Land & Trees We’ve Saved

Since 1900, Sempervirens Fund has successfully saved over 33,500 acres of redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains by raising and spending approximately $50 million to purchase and protect forest lands. These lands are now preserved in perpetuity, providing critical habitat, watershed protection, and opportunities for public recreation and inspiration, today and for future generations.

CEMEX property, photo by William K. Matthias

Click here to download a larger version of this map as a PDF.

CEMEX Property

We are very excited to announce that Sempervirens Fund, together with four local conservation organizations, has acquired the largest expanse of threatened redwood forestland in the Santa Cruz Mountains! We have joined forces with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, The Nature Conservancy, Peninsula Open Space Trust, and Save the Redwoods League to preserve 8,532 acres located near the town of Davenport. Sempervirens Fund and its partners purchased the massive property from the multinational corporation CEMEX, which agreed to sell the property for $30,000,000 if the sale could be completed by the end of 2011. We closed escrow on December 16, 2011.

Because the CEMEX property adjoins a number of already protected properties, including Coast Dairies, this land deal results in a protected area of over 26,000 acres and provides a critical wildlife corridor in the face of growing impacts on habitat from climate change. This purchase—the largest in Sempervirens Fund’s history—also marks a huge step toward achieving our vision for a Great Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The CEMEX acquisition project is the first major project to result from the Living Landscape Initiative, a collaboration of five conservation groups involved in the CEMEX deal that was launched earlier this year with support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Sacramento-based Resources Legacy Fund. The goal of the Initiative is to protect 80,000 acres of land in and around Silicon Valley in the next 20 years.

The CEMEX project is a unique project that will have a lasting impact on the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains. If you would like to support Sempervirens Fund’s efforts to protect the CEMEX property and other forestlands across the Santa Cruz Mountains, please make a secure and safe online donation.

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Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Big Basin is California’s oldest State Park, established in 1902 as a result of the efforts of the Sempervirens Club. Spanning more than 22,500 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, it is home to the largest stand of old-growth redwoods south of San Francisco. Since our central role in acquiring the 3,800 acres that became Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Sempervirens Fund has completed 75 additional real estate transactions and protected almost 15,000 acres within the Big Basin Redwoods State Park planning area.

Little Basin: In 2007, Sempervirens Fund partnered with the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) to purchase the Little Basin property — 535 acres of coast redwoods and scenic woodlands located adjacent to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. For many years, Little Basin was owned and operated by Hewlett-Packard Company as a retreat center for their employees. Little Basin includes a campground, picnic and recreation areas, and miles of hiking trails that connect to trails within Big Basin. Sempervirens Fund and POST jointly managed Little Basin until early 2011 when we transferred it to California State Parks. Little Basin is now a part of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The campground and other recreational facilities at Little Basin are managed by United Camps Conferences and Retreats for group camping, retreats, and outdoor education activities.
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Butano State Park

Butano State Park is a 4,500-acre park located in a secluded redwood-filled canyon. The park’s miles of popular hiking trails lead through dense redwood forest and up to high ridges offering hikers stunning views of the Pacific coast. Sempervirens Fund has completed eight transactions and protected over 1,500 acres in the Butano State Park planning area.

Gazos Wildlife Corridor: Sempervirens Fund is working to create the Gazos Wildlife Corridor, a link between Butano and Big Basin Redwoods State Parks that will provide safe passage for the wildlife that live there. The two parks are separated by a subdivision of rural, privately-owned land subject to the threats of both subdivision and development. One species for whom this protected corridor is essential is the endangered marbled murrelet. The marbled murrelet is a small bird that spends much of its life at sea and flies up to 50 miles inland to lay its single egg on the large branches of old-growth redwoods and Douglas firs. The old-growth redwoods in the Gazos Wildlife Corridor provide a prime nesting ground for the species.
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Castle Rock State Park

Castle Rock State Park is linked to Big Basin Redwoods State Park by the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail. It is located on one of the highest ridges of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The park includes 5,400 acres of coast redwood and oak forests, scenic vistas, and the breathtaking sandstone formation that rises 80 feet above the ridgetop and for which the park is named. Castle Rock was established as a park in 1968 through the combined efforts of Sempervirens Fund, the Varian family, and other local community members. Since 1968, Sempervirens Fund has completed 35 transactions, adding over 4,000 acres within the park’s planning area.

