forest restoration

John Montague and his daughter.

John Montague: Finder of the Tallest Trees and a Dedicated Supporter

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When redwoods enthusiast John Montague first volunteered at Save the Redwoods League, he began by assisting with chores at the office. He’s so dedicated to the forest that soon after he volunteered out in the field, mapping, taking measurements, and identifying notable trees under the League’s direction.

League Councillor Blake Williams shares his enthusiasm for the redwoods with his child. Photo by Paolo Vescia

Blake Williams: Love for Forest Stems from Father’s Work

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Blake Williams inherited his love of the forest from his father, a research entomologist and forester and the first African American in the United States to earn the trifecta of a BA, Masters, and PhD in that research area. “Growing up in Berkeley with that family background, I’ve always been interested in natural resources and forests,” said Williams.

Peter Comanor, right.

Peter Comanor: An Investment to Protect ‘A Beautiful Earth’

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For botanist and plant ecologist Peter Comanor, the redwood forest is about receiving and giving. He first saw a redwood tree in an exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. It was, he recalled, an interesting and informative display, but it didn’t prepare him for his first visit to the redwood forest.

Oracle Employees Take to the Forest

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Since about 92% of the redwood forest is second and third growth, restoration will be a key strategy. Restoring young forest so that it can become old growth once again is essential for the future of conservation. Restoration at San Vicente Redwoods started recently with a volunteer day. Twelve volunteers from the Oracle Corporation spent the morning pulling invasive weeds amongst the redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Peter Frazier at the San Vicente Redwoods property.

Peter B. Frazier: Making Wise Decisions in Changing Times

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Peter B. Frazier, Save the Redwoods League Board of Directors Treasurer, comes from entrepreneurial pioneer stock. When his great grandfather was only 19 years old, he headed from Boston Harbor around Cape Horn to then-tiny town of San Francisco. Like thousands of people from around the world, he made the long journey to look for gold.

Jim Larson, past President of the League's Board of Directors, made his mark with his talent for helping groups work together. Photo by Paolo Vescia

Jim Larson: A Master of Settling Differences

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An early job working for the timber industry helped prepare James Larson for his job as 2012-13 President of the Save the Redwoods League Board of Directors. Larson went to high school in Fort Bragg, a lumber mill town on …

Ben Blom

Ben Blom: From Urban Kid to Forest Steward

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Ben Blom, Manager of the US Bureau of Land Management’s Headwaters Forest Reserve, gave little early indication that he was destined for a career in forest preservation. “I was an urban kid,” says Blom. “I grew up in Boston, and …

LandPaths' In Our Own Backyard program serves 900 students each year.

Bree Arthur, LandPaths: Getting to Know Nearby Nature

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Sixth-graders trundle off buses and into a sun-speckled redwood forest. It’s terra incognita for most of them. But they are in good hands with educators from LandPaths, a Sonoma County organization supported by Save the Redwoods League education grants program …

Mia Monroe, Site Supervisor at Muir Woods National Monument, has long collaborated with the League to share redwoods with the forest's 1.5 million annual visitors. Photo by Paolo Vescia

Mia Monroe: League, Partner Introduce Wonder of Redwoods to Masses

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Long before Mia Monroe began working as a ranger at Muir Woods National Monument 30 years ago, her family tree intertwined with the Save the Redwoods League. In 1945, the League hosted an international group of delegates tasked with creating …

Gordy Stephens

Gordy Stephens: Decommissioning the Roads He Built

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You can’t train people to do what Gordy Stephens does. Or rather, you can train them – provided you can spare more than 20 years for the teaching process and your trainees demonstrate an aptitude for heavy equipment that borders …

Building a Trail in Paradise

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You’re closer to discovering our remote Shady Dell forest, home of the candelabra-shaped redwoods. Construction of the 2.3-mile trail will begin on June 15, 2015! The trail will feature about 50 feet of boardwalk, 231 steps, 30 feet of bridge, six interpretive signs, benches and a parking area. Construction is tentatively scheduled for completion by summer 2016.

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

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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.

Louisa Morris, Director of the Trails and Conservation Program, Mendocino Land Trust (MLT). Photo by Paolo Vescia

Louisa Morris: Shaping Visitors’ Experiences in Nature

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The joy Louisa takes in stewardship shines through as she speaks about her work. She loves giving back to the Earth and restoring land damaged by human activity. As the leader of the California Coastal Trail Program for MLT, her …

Rosemary Cameron

Rosemary Cameron: A Proponent of People-Power for Parks

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Rosemary Cameron has a deep affection for local, county and regional parks. She spent most of her career helping them thrive. Retired from the East Bay Regional Park District in 2010, Cameron is now on the Board of Directors of Save the …

Neal Youngblood - Geologist at Redwood National Park.

Neal Youngblood: Restoring Landscapes One Road at a Time

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If anything is lacking in Neal Youngblood’s life, it isn’t a professional challenge. As a geologist for Redwood National Park, Youngblood supervises logging road retirement. In terms of restoration of the region’s essential natural systems, there is no job that …

Rick Sermon is helping to restore Mill Creek forest. Photo by Mark Bult

Rick Sermon: Forest Restoration Starts in Heart, Nursery

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It had always been Rick Sermon’s dream to bring the joy of a greenhouse and nursery to his workplace. Sermon saved that task for just before his retirement. Before that, he had one last thing to take care of as …

Todd McMahon, Vice President of NCRM Inc., an environmental consulting firm. Photo by Paolo Vescia

Todd McMahon: Using Forest Expertise to Heal the Land

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Todd McMahon is Vice President of NCRM Inc. (external link), an environmental consulting firm. He has helped manage League properties for many years, and has a great ability to understand each forest—what forces have impacted it, and what it needs …

Priscilla Hunter (holding photo, right) celebrates the League's donation of the Four Corners property to the organization she co-founded, the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council.

Priscilla Hunter: Caring for the Home of Her Ancestors

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As a young child, Priscilla Hunter lived in the Coyote Valley Rancheria northeast of Ukiah, California. Her grandmother taught her to respect the land—its beauty, food, medicinal herbs, and spiritual connections. But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam destroyed …

Peggy Light, League Board of Directors member, gathers redwood trunk measurements while on a staff and volunteer outing.

Peggy Light: Continuing the Family Tradition of League Leadership

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When she was growing up in Connecticut, Peggy Light knew Save the Redwoods League co-founder Arthur Connick as the grandfather who’d “do some kind of financial stuff in New York, then pop up at our house.” She remembers him being …