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Photography

An Inspiring Partnership From The Start

Like Sempervirens Fund, photography preserves the beauty of the Santa Cruz Mountains forever. In a click, photographers capture the wild, rugged, and diverse landscapes, and it’s majestic plant and wildlife inhabitants in an image that inspires others to connect with and protect them for future generations. It was a photographer who founded Sempervirens Fund in 1900, launching the redwood conservation movement and the largest State Park system in the nation. And it is photography today that continues to help illustrate what is at risk and what can flourish when preserved and cared for, for people and wildlife to enjoy for generations to come.

Here you can enjoy the work of talented and dedicated photographers.

photo by I. Bornarth.

Photographers

These are some of the amazing photographers whose work helps to inspire change and curiosity—protecting the Santa Cruz Mountains and connecting people with them.

Insta Worthy

You can see stunning photos from the photographers above and many others at work inspiring protection and connection of the Santa Cruz Mountains on our Instagram feed below and at @SempervirensFund on Instagram.

There’s something magical about stepping into a redwood fairy ring.✨ 
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📸 Orenda Randuch @orenda_orenda
Photo ID: A person stands on a path admiring towering redwood trees in a sunlit forest.
#redwoodtrees #redwoodforest #redwoods #norcal #santacruz #santacruzmountains #naturelover #naturephotography

There’s something magical about stepping into a redwood fairy ring.✨
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📸 Orenda Randuch @orenda_orenda
Photo ID: A person stands on a path admiring towering redwood trees in a sunlit forest.
#redwoodtrees #redwoodforest #redwoods #norcal #santacruz #santacruzmountains #naturelover #naturephotography
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Join Sempervirens Fund on Sunday, May 18 to celebrate 125 years of protecting redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains!

Hosted among the redwoods at the historic Roaring Camp, our first-ever Redwoods Festival will celebrate the redwoods with supporters like you and feature live music, train rides, hiking tours, food trucks, and other family fun!

Details of the festival:

• Date: Sunday, May 18, 2025
• Time: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
• Location: Roaring Camp, 5401 Graham Hill Rd, Felton, CA 95018
• Cost: Parking only. Reserve your parking spot at sempervirens.org and stay updated on details.

The Redwoods Festival offers something for everyone, from outdoor enthusiasts to families looking for fun and adventure.

🚂 A scenic train ride through the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains
🌲 Guided hikes in partnership with Henry Cowell State Park
🎶 Live music from a local band
🍔 Food trucks offering mouth watering options
🦉 Get up close with raptors and learn about these magnificent birds of prey
🍃 The Community Forest featuring our extraordinary partners and community

Let's gather together for fun, connection, and a celebration of the incredible work we've accomplished together to protect these majestic redwood forests!
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#redwoods #santacruz #santacruzmountains #roaringcamp #henrycowellredwoods
Photo ID: Invitation to the Sempervirens Fund Redwoods Festival on May 18, 2025, celebrating 125 years. The invitation is displayed in a lush redwood forest with towering trees and misty air.

Join Sempervirens Fund on Sunday, May 18 to celebrate 125 years of protecting redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains!

Hosted among the redwoods at the historic Roaring Camp, our first-ever Redwoods Festival will celebrate the redwoods with supporters like you and feature live music, train rides, hiking tours, food trucks, and other family fun!

Details of the festival:

• Date: Sunday, May 18, 2025
• Time: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
• Location: Roaring Camp, 5401 Graham Hill Rd, Felton, CA 95018
• Cost: Parking only. Reserve your parking spot at sempervirens.org and stay updated on details.

The Redwoods Festival offers something for everyone, from outdoor enthusiasts to families looking for fun and adventure.

🚂 A scenic train ride through the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains
🌲 Guided hikes in partnership with Henry Cowell State Park
🎶 Live music from a local band
🍔 Food trucks offering mouth watering options
🦉 Get up close with raptors and learn about these magnificent birds of prey
🍃 The Community Forest featuring our extraordinary partners and community

Let`s gather together for fun, connection, and a celebration of the incredible work we`ve accomplished together to protect these majestic redwood forests!
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#redwoods #santacruz #santacruzmountains #roaringcamp #henrycowellredwoods
Photo ID: Invitation to the Sempervirens Fund Redwoods Festival on May 18, 2025, celebrating 125 years. The invitation is displayed in a lush redwood forest with towering trees and misty air.
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Get to know the Gray Fox: The only member of the canine family that can climb trees thanks to strong hooked claws, gray foxes are known to climb trees for fruit, birds and to evade predators. When climbing to safety isn’t an option for these California natives, gray foxes can double back on their own footprints to try to throw predators like bobcats and coyotes off their trail.

When we protect the coast redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains, we also protect the rich diversity of life that thrives here. 🌲🦊

#redwoods #santacruzmountains #wildlife #naturelovers #naturephotography #santacruz

Get to know the Gray Fox: The only member of the canine family that can climb trees thanks to strong hooked claws, gray foxes are known to climb trees for fruit, birds and to evade predators. When climbing to safety isn’t an option for these California natives, gray foxes can double back on their own footprints to try to throw predators like bobcats and coyotes off their trail.

