2024

A group of people gather in a large circle with sequoia trees in the background.

We are all in this together

by Sam Hodder on

It is clear that when it comes to protecting and healing what we love most, we are all in this together. This issue of Redwoods follows these threads of collaboration and commitment as they weave through some of our most exciting and urgent projects. We take you to Sonoma Coast Redwoods, a dramatic stretch of California coastline whose preservation depends on a collective effort by the League, our partners, and our full community of supporters. We meet dedicated scientists working to unravel the complex relationship between redwoods and fog — and the growing impacts of climate change. And we explore how the League’s Redwood Rides program, working in partnership with local organizations, is helping to connect underrepresented communities with nature.

The view from the top, overlooks a fantastic ocean, cliffs, and trees with fog rolling in.

Redwoods on the edge

by Dana Viloria on

Welcome to Sonoma Coast Redwoods, a 1,624-acre property that hugs the twisting ribbon of Highway 1 as it winds along Sonoma County’s coastline. On a map, this property is clearly demarcated; but standing on the land itself, all boundaries vanish. Dense redwood forest blankets the ridgeline for miles. Shimmering ocean panoramas extend south to Jenner and Bodega Bay and north to Fort Ross and beyond. This is the California coast as the soaring hawk sees it: a single connected landscape, ancient and essential. As a stunning Sonoma Coast forest faces the threat of development, we’re rallying to keep this iconic redwood landscape intact.

Coast redwoods canopy seen peaking through thick white fog

Redwoods and fog

by Kathleen Ok-Soo Richards on

A gentle mist drifts silently through the redwoods, softening shadows and imparting a damp chill to the air. Moisture drips from branches and ferns, emanating an earthy, pine-like aroma. The scene of fog shrouding a redwood forest evokes a sense of mystery and awe, its ephemeral beauty casting a filmic, dreamlike quality to the landscape. Perhaps even more captivating is the hidden, interwoven relationship between fog and coast redwoods.

Candy and Brian Pelissero

A Legacy Rooted in Giving

by April Kilcrease on

Pelissero believes most people understand the need to protect the redwoods but fail to realize how critical it is to connect more young people to these irreplaceable forests. “We feel very strongly that this could help save us environmentally,” she explains. “The redwoods are commanding teachers. When you learn about these trees when you’re young, you want to try to preserve them. You realize you’re losing a precious thing.”

trailhead

360-acre addition will make Armstrong Redwoods stronger

by Cheryl Reiss on

Expanding parks like Armstrong Redwoods is one of the League’s foundational commitments, and we recently delivered on this promise. Save the Redwoods League acquired Armstrong Ridge, a 360-acre property consisting of two privately owned parcels on the slopes directly above the state reserve. Situated in the traditional lands of the Southern Pomo, the property is home to a mature second growth forest and about 23 acres of old growth redwoods along a steep ravine—a location that may explain how these ancient trees survived commercial logging. The property is now being leased and managed by California State Parks until it can be officially added to the reserve.

Sam Hodder inspecting a stand of mature redwoods

Sam Hodder, President and CEO of Save the Redwoods League, Announces Plans to Step Down After More than a Decade Leading 107-year-old Conservation Organization

by Save the Redwoods League on

After 11 years leading one of the nation’s oldest and most beloved conservation organizations, Sam Hodder announced today that he has decided to step down as president and CEO of Save the Redwoods League on March 31, 2025, at the close of the organization’s current fiscal year. A search for the League’s next leader will commence immediately, led by Vice Chair of the League’s Board of Directors Rosemary Cameron.

Collage of parks

California State Parks and Save The Redwoods League Unveil New Plan to Safeguard Iconic Redwood Parks in Santa Cruz County

by Save the Redwoods League on

SANTA CRUZ — California State Parks and Save the Redwoods League today released a new Forest Management Strategy (FMS) aimed at restoring and protecting three state parks in Santa Cruz County following the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire. The devastating wildfire burned through more than 24,000 acres in Big Basin Redwoods, Año Nuevo and Butano state parks. The FMS outlines critical actions needed to help the forests recover and to improve wildfire and climate resilience in the parks and neighboring communities.

