Preserve the Gateway to Big Basin
Join Sempervirens Fund for a once-in-a-generation opportunity to preserve the Gateway to Big Basin. Together, we have the opportunity to permanently protect 153 acres of redwood forests and preserve a scenic approach into Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
We believe that preserving the Gateway to Big Basin permanently protects critical redwood forests and watershed lands, improving the resiliency and health of regional habitats in the Santa Cruz mountains. Donate by January 31 and your gift will be matched dollar for dollar up to $200,000.
What's at Stake?
A century ago, from ridges to canyons, the redwoods of the Gateway property were decimated—clear cut to build nearby cities and towns. When the trees were gone, new ones rose to take their place, establishing what today is a healthy second-generation coast redwood forest. For decades, permanently protecting the Gateway property has been a priority. If we do not seize this opportunity now, we cannot secure the forest’s future, especially from development or logging, along the scenic entranceway to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. View a map of the property here.
photo by Hasain Rasheed.
Protect Forests and Waterways
The Gateway’s forests are healthy and thriving, and, surrounded by three ridges, the Gateway forms a micro basin of its own in the region, sheltering essential resources important for nearby forests, wildlife, and creeks, including the headwaters of the Boulder Creek watershed. With your support, Sempervirens Fund experts quickly purchase real property for conservation and public recreation before they are lost to development. We believe protecting the Gateway permanently secures the forest’s future.
photo by Hasain Rasheed
Recovery from Fire
Douglas fir trees were the hardest hit species in the wake of the CZU Lightning Complex wildfires in August and September 2020. The wildfire, which scorched more than 86,000 acres, including 97% of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, burned at a lower intensity in the Gateway to Big Basin. Most Douglas firs survived, and they will be invaluable as a seed bank for regrowth in nearby forests. We believe preserving the Gateway improves the resiliency for these and nearby forests and communities in the face of climate change.
photo by Hasain Rasheed
Reimagine Big Basin
The Gateway is bisected by Highway 236 and serves as the scenic entranceway to Big Basin, California’s oldest state park. Permanently preserving the Gateway ensures that the scenic entrance to Big Basin is forever protected. And as the park is reimagined, the Gateway property is essential to the park’s protection of redwood forests and the Boulder Creek watershed. In the future, it may also serve as a visitor-serving gateway and be part of the main entrance to the park. We believe the Gateway can become a destination for scenic hiking and camping experiences among forests, creeks, and meadows.
photo by Hasain Rasheed