Photo by Evan Johnson

Save-the-Redwoods League

Fall Bulletin 2003

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Save-the-Redwoods League 114 Sansome Street • Room 1200 • San Francisco • CA • 94104(415) 362-2352 voice • (415) 362-7017 fax • www.savetheredwoods.org

9 PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

Howard King, a dedicated redwoods photographer who helped savethousands of acres of redwood forests in Santa Cruz and San Mateo, diedon June 30 at his home in Boulder Creek. He was 97. Save-the-RedwoodsLeague has featured many of his images in publications in recent decades.King generously donated all of his negatives to Save-the-Redwoods Leaguefor its use in promoting the redwoods.

At the age of 54, Howard King took up photography to keep active inretirement. He enjoyed being out in the parks and taking photographs asmuch as he enjoyed developing them. King began volunteering his time atBig Basin Redwoods State Park where he worked on the trail system. Thepark honored him by naming a trail after him.

He enjoyed showing Big Basin to League donors interested in thememorial grove program. He met his wife while showing available grovesto her and her friend.

“I think he would like to be remembered as a superb photographer, anenvironmentalist, and someone who wanted to be of as much use to the worldas possible,” said Maria King, 94. “He had a real affinity for those trees.”

–Excerpts from an article by Paul Rogers in the Mercury News, July 2, 2003.

Save-the-Redwoods League

Fall Bulletin 2003

New Fall Membership Renewal ProgramThe League depends on the regular, annual support of its members for the funds necessary to purchase and preserveredwood forestland throughout the year. This fall, the League will change its fundraising practices. For the past fewyears, we asked you to renew your membership annually in the spring.

However, a substantial number of members have indicated that they prefer to renew their annual support in the fall.In response, we have decided to move our annual membership renewal to the fall. This schedule will also allow us tobetter plan and budget in advance for our land purchases in the coming year, increasing our efficiency andeffectiveness in preserving ancient redwoods. If you already renewed your membership this past spring—thank you!You will remain a member in good standing until next fall.

Members will continue to receive bi-annual Bulletins, detailing the League’s progress in preserving the redwoodlegacy. From time to time, we will also alert you to special land acquisition projects that you may choose to supportwith an additional gift.

As always, we are grateful for your contributions to the preservation of this magnificent part of our Americanheritage. But if, at any time, you would prefer not to receive one or more of these mailings, please let us know bycalling 415-362-2352 ext. 318.

Remembering Howard King

Photo by Howard King

You might stop and wonder, what makes it possible forthe ancient redwood to stand so tall. What couldsupport a tree that stands more than 365 feet? Classicwisdom for fence builders dictates digging a hole onefoot deep and burying the fence post one foot in theground for every three or four feet of post aboveground. You might imagine the redwood’s rootcomplex reaching more than a hundred feet into theearth to support such a tall tree.

In fact, the root system of the redwood is no more thanfive to ten feet deep. Instead of a single taprootreaching deep into the earth, the redwood is supportedby an intricate interwoven system of roots that reacheswide and far just below the surface. And the ability ofthat root system to sustain and support the tree ismagnified by mycorrhizal fungi that grow all along theroots, expanding the living surface area that extractsnutrients from the soil, carrying those nutrients intothe root system that feeds and supports the tree.

In a grove of ancient trees, the roots of one tree mayreach outward in all directions, overlapping with theroots of other trees, fusing, joining together, creating asingle complex that supports the entire grove. Thesemycorrhizal fungi not only feed the trees directly belowthe surface, but may reach upward through the thickduff that collects on the floor of the redwood forest andemerge as truffles.

You, our members, are the far-reaching network thatsupports the League, the root system that is the sourceof the successes of the League in saving the redwoods.There is no single taproot that has supported theLeague’s work over the last 85 years. Like the system ofroots that supports the redwood, it is the complex

interwoven fabric of individuals, each reachingoutward, each feeding support back to the League, thatties us together in this continuing effort and the deeppleasures of each project that expands the protection ofthe redwood forest.

Today, the challenges we face continue to evolve. Irecently returned from a visit to the northernmostreaches of the redwoods, visiting stands of ancientredwoods that remain as islands in the midst of vastacres of industrial timberlands. We dove off loggingroads into the wild understory of groves of redwoods,down the steep, steep slopes of the inland gorges oftributaries of the Klamath River. The trees got biggerand bigger, the further down the slope, the closer to thecreeks, we went. These stands were inaccessible beforemodern logging techniques, and remain today, onlybecause the endangered seabird, the marbled murrelet,requires the complex structure of their upper branchesto nest. We are working with the company to develop astrategy to protect these stands permanently, togetherwith buffers of younger trees that will develop overtime to link the surviving ancient stands, expanding theislands of diversity in the managed landscape.

