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Big Basin Recovery Fund Supports Access and Safety Improvements

December 16, 2020

NEWS: Sempervirens Fund and Save the Redwoods League have raised $543,000 to date for California State Parks and the massive recovery effort at Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The first disbursement of $200,000 will primarily support staffing and equipment costs for removing damaged and fallen trees that pose a hazard to other trees, personnel and future visitors.

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Big Basin Redwoods State Park entrance sign

Big Basin Memories

December 3, 2020

In August 2020, a widespread lightning storm ignited fires in the Santa Cruz mountains. The fires, centered in the historic Big Basin Redwoods State Park, and while we wait to return to Big Basin, people around the world are sharing their memories of their visits to this magnificent park.

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On #GivingTuesday, triple your support for redwoods

November 20, 2020

The future of redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains is in your hands. Wildfires in 2020 have burned over more than 86,000 acres of land, and redwoods recovery efforts have begun. Your #GivingTuesday gift today will be triple-matched and will have an immediate impact restoring redwood forests in the region. Our work in 2021 will reach far beyond Big Basin. Your triple-matched gift today will not only restore damaged forests, but it will also add fuel breaks and make forests more resilient to climate change. This will help the forests on our properties withstand the next disaster, which is sure to come. This work will help wildlife like the marbled murrelet, Coho salmon, and mountain lions thrive in a healthy forest home. And as always, we will continue to buy and protect more forest landscapes.

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As 2020 ends, double your support for redwoods

November 20, 2020

The future of redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains is in your hands. Wildfires in 2020 have burned over more than 86,000 acres of land, and redwoods recovery efforts have begun. Your gift today will be matched and will have an immediate impact restoring redwood forests in the region. This is a turning point for the coast redwoods, the people who enjoy them, and the wildlife and habitats of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The lands we have known so well—and walked, saved, and sweated over with many of you—are transforming. Big Basin Redwoods State Park, beloved by millions worldwide, was at the heart of the devastation. More than 10,000 acres of redwood forests you have protected also burned over in the wildfires. It will take years for the redwoods to recover, but we are seeing signs of hope in the recovery already. But there is much work to do

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Hiking in fall at Big Basin.

Fall & Winter Outdoor Ideas 2020

November 10, 2020

Whether you want to get out to explore the changing colors of oaks and maples, watch banana slugs and salamanders move across the damp earth, listen to the low roar of a gushing waterfall, or even camp overnight, here are some ideas for fall and winter outdoor opportunities to enjoy the Santa Cruz Mountains.

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New growth sprouting in the redwoods after a fire

What Recovery Means for Big Basin and Santa Cruz Redwoods

August 26, 2020

Although the fires are no longer consuming the landscape throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains, we still grieve for the people in our community whose lives were in danger during the CZU Lightning Complex wildfires in August and September 2020. We continue to receive questions about what comes next. We don’t have all the answers, but we talked with Laura McLendon, our Director of Conservation, for a sense of what happened, and what’s to come, for redwood forests at Big Basin Redwoods State Park, and beyond.

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Big Basin Redwoods State Park before the wildfires from the CZU Lightening Incident

Wildfires in Big Basin Redwoods State Park

August 20, 2020

We are devastated to report that Big Basin, as we have known it, loved it, and cherished it for generations, is gone. Early reports are that the wildfire has consumed much of the park’s historic facilities. We do not yet know the fate of the park’s grandest old trees.

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LWCF is Forever

Land and Water Conservation Fund is Forever!

August 4, 2020

Thanks to your calls and letters to legislators, the President today made it official: we have achieved permanent and full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

The bill, the Great American Outdoors Act, delivers permanent, dedicated, annual funding of $900 million for LWCF and up to $9.5 billion annually over the next five years to address the urgent and deferred maintenance needs on federal lands, parks, and forests.

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Saratoga Gap Trail, Castle Rock State Park

Historic Moment for the Land and Water Conservation Fund

July 23, 2020

Thanks to your calls to legislators, we are one step away from permanent and full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Yesterday the House of Representatives passed the Great American Outdoors Act by a significant majority.

The President announced his intent to sign the bill, and we look forward to celebrating this historic achievement with you. This bill would deliver permanent, dedicated, annual funding of $900 million for LWCF and up to $9.5 million annually over the next five years to address the urgent and deferred maintenance needs on federal lands, parks, and forests.

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Image of the Gazos Creek Property, taken from the overlook on Olmo Fire Road.

Action Alert: Great American Outdoors Act Need Your Support

July 16, 2020

Help make immediate and long-lasting impacts on conservation here in California and across America. America is one vote and one signature away from resolving a generations-long fight to completely dedicate funding for the conservation of critical lands and water resources. Last week the Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act in a historic 73-25 bipartisan vote. The bill provides full and dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and alleviates a growing backlog of national park projects.

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Media Inquiries?

Call (650) 949-1453 x207 or email redwoods@sempervirens.org

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