It relies on donations from private individuals as well as funding from foundations, corporations, government agencies, and investments to buy, restore, and provide public access to redwood forest lands.[3] The League has protected more than 200,000 acres (810km2) of forestland.[4] As of 2018, the League has helped create 66 redwood parks and reserves, including Humboldt Redwoods State Park and Redwood National and State Parks.[5]
In addition to purchasing and protecting land, Save the Redwoods League supports restoration, research, and education programs, and gives small grants to other organizations involved in ecological conservation. Save the Redwoods League maintains and updates a website which offers information, photos, and progress reports.
History
In 1917, National Park Service Director Stephen Mather asked conservationists John C. Merriam, Madison Grant, and Henry Fairfield Osborn to travel to northern California to investigate the status of the old-growth coast redwoods that were reportedly being logged in vast numbers for building materials.[6] All four of these men were members of the Boone and Crockett Club.[7]
After witnessing the devastation of the forests on their trip, Merriam, Grant, and Osborn decided that protecting the ancient redwoods by purchasing groves and creating a public park was an urgent endeavor, and in 1918 they established Save the Redwoods League to achieve this goal. The first donors to the League were Stephen Mather, E.C. Bradley, William Kent, Henry Fairfield Osborn, and Madison Grant.[8]
Also in 1919, members of the California Federation of Women’s Clubs established the Women’s Save the Redwoods League in Humboldt County. This group had roots over a decade in the making. It was in 1908 that the Humboldt County Federation of Women’s Clubs sent a children's petition with over 2,000 signatures to the U.S. Forest Service requesting that President Theodore Roosevelt establish a national redwood park.[9]
Newton B. Drury and the League were instrumental in uniting and forming the California State Park system with the passage of two bills in the California State Legislature that were signed into law by Governor C.C. Young on May 25, 1927.[10]
In 1944, the League acquired 4,280 acres for Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. In 1945, the League and the Garden Club of America raised money to create the 5,000-acre National Tribute Grove in that same park honoring World War II service members. In 1948, dawn redwoods (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), thought to be extinct were discovered in China and the League funded scientist Ralph Chaney's trip to investigate.
From 1951-1959, the League's Newton Drury was the director of the California Division of Beaches and Parks, later known as the California State Parks system. In 1954, the League helped acquire the South Grove of giant sequoias to be added to Calaveras Big Trees State Park.
In the 2010s, the League helped protect Noyo River Redwoods, Four Corners, the Orick Mill Site, Peters Creek and Boulder Creek old-growth forests, and Big River-Mendocino Old-Growth Redwoods.[11] The League also established conservation easements for 15,000-acre Mailliard Ranch, the 8,500-acre San Vicente Redwoods and 870-acre Stewarts Point.
In 2018, the League celebrated its centennial year launching the “Stand for the Redwoods, Stand for the Future” campaign and publishing the Centennial Vision for Redwoods Conservation that includes the goal to "double the size of coast redwood forests in parks and reserves to 800,000 acres."[12] The California State Senate declared 2018 the Year of the Redwoods with the passage of SR 100, authored by Senator Mike McGuire and many co-authors. The California State Assembly adopted House Resolution (HR 96), authored by Assemblymember Mark Stone, recognizing the League’s 100th birthday.[13] And, on September 27, 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown declared October 2018 as “California Redwoods Month," recognizing redwoods as a "globally significant treasure" and encouraging people to "support organizations working to ensure a healthy future for our redwood forests."[14]
Criticism
The League has been accused of greenwashing and actively promoting loss of redwoods.[15]
The League’s Vibrant Forests Plan attempts to provide a science-based conservation strategy for the remaining coast redwood and giant sequoia ecosystems.[16] Conservation decisions made by the League are guided by the Vibrant Forests Plan's strategies, helping to set priorities for land acquisitions, stewardship, and restoration initiatives.
In 2018, the League published a State of the Redwoods Conservation Report for the first time. The report draws on scientific research to evaluate environmental threats facing coast redwoods and giant sequoia, how much progress has been made to date mitigating each threat, and whether that progress is continuing or in decline. Some key threats include the amount of unprotected forests, number of trees with old-growth characteristics, level of human encroachment, and fire preparedness status.[17]
The League has an active scientific research program that seeks to expand the understanding of the coast redwood and giant sequoia forests and ecosystems of which they are a key component. Their Research Grants Program provides funding to leading scientists studying redwood forest ecosystems, threatened and endangered species, and climate change impacts.[18] Some of the major League-led research projects are the Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative (RCCI), the Redwood Genome Project, and Citizen Science Programs.
LiDAR is a key scientific technology used by the League and its forest researchers to aid in measuring tree height, biomass, and leaf area.[19] This information can be useful in reforestation efforts, and also in finding the tallest redwood trees. The League’s first use of LiDAR was made possible by a grant from Kenneth Fisher.[20]
Expansion of parks and preserves
Since it was established, the League has protected over 200,000 acres (81,000ha) of ancient redwoods.[21] Land purchased by the League is generally donated to California State Parks, which the organization helped found, or to the National Park Service for permanent protection of the redwoods, as well as public enjoyment and education.