The League’s needs continue to grow if we are toremain effective in meeting the challenges of saving theremaining ancient redwood forest and the associatedyounger stands necessary for long-term survival of theancient redwood system.

Thank you for being a part of the far-reaching networkof support that makes that possible.

Letter from the Executive Director

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I want to thank each of you for your engagement in the work of saving the

redwoods and for your support for the League. You are protectors of the most

majestic forest in the world. Each of us has stood in the quiet stillness at the

foot of the towering trees of the ancient redwood forest, looking upward into

the canopy toward the invisible tops of the tallest living thing on earth.

League Spearheads Purchase toBolsterProtection of WhittemoreGrove

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California State Parks recently announced its acquisitionof a 581-acre parcel overlooking the community ofRedway and the south fork of the Eel River.

Purchase of the parcel from Pacific Lumber Company(PALCO) adds to State Parks’ existing forested holdingsin the area. The purchase also ends years of localcommunity contention and litigation with PALCOover its timber harvest on the steep slopes of Redway.Slope failures after PALCO’s last harvest led to floodingin lower Redway and significant sediment deposits inthe south fork of the Eel River.

The property is adjacent to Parks’ John B. DewittRedwoods State Reserve and contains stands ofDouglas fir and redwood, including some old growthredwood. The new land will be managed in the samemanner as surrounding state property under SteveHorvitz’s care, the Eel River Sector Superintendent.

Save-the-Redwoods League negotiated the terms of thepurchase, resolved all issues necessary for State acquisitionand assigned its rights to the State immediately beforeclose of escrow. The purchase price was $2.5 million, paidfor with Proposition 40 parks bond funds.

“Save-the-Redwoods League is very pleased to haveworked with PALCO, the State and the localcommunity to secure permanent preservation of theseforestlands, expanding protection of the beautifulancient redwoods of Whittemore Grove and John B.Dewitt State Reserve,” said Kate Anderton, theLeague’s Executive Director.

This was the first PALCO purchase brokered by theLeague since PALCO was acquired by MAXXAMCorporation in 1986. Although the League andPALCO historically had a relationship of trust andcooperation extending back to the earliest days of theLeague’s existence, not a single purchase had beencompleted since the change in ownership.

The opportunity to complete the purchase was directlylinked to PALCO’s request for access over a portion ofthe State Reserve in order to log its land. The accessroute passed over lands purchased by the League andtransferred to the Department of Parks with a deedrestriction requiring that it be used for public parkpurposes. The Department determined that transportof harvested timber was not a park purpose within themeaning of the deed and refused to give access. Allparties agreed that purchase and sale of PALCO’s landswas the best way to resolve the issue.

Robert Manne, PALCO President and CEO, said,“Pacific Lumber Company is pleased to again completea transaction with our neighbors in the state park thatprovides additional valuable parkland while being fairlycompensated for it.”

Ruth Coleman, Acting Director of California StateParks, called the purchase “important for the people ofCalifornia and the people of Humboldt County.”

View of the Whittemore Grove and the John B. DeWitt StateRedwood Reserve expansion project.

Photoby Ruskin Hartley

n 1919 Ynes Mexia, Leaguemember and noted botanist, wrote

to the newly founded Save-the-Redwoods League inquiring whether themagnificent trees of the MontgomeryGrove could be saved from the fate ofthe “axe and the shake.” Acting uponher advice, the League’s first Secretary,Newton B. Drury, requested that theCommittee on Redwoods Investigationconsider whether the grove was worthyof protection. By 1920, Newton Drurycould happily inform Ynes Mexia that,“cutting in the heart of the grove hadbeen stopped through the efforts ofofficials of the League and the citizens of Ukiah.”

Permanent protection was not securedfor another 25 years. Starting with anine-acre donation by Robert Orr in1945, the State Reserve has since beenenlarged to 1,142 acres by purchases anddonations from Save-The-RedwoodsLeague. The League continues to bevigilant in addressing negative impactsto the forest and pursues acquisition,where possible, to enhance protection

for the grove.Today, this groveis one of the lastremaining placesin MendocinoCounty whereyou can revisit thewonder of theancient coastredwood forest –much as YnesMexia experiencedduring her firstvisit in 1918. Thegrove’s special

ecological role is recognized by itsclassification as a State Reserve – areas ofthe State Park system with natural andscenic characters of statewidesignificance where preservation ofnatural processes take precedence overrecreation and other uses.

Located 3 hours north of San Francisco,Montgomery Woods lies at theheadwaters of Big River about 11 mileswest of Ukiah on the Orr Springs Road.The visitor will find this grove to be amedley of towering redwoodssurrounded by a fern carpeted landscape.

