rare trees, he hopes to learn if climate causes albinism and aid in the protection and …

One Way to Manage and Protect a Forest: Burn It

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Lately we have been thinking a lot about fire. It is fire season in California and sadly huge fires in the west are making headlines with their destructive activity. So, we’ve been discussing ways to decrease these devastating forest fires. …

How the Banana Slug Got its Name

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Every once in awhile, I stumble across something that just makes me laugh. The sight of this banana slug posing on its namesake was no exception! After seeing the yellow slug and banana peel together, it is no surprise to …

In vitro culture of Aulacomnium turgidum regenerated from emergent Little Ice Age population beneath the Tear Drop Glacier, Sverdrup Pass, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Credit: Image courtesy of Catherine La Farge

The Toughest Plants in the World

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It’s not often that I hear about a creature more resilient than redwoods.  After all, they grow faster, live longer, and reproduce more prolifically than just about any other tree.  Be that as it may, some very small, unassuming creatures …

Burl Thieves Attack Redwoods

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Last year, I saw a man ride a bicycle down the road from Ladybird  Johnson Grove in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park carrying a large chainsaw. I was baffled at the sight and now realize just how terrible an omen …