When we protect the coast redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains, we also protect the rich diversity of life that thrives here. 🌲🦊

#redwoods #santacruzmountains #wildlife #naturelovers #naturephotography #santacruz
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We couldn't let #WomensHistoryMonth pass by without acknowledging the visionary legacy of Josephine Clifford McCracken. Along with a group of friends, she formed the Sempervirens Club (now called Sempervirens Fund) which was instrumental in founding Big Basin Redwoods State Park in 1902. Josephine was a writer, horticulturist and environmentalist who became a true champion of saving California’s redwoods. We are forever grateful for her dedication and leadership.
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#redwoods #santacruz #conservation #inspiringwomen
ID: Black and white historical photo of Josephine Clifford McCracken, an environmentalist and co-founder of Sempervirens Club, commemorating Women's History Month.

We couldn`t let #WomensHistoryMonth pass by without acknowledging the visionary legacy of Josephine Clifford McCracken. Along with a group of friends, she formed the Sempervirens Club (now called Sempervirens Fund) which was instrumental in founding Big Basin Redwoods State Park in 1902. Josephine was a writer, horticulturist and environmentalist who became a true champion of saving California’s redwoods. We are forever grateful for her dedication and leadership.
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#redwoods #santacruz #conservation #inspiringwomen
ID: Black and white historical photo of Josephine Clifford McCracken, an environmentalist and co-founder of Sempervirens Club, commemorating Women`s History Month.
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🌲 As they age, redwoods also become more resilient: better able to protect themselves and support the forest. Their thick, armor-like bark can grow to be a foot thick–helping to protect them from fire, pests, and rot.

🌲 Old-growth canopies are higher and harder for fire to reach. Their well-established root systems spread 100-feet wide and interconnect with fungi and other trees throughout the forest to share nutrients and information.

🌲 Old-growth redwoods are able to help support the forest as a whole, and with their ancient lifespans they are able to live for millennia.

An old-growth redwood is one of the largest living things to ever grace the planet. And their size isn’t just impressive, it's important. In the Santa Cruz Mountains very few old-growth redwoods remain, but together we can help to grow the old-growth of tomorrow for future generations.
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#redwoods #redwoodtree #santacruzmountains #norcal #santacruz #redwoodforest #naturelovers #naturephotography

🌲 As they age, redwoods also become more resilient: better able to protect themselves and support the forest. Their thick, armor-like bark can grow to be a foot thick–helping to protect them from fire, pests, and rot.

🌲 Old-growth canopies are higher and harder for fire to reach. Their well-established root systems spread 100-feet wide and interconnect with fungi and other trees throughout the forest to share nutrients and information.

🌲 Old-growth redwoods are able to help support the forest as a whole, and with their ancient lifespans they are able to live for millennia.

An old-growth redwood is one of the largest living things to ever grace the planet. And their size isn’t just impressive, it`s important. In the Santa Cruz Mountains very few old-growth redwoods remain, but together we can help to grow the old-growth of tomorrow for future generations.
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#redwoods #redwoodtree #santacruzmountains #norcal #santacruz #redwoodforest #naturelovers #naturephotography
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🍄 Orange Jelly fungi can look a lot like Witches' Butter. So how can you tell them apart?

🍄 Orange Jellies are more orange and less “snotty” than Witches’ Butter. But unless you have them side by side, the easiest way to tell them apart is by what they’re growing on. Mycologist and researcher Maya Elson explains that mushroom identification is often “rotting log identification.”

🍄 The Orange Jelly spot (Dacrymyces chrysospermus) pictured on the right was found growing on a Douglas-fir which makes cones whereas the Witches' Butter on the left (Tremella aurantia) is a parasitic fungus that grows on false turkey tail fungi on broad-leaved trees like oaks.

🍄 Meet the mushrooms hard at work at San Vicente Redwoods in an in-depth photo essay exploration with Mycologist and researcher Maya Elson and photographer Orenda Randuch. (🔗 in bio.)
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📸 Orenda Randuch @orenda_orenda
Photo ID: A side by side photo showing Orange Jelly and Witches' Brew fungi
#redwoodforest #santacruzmountains #santacruz #fungi #fungilove #fungophotography #fungiofinstagram #naturelovers #naturephotography

🍄 Orange Jelly fungi can look a lot like Witches` Butter. So how can you tell them apart?

🍄 Orange Jellies are more orange and less “snotty” than Witches’ Butter. But unless you have them side by side, the easiest way to tell them apart is by what they’re growing on. Mycologist and researcher Maya Elson explains that mushroom identification is often “rotting log identification.”

🍄 The Orange Jelly spot (Dacrymyces chrysospermus) pictured on the right was found growing on a Douglas-fir which makes cones whereas the Witches` Butter on the left (Tremella aurantia) is a parasitic fungus that grows on false turkey tail fungi on broad-leaved trees like oaks.

🍄 Meet the mushrooms hard at work at San Vicente Redwoods in an in-depth photo essay exploration with Mycologist and researcher Maya Elson and photographer Orenda Randuch. (🔗 in bio.)
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📸 Orenda Randuch @orenda_orenda
Photo ID: A side by side photo showing Orange Jelly and Witches` Brew fungi
#redwoodforest #santacruzmountains #santacruz #fungi #fungilove #fungophotography #fungiofinstagram #naturelovers #naturephotography
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