Burning Cape Vizcaino
onThe view from the picnic table was grand to be sure, the blue infinities of sea and sky meeting where the distant fog gathered offshore (and coastal fog, when you think about it, really is the perfect blend of the …
Lions in the Santa Cruz Mountains
onIt was close to dusk when we crossed the stream, heading deeper into the forest along an old logging road. We were touring the areas of CEMEX Redwoods where restoration reserves are to be established, assessing conditions and discussing strategies …
Burning as a Restoration Tool
onLast week, the sky around the Bald Hills area of Redwood National Park was hazy beyond the normal shroud of fog. Smoke filled the air. The forest was burning. Water trucks stood at the ready, fire crews and park staff …
A Rare Plant Inhabits the Forest – Or Does It?
onIt was a beautiful day for a hike along Peters Creek. The ancient forest of the Santa Cruz Mountains was in full bloom; chattering woodpeckers, the tumbling creek, giant redwood and Douglas fir trees all begged for acknowledgement and appreciation. …
Vineyards, Redwoods, and Climate Change
onThe direct effects of climate change come in many different flavors – shifts in temperature and precipitation will have significant, though yet undetermined, implications for the redwood forest. The ways in which climate change might indirectly affect the redwoods make …
Sustainability or Resilience?
onDo you feel tension? No, not emotional tension, the intellectual kind. Does intellectual tension invigorate you? It invigorates us at Save the Redwoods League. There is a debate among conservationists: should our goal be sustainability or resilience? At Save the …
What Happens to the Land Once We’ve Bought It? Stewardship Happens!
onWe all get really excited when we close a big project—like when we acquired the beautiful 145-acre property with pristine redwoods next to Portola Redwoods State Park a few months ago, or when we received a conservation easement on 90 …
Three Northern Forests Paint a Picture of Hope
onI don’t get out to the woods for work nearly enough these days (then again, who does?), but last week was an exception. During a trip to the Northern California forests for some meetings, I was lucky enough to get …
You Have a Chance to Speak for the Trees
onThere’s a lot of buzz in the news today about the proposed restoration of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park, including a front page article in the San Francisco Chronicle by Peter Fimrite.
Redwoods and the Passage of Time
onTime. Einstein said, “Time is an illusion.” We all feel that it goes by too fast. Dr. Seuss said, “How did it get so late so soon?” To make a difference, we have to focus on now. As Mother Teresa said, …
The Tasks Ahead
on“To some it might appear that, having accomplished what will be considered one of the greatest pieces of conservation work in America, the Redwoods League might not have a place of as great importance in the future as that occupied …
“Success”
onThat was Saturday’s word of the day, according to our guide, National Park Ranger Dick Ewart. Dick led a group of 15 of us on a hike through the lower Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park. He …
Large Old Trees at Risk
onOpen up the 2012/12 issue of National Geographic to see photos of an incredible giant sequoia and the phenomenal diversity of plants and animals that live with this redwood in the forest. On the backside of the fold-out photograph of …
Cap-and-trade among the redwoods
onThis was a big month in California. While the election may be the first thing that comes to mind, we also witnessed the first auction of carbon credits to companies that emit more than 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every …
They call it “forest killer”
onI just returned from a vacation in Nepal, a beautiful country boasting the tallest mountains in the world. For two weeks I trekked through the mountains, seeing stark snowscapes and yak-covered slopes in the northern high Himalayas and the lush …
The Future of the Forest: Why Saving Land is Just the Beginning
onHiking in the Wasatch (Mountain) Range east of Salt Lake City, the Aspens are golden and shimmering, doing their quaking thing in the autumn sun. I am with land conservation colleagues, taking an afternoon off from the seminars at the …
25 Years of Controversy amid the Monarchs
onI just got back from a trip to see the cinnamon-colored giants of Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest in the southern Sierra. It was a real treat to explore a giant sequoia grove for the first time, especially when accompanied …