Journalist and activist Greg King states, " They created Save the Redwoods League not to save redwoods as parks, but as standing inventories for use by industry."[23]
Educational programs
The League provides numerous educational programs and resources to help K-12 students learn about redwoods forests in the classroom and on field trips.[24] These programs give students the opportunity to learn STEM subjects from real-world examples, to be inspired to protect the forests, and to discover career opportunities in scientific research, park interpretation, and forest management. The League provides many educational resources and curriculum materials directly to teachers and partners with other organizations to extend their reach, such as by providing educational grants.[25]
In 1921, Boone and Crockett Club member Dr. John C. Phillips donated $32,000 to purchase land and create the Raynal Bolling Memorial Grove in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park.[7] That same year, the Stephen T. Mather – William Kent Grove was also established in the same park. Since 1921, the League has established over 1000 redwood memorial groves, in more than thirty of California's redwood parks. One grove is named after Newton B. Drury, who served as executive director of the league as well as serving as the fourth director of the National Park Service. He served in the league's leadership during most of the period from 1919 to 1978. Another grove is named after Drury and his brother Aubrey.[26]
The League continues to operate a Dedicated Grove or Tree Program to help raise funds to carry out its mission. In return for a donation, a grove or tree can be named as a memorial to or in honor of an individual, family, or organization.[27]
Founders Grove
In 1931, Major Frederick Russell Burnham commissioned a survey near Bull Flat Creek in Humboldt County, a spot where League founder Madison Grant believed the world's tallest tree might be found. When the tree, a 364-foot redwood, was indeed found, the California State Park Commission dedicated the tree to the founders of the Save the Redwoods League on September 13, 1931: "As a living monument symbolizing eternal life and duration of our gratitude." Burnham led the main address in which he declared: "It is an ancient and racial urge that has brought us together today in the shade of this far western forest like the druids of old." The Founders Tree immediately became and remains the most visited spot in the redwoods region and the focus of many ceremonies.[28] The height measurement has since been revised to 346.1 feet.[29]
Further reading
Save the Redwoods League (2000). Noss, Reed F. (ed.). The redwood forest: history, ecology, and conservation of the coast redwoods. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. ISBN1559637250. OCLC41531630.
King, Greg (2023). The Ghost Forest: Racists, Radicals, and Real Estate in the California Redwoods. New York City: PublicAffairs. ISBN978-1541768673.
Sequoiadendron giganteum, also known as the giant sequoia, giant redwood or Sierra redwood is a coniferous tree, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae. Giant sequoia specimens are the most massive trees on Earth. They are native to the groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California but are grown around the world.
Muir Woods National Monument is a United States National Monument managed by the National Park Service and named after naturalist John Muir. It is located on Mount Tamalpais near the Pacific coast in southwestern Marin County, California. The Monument is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and is 12 miles (19 km) north of San Francisco. It protects 554 acres (224 ha), of which 240 acres (97 ha) are old growth coast redwood forests, one of a few such stands remaining in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Humboldt Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, United States, containing Rockefeller Forest, the world's largest remaining contiguous old-growth forest of coast redwoods. It is located 30 miles (48 km) south of Eureka, California, near Weott in southern Humboldt County, within Northern California, named after the great German nineteenth-century scientist, Alexander von Humboldt. The park was established by the Save the Redwoods League in 1921 largely from lands purchased from the Pacific Lumber Company. Beginning with the dedication of the Raynal Bolling Memorial Grove, it has grown to become the third-largest park in the California State Park system, now containing 51,651 acres (20,902 ha) through acquisitions and gifts to the state.
Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve is a state park of California in the United States established to preserve 805 acres (326 ha) of coast redwoods. The reserve is located in Sonoma County, just north of Guerneville.
Calaveras Big Trees State Park is a state park of California, United States, preserving two groves of giant sequoia trees. It is located 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Arnold, California in the middle elevations of the Sierra Nevada. It has been a major tourist attraction since 1852, when the existence of the trees was first widely reported, and is considered the longest continuously operated tourist facility in California.
The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are a complex of one national park and three California state parks located in the United States along the coast of northern California. The combined RNSP contain Redwood National Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. The parks' 139,000 acres (560 km2) preserve 45 percent of all remaining old-growth coast redwood forests.
General Grant Grove, a section of the greater Kings Canyon National Park, was established by the U.S. Congress in 1890 and is located in Fresno County, California. The primary attraction of General Grant Grove is the giant sequoia trees that populate the grove. General Grant Grove's most well-known tree is called General Grant, which is 267 ft (81 m) tall and the third-largest known tree in the world. The General Grant tree is over 1,500 years old and is known as the United States' national Christmas tree. General Grant Grove consists of 154 acres (0.62 km2) and is geographically isolated from the rest of Kings Canyon National Park.
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, United States, preserving mainly forest and riparian areas in the watershed of the San Lorenzo River, including a grove of old-growth coast redwood. It is located in Santa Cruz County, primarily in the area between the cities of Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley, near the community of Felton and the University of California at Santa Cruz. The park includes a non-contiguous extension in the Fall Creek area north of Felton. The 4,623-acre (1,871 ha) park was established in 1953.