San Lorenzo River Redwoods: Sempervirens Fund purchased the 1,340-acre San Lorenzo River Redwoods adjacent to Castle Rock State Park in 2000 and four years later completed transfer of the property to the state as an addition to Castle Rock, increasing the size of the park by 37%. This redwood forest provides miles of trail connections, including the historic Saratoga Toll Road Trail which weaves through the redwoods before reuniting with the famous Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail. Hugging the headwaters of the San Lorenzo River, the San Lorenzo River Redwoods shelter the creeks and canyons of the Castle Rock watershed. The water running through the redwoods is pure and abundant, making this one of the most important steelhead fisheries on the central California coast.
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Land & Trees We’ve Saved Since 1900, Sempervirens Fund has successfully saved over 33,500 acres of redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains by raising and spending approximately $50 million to purchase and protect forest lands. These lands are now preserved in perpetuity, providing critical habitat, watershed protection, and opportunities for public recreation and inspiration, today and for future generations. Click here to download a larger version of this map as a PDF. CEMEX Property We are very excited to announce that Sempervirens Fund, together with four local conservation organizations, has acquired the largest expanse of threatened redwood forestland in the Santa Cruz Mountains! We have joined forces with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, The Nature Conservancy, Peninsula Open Space Trust, and Save the Redwoods League to preserve 8,532 acres located near the town of Davenport. Sempervirens Fund and its partners purchased the massive property from the multinational corporation CEMEX, which agreed to sell the property for $30,000,000 if the sale could be completed by the end of 2011. We closed escrow on December 16, 2011. Because the CEMEX property adjoins a number of already protected properties, including Coast Dairies, this land deal results in a protected area of over 26,000 acres and provides a critical wildlife corridor in the face of growing impacts on habitat from climate change. This purchase—the largest in Sempervirens Fund’s history—also marks a huge step toward achieving our vision for a Great Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The CEMEX acquisition project is the first major project to result from the Living Landscape Initiative, a collaboration of five conservation groups involved in the CEMEX deal that was launched earlier this year with support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Sacramento-based Resources Legacy Fund. The goal of the Initiative is to protect 80,000 acres of land in and around Silicon Valley in the next 20 years. The CEMEX project is a unique project that will have a lasting impact on the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains. If you would like to support Sempervirens Fund’s efforts to protect the CEMEX property and other forestlands across the Santa Cruz Mountains, please make a secure and safe online donation. \| top \| Big Basin Redwoods State Park Big Basin is California’s oldest State Park, established in 1902 as a result of the efforts of the Sempervirens Club. Spanning more than 22,500 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, it is home to the largest stand of old-growth redwoods south of San Francisco. Since our central role in acquiring the 3,800 acres that became Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Sempervirens Fund has completed 75 additional real estate transactions and protected almost 15,000 acres within the Big Basin Redwoods State Park planning area. Little Basin: In 2007, Sempervirens Fund partnered with the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) to purchase the Little Basin property — 535 acres of coast redwoods and scenic woodlands located adjacent to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. For many years, Little Basin was owned and operated by Hewlett-Packard Company as a retreat center for their employees. Little Basin includes a campground, picnic and recreation areas, and miles of hiking trails that connect to trails within Big Basin. Sempervirens Fund and POST jointly managed Little Basin until early 2011 when we transferred it to California State Parks. Little Basin is now a part of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The campground and other recreational facilities at Little Basin are managed by United Camps Conferences and Retreats for group camping, retreats, and outdoor education activities. \| top \| Butano State Park Butano State Park is a 4,500-acre park located in a secluded redwood-filled canyon. The park’s miles of popular hiking trails lead through dense redwood forest and up to high ridges offering hikers stunning views of the Pacific coast. Sempervirens Fund has completed eight transactions and protected over 1,500 acres in the Butano State Park planning area. Gazos Wildlife Corridor: Sempervirens Fund is working to create the Gazos Wildlife Corridor, a link between Butano and Big Basin Redwoods State Parks that will provide safe passage for the wildlife that live there. The two parks are separated by a subdivision of rural, privately-owned land subject to the threats of both subdivision and development. One species for whom this protected corridor is essential is the endangered marbled murrelet. The marbled murrelet is a small bird that spends much of its life at sea and flies up to 50 miles inland to lay its single egg on the large branches of old-growth redwoods and Douglas firs. The old-growth redwoods in the Gazos Wildlife Corridor provide a prime nesting ground for the species. \| top \| Castle Rock State Park Castle Rock State Park is linked to Big Basin Redwoods State Park by the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail. It is located on one of the highest ridges of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The park includes 5,400 acres of coast redwood and oak forests, scenic vistas, and the breathtaking sandstone formation that rises 80 feet above the ridgetop and for which the park is named. Castle Rock was established as a park in 1968 through the combined efforts of Sempervirens Fund, the Varian family, and other local community members. Since 1968, Sempervirens Fund has completed 35 transactions, adding over 4,000 acres within the park’s planning area. San Lorenzo River Redwoods: Sempervirens Fund purchased the 1,340-acre San Lorenzo River Redwoods adjacent to Castle Rock State Park in 2000 and four years later completed transfer of the property to the state as an addition to Castle Rock, increasing the size of the park by 37%. This redwood forest provides miles of trail connections, including the historic Saratoga Toll Road Trail which weaves through the redwoods before reuniting with the famous Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail. Hugging the headwaters of the San Lorenzo River, the San Lorenzo River Redwoods shelter the creeks and canyons of the Castle Rock watershed. The water running through the redwoods is pure and abundant, making this one of the most important steelhead fisheries on the central California coast. \| top \|