Woman walking in a redwoods forest where two paths converge. One is well trodden, the other less travelled.

Save the Redwoods League Acquires 750 Acres of Redwood Forest in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties for Future Parks Expansions

by Save the Redwoods League on

Save the Redwoods League today announced that it has purchased three coast redwood properties totaling 750 acres in Sonoma and Mendocino counties that will one day be added to Armstrong Redwoods and Montgomery Woods state natural reserves (SNR). The League acquired the properties from private landowners, the Ayers and Robinson families and the Mendocino Redwood Company for nearly $3.5 million. The acquisitions are the first steps toward long-term protection for these coast redwood properties.

Overhead view of a few firefighters watching smoldering burn piles in green scrub in the shadow of tall trees.

Banned for 100 years, cultural burns could save sequoias 

by Kristina Malsberger on

On a cloudless day in California’s Sierra Nevada, the Tule River Indian, North Fork Mono, and Tübatulabal Tribes gathered to lead a small cultural burning demonstration in the Alder Creek Grove. Since the California ban was lifted in 2022, only two off-reservation cultural burns have taken place in the giant sequoia range: The demonstration at Alder Creek Grove and an earlier burn led by the Tule River Indian Tribe on Forest Service land.

A drone shot of the coastal hills, with forested areas and farmland on one side, overlooking the blue ocean in the background.

Save the Redwoods League Secures Opportunity to Protect and Restore 1,600+ Acres of Redwood Forest and Coastal Prairies from Threat of Development along Sonoma Coast

by Save the Redwoods League on

Save the Redwoods League (League) has secured an opportunity to purchase, permanently protect and restore the 1,624-acre Sonoma Coast Redwoods property, home to significant mature second-growth coast redwood forest, biodiverse coastal prairies, ocean views and opportunities for future public access.

Giant sequoia seedling

Can the giant sequoias recover on their own?

by Juliet Grable on

Two new comprehensive research studies published by the USGS Western Ecological Research Center discuss the drastically low number of seedlings found in sequoia groves in the wake of recent mega-fires. Their findings: inadequate natural seedling recovery and high tree mortality rates create a substantial risk of losing portions of sequoia groves.

Crew walks among native plants planted as part of a revegetation effort at ‘O Rew.

President’s letter

by Sam Hodder on

We explore an exciting vision for a groundbreaking conservation model and the success of another landmark partnership, the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition.

Lisa Weger

Carrying the torch of conservation

by Kristina Malsberger on

Lisa Weger has a deep connection to Weger Ranch, a 3,862-acre redwood property in the sprawling hills of Mendocino County. This stunning landscape—and a strong commitment to its conservation—is Lisa’s family legacy. By setting a high bar for sustainable forestry in the region, Lisa and Craig hope to inspire other private landowners to consider—and fund—conservation solutions.

Tattoo of twin coast redwoods in black ink on the back of a woman's bicep

Redwoods Forever

by Kristina Malsberger on

Redwoods seem practically tailormade for tattoo art. They are iconic symbols of strength and resilience. Their bold trunks, feathery needles, and cross-hatched cones translate beautifully into ink. They’re also an ideal choice for a visual statement that’s—in theory—permanent. With lifespans …

Carbon Canyon Redwoods

4 places to explore redwoods in Southern California

by Christin Campbell on

When I first moved to Los Angeles from my small town, I imagined a towering cityscape more than I ever imagined towering trees. And yet, it was only after moving to this city of sprawling concrete, that I found myself staring up at the tallest species of trees in the world not even a 15-minute drive from my apartment.

A group of Asian Pacific American schoolchildren climb on the base of a large redwood

How Redwood Rides helps close the nature gap

by Kathleen Ok-Soo Richards on

By eliminating the largest barrier between underrepresented communities and redwoods parks—lack of transportation—Redwood Rides not only expands outdoor access, but also inspires the next generation to care about the ancient forests.