The solitude and grandeur of thismagical park is accompanied by themusical sounds of Montgomery Creekand the forest’s diverse wildlife. “I havenever seen an area that supported such alarge breeding population of newts,”notes Renee Pasqinelli, Senior Ecologistwith California State Parks. “Perhaps itis because Montgomery Woods is theone of the very few remaining ancientredwood groves, where summer-long,moist, cool environments are sustainedbeneath the lofty redwood canopy.”With the coming of winter, the heart ofthe grove often floods, drenching the

redwoods with life-giving water (butmaking it tough going for the intrepidvisitor!). When spring arrives, thewildflowers start to bloom. If you lookclosely you might discover a Calypsoorchid amid the ferns and duff. Theseelusive wildflowers have a single greenleaf and single pink flower that growsfrom fleshy rootstock. They are namedfor Calypso, the beautiful and secretivenymph in Homer’s Odyssey whowaylaid Ulysses on his return fromIthaca. Montgomery Woods also has aunique rock outcropping that supportsbreeding peregrine falcons.

Next time you travel to the redwoods,we encourage you to journey from themain redwood highway and visit someof the lesser-known gems of the StatePark system. These parks and reservesrepresent part of California’s pricelessnatural legacy. They survive through thededication of individuals, like YnesMexia, who recognize their promise, far-sighted landowners who donate theirland for permanent protection, andorganizations like Save-the-RedwoodsLeague and their stalwart supporters.

I

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The solitude and grandeur of this magical park is accompanied by themusical sounds of Montgomery Creek and the forest’s diverse wildlife.

Small, IncrementalSteps

The League continues toquietly and effectively secureprotection for the ancientredwoods of MontgomeryWoods State Reserve. Earlierthis year, the Leaguepurchased an undeveloped 2-acre inholding withfrontage on the south Forkof Big River for addition tothe State Reserve. Alongwith the land, theacquisition retired a right ofdeeded access and securedwater rights. Keeping waterin the creek, preventingfurther road development,and most importantlyassuring the land will bemanaged to complement thepark is an important steptowards securing the legacyof this secluded grove. TheLeague’s ability to reactquickly to this type ofopportunity is only possiblethrough the generoussupport of donations to theLeague’s Redwood LandProgram. Without thesestrategic reserves, the land isat risk of purchase by adeveloper, therebythreatening the integrity ofthe park withresidentialdevelopmentwithin itsnaturalboundaries.

Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana)

Common on bluffs and grassy hillsides, theDouglas Iris sometimesextends farther inland in areas where human

activity has opened foreststo abundant sunlight.

A Window to the PastMontgomery Woods is morethan a beautiful place tovisit. It is helping researchersand forest managers betterunderstand the role andspecial function of theancient redwood forest inthe broader landscape. WhenYnes Mexia visited the grovein 1918 the ancient forestwas much more extensivethan it is today. With lessthan 5% of the ancientredwood forest left,Montgomery Woods remainsone of the few places in thecentral region of the coastredwood where the naturalprocesses of the ancientforest continue.

In marked contrast to themain 3-mile loop trail whichcircles the largest redwoodsin the heart of the grove,much of MontgomeryWoods lies on remote, steepground. Here the redwoods,while massive, occur as partof mixed Douglas-fir andtan-oak forest. Greg Giusti,of the University ofCalifornia CooperativeExtension, spends his dayshiking to remoteundisturbed corners of theReserve to study its smallmammals. “We’re findingthat the western red-backedvole is the most abundantsmall mammal in theReserve. It feeds onmycorrhizae fungi associatedwith the ancient forest.These fungi help the treessecure nutrients from the soiland thereby grow to theirlofty heights. By feeding onthem, the vole helps spread

Montgomery Woods State ReserveA Beautiful and Secretive Grove

(continued on page 6)

Photos by Evan Johnson

When visiting an old redwood tree, have you everexamined the deeply furrowed bark, or crawled into theburned out hollows found at the base of certain trees?Researchers from the Redwood Sciences Laboratorydid, as part of a research grant provided by Save-the-Redwood League.

Wildlife Biologists Dr. Bill Zielinski and M.J. Mazurekstudied the relationship between individual oldredwood trees and wildlife use within second-growthcommercial forests in Mendocino County. Legacy treesare individual old-growth trees that were left alivefollowing timber harvest. With their deeply furrowedbark, multiple crowns, fire scars and cavities they are aliving reminder of the habitats present in old forests.Non-legacy trees, or commercially-mature second-growth trees that have not developed the characterpossessed by these ancient giants, were surveyed as ascientific control.