Sequoia National Forest is located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The U.S. National Forest is named for the majestic Giant Sequoia trees which populate 38 distinct groves within the boundaries of the forest.
The Headwaters Forest Reserve is a group of old growth coast redwood groves in the Northern California coastal forests ecoregion near Humboldt Bay of the U.S. state of California. Comprising about 7,472 acres (30.24 km2), it is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as part of the National Landscape Conservation System.
Sempervirens Fund, originally established in 1900 as Sempervirens Club, is California's oldest land trust. Founder Andrew P. Hill’s goal was to preserve the old-growth forest that became Big Basin Redwoods State Park, the first California state park in 1902. Sempervirens Fund's mission is to protect and permanently preserve coast redwood forests, wildlife habitat, watersheds, and other important natural features of California's Santa Cruz Mountains, and to encourage people to appreciate and enjoy this environment. Sempervirens Fund does this by purchasing land for protection and transferring it to state or local agencies. Sempervirens Fund has also worked to establish conservation easements and trail linkages between parks and coastal marine preserves. As of 2013, Sempervirens Fund has saved more than 34,000 acres of redwood lands.
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is a state park, located in Humboldt County, California, near the town of Orick and 50 miles (80 km) north of Eureka. The 14,000 acres (57 km2) park is a coastal sanctuary for old-growth Coast Redwood trees.
Redwood Mountain Grove is the largest grove of giant sequoia trees on earth. It is located in Kings Canyon National Park and Giant Sequoia National Monument on the western slope of California's Sierra Nevada. The grove contains the world's tallest giant sequoia. The Hart Tree and Roosevelt Tree grow in the grove and are two of the 25 largest trees by volume in the world. The largest tree is the General Sherman Tree in the Giant Forest grove to the southeast.
Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve is a 1,323-acre state-owned park located in the Coastal Range in Mendocino County, California, United States. The Reserve occupies the headwaters of Montgomery Creek, a tributary of Big River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at Mendocino Headlands State Park. The virgin groves of Coast Redwood in Montgomery Woods are examples of a now rare upland riparian meadow habitat; most other preserved redwood groves are on broad alluvial plains. The Reserve is accessed from a parking area along Orr Springs Road 13 miles (21 km) west of Ukiah and 15 miles (24 km) east of Comptche. A moderately steep trail from the parking area climbs uphill along Montgomery Creek about three-quarters of a mile. Once in the grove, the trail makes a meandering three miles (4.8 km) loop, with substantial use of boardwalks to protect the fragile forest floor. The reserve was initiated by a 9-acre donation from Robert T. Orr in 1945, with 765 acres donated since 1947 by the Save the Redwoods League.
Alder Creek Grove is a giant sequoia grove located both on private land and within the Giant Sequoia National Monument in the western Sierra Nevada of California. The grove is spread out over approximately 785 acres (318 ha) of land and contains 483 giant sequoias that are at least 25.5 feet in diameter, including the Stagg Tree, the 5th largest tree in the world and one of the oldest known living giant sequoias. Though on private land, the Rouch family made part of their land accessible to the public.
Michael W. Taylor is a leading discoverer of champion and tallest trees - most notably coast redwoods. In 2006, Taylor co-discovered the tallest known tree in the world, a coast redwood now named "Hyperion". He also discovered "Helios" and "Icarus", the 2nd and 3rd tallest.
Sequoia sempervirens is the sole living species of the genus Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae. Common names include coast redwood, coastal redwood and California redwood. It is an evergreen, long-lived, monoecious tree living 1,200–2,200 years or more. This species includes the tallest living trees on Earth, reaching up to 115.9 m (380.1 ft) in height and up to 8.9 m (29 ft) in diameter at breast height. These trees are also among the longest-living organisms on Earth. Before commercial logging and clearing began by the 1850s, this massive tree occurred naturally in an estimated 810,000 ha along much of coastal California and the southwestern corner of coastal Oregon within the United States.
Bull Creek is the largest Eel River tributary drainage basin preserved within Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The basin contains the world's largest remaining contiguous old-growth forest of coast redwoods. Bull Creek flows in a clockwise semi-circle around 3,373-foot (1,028-meter) Grasshopper Mountain to enter the South Fork Eel River approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) upstream of the South Fork confluence with the Eel River.
Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest (MHDSF) is a state forest located on Bear Creek Road (Tulare County Route 220), 28 km (17 mi) northeast of Springville in Tulare County, California. The protected land covers an area of 4,807 acres (19 km2) with an elevation range between 1,463 m (4,800 ft) and 2,377.5 m (7,800 ft). The forest is best known for its namesake giant sequoia grove, Mountain Home Grove, which is home to some of the largest giant sequoias in the world.
There are nine national parks located in the state of California managed by the National Park Service. National parks protect significant scenic areas and nature reserves, provide educational programs, community service opportunities, and are an important part of conservation efforts in the United States. There are several other locations inside of California managed by the National Park Service, but carry other designations such as National Monuments. Many of the national parks in California are also part of national forests and National Wildlife Refuges, and contain Native American Heritage Sites and National Monuments.
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