Using heat-sensing cameras, acoustic bat detectors andlive traps, Bill and M.J. compared the number ofspecies and wildlife use at legacy and non-legacy treesfor two field seasons. They found species diversitysignificantly greater at legacy trees versus non-legacy

trees. They also found that insect-eating bird species,(i.e. such as the colorful violet green swallow andelusive Vaux’s swift) were more abundant, spent moretime at, and nested in legacy trees. The researchersthink the latter pattern may be linked to the existenceof cavities in old-growth trees and a higher diversityand abundance of insects that inhabit their deeplyfurrowed bark. In fact, their study has attracted theinterests of Humboldt State University entomologists,who plan to collaborate with Bill and M.J.

So the next time you are visiting an old redwood tree,change your perspective, look closely, and considerwhat a thousand year old giant provides to thisgeneration’s collection of wild forest creatures.

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Legacy Trees – Long StandingLinks to the Past

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Montgomery Woods State ReserveMontgomery Woods State Reserve,nestled in the heart of the CoastRange, is one of the most remoteredwood parks. Montgomery Woods,located approximately 3 hours fromSan Francisco, is an array of massiveredwoods towering above a carpet offerns. The solitude and grandeur ofthis magical park is accompanied bythe musical sounds of MontgomeryCreek and the forest’s diverse wildlife.

During a short hike through this awe-inspiring, old growth grove, picnicsites are scattered along the three-mileloop providing the perfect scenery foran afternoon picnic. In just oneafternoon you will understand howthe tranquility and solitude of this

classic park will neverfail to inspire its visitors.

Navarro RiverRedwoods State ParkAfter leavingMontgomery WoodsState Reserve, you willbe pleasantly surprisedby the variety oflandscapes. At everyturn, you are treated to a unique change inscenery – from toweringtrees to the rolling hillsof the coastal region. Inthe spring, the hillsidesare blanketed with anocean of lupine dancingto the coastal breeze.Surrounded by scatteredvineyards, you haveunmistakably enteredAnderson Valley.

When leaving Anderson Valley, youwill meander 11 miles through whatis often referred to as the “redwoodtunnel to the sea.” You will again findyourself surrounded by a wonderlandof towering trees now silhouetted bybillowing clouds setting over thepacific north coast. While NavarroRiver Redwoods State Park isprimarily second growth, its windingriver finds its way along the scatteredforest to the mouth of the ocean rightbelow the town of Mendocino. Withhotels and bed and breakfastsscattered along the coast, this makesfor a wonderful weekend getaway.

Within the next 6 months, maps forall available groves through theLeague’s Grove Program can be foundonline at www.savetheredwoods.org.

For more information about theseand other redwood state parks, pleasevisit www.parks.ca.gov.

A Weekend Getawayin the Redwoods

Grove maps help League supporters find quietforest groves they can call their own. TheLeague has available groves in over 20 parks.

A cathedral grove of ancient redwoods– a gift that will be experienced andloved for generations to come.

Photo by Evan Johnson

Violet-green Swallow(Tachycineta thallassina)

Photo by Denny Mallory.Used with permission

from Cornell University Lab of Ornithology.

A Window to the Past(continued from page 5)

the spores around the forestand may help the forestperpetuate itself,” saysGiusti. “The voles areuncommon in younger,managed forests. It ispossible their presence is animportant indicator of thehealth of the ancient forest.They may also play animportant role in restoringancient forest characteristicsin young managed forests.”

More Informationwww.parks.ca.gov

League Receives Funds for Mill Creek Restoration

The League recently received its first grant for restorationwork at Mill Creek. The Bella Vista Foundation, which haddonated $50,000 towards the purchase of Mill Creek, recentlyawarded the League a grant of $75,000 to be used forvegetation management on the property. Representatives ofthe Foundation visited Mill Creek in March and wereenthusiastic about the opportunity to develop and testinnovative approaches to forest restoration in the redwoodsacross an entire watershed. This initial grant for Year 1—focused on identifying high-priority areas for restoration,developing monitoring protocols, establishing andinventorying forest plots, creating management prescriptions,and beginning on-the-ground vegetation management work—will be helpful in leveraging more and larger grants in thefuture from this and other major foundations. FoundationPresident, Robert C. Kirkwood, and Program Officer, BenHarwood visited Mill Creek before the Foundation Board’sconsideration of the grant request.

Mill Creek (left to right): Zach Stevenson, World WildlifeFund; Ryan Carmichael, SRL; Ben Harwood, Bella VistaFoundation; Kate Anderton, SRL; Valerie Gzinski, DPR; Rick Sermon, DPR; Robert Kirkwood, Bella Vista Foundation;and another representative from World Wildlife Fund.

Photo by Ruskin Hartley