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Accessibility Guide Bob Coomber 4 Wheel Bob By Ian Bornarth

Accessibility in the Santa Cruz Mountains

We are showcasing accessible trails in the Santa Cruz mountains, and we talked with Bob Coomber–the renowned hiker “4 Wheel Bob”, lifelong admirer of redwoods, and member of the State Parks Recreational Trails Commission–to discuss his experiences with accessibility and how he has overcome challenges to explore the outdoors far beyond where the paved trail ends.

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Asia Rainbow Eucalyptus By Dirk HR Spennemann

10 Trees Around the World

We’ve gathered 10 of the most interesting trees from around the world and parks where you might meet them. We hope these trees help nurture appreciation for all that they do for us, wildlife, and the planet. If you’re ready to share your appreciation for trees and want to help spread the love, join us for our Hug-a-Tree Challenge on Earth Day, April 22, 2022 where you can help establish a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® title for the most photos of people hugging trees in one hour.

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an illustration of a redwood tree in a glass box experiencing floods on one side and fire on the other, by Jane Kim, Ink Dwell

Redwoods and Climate

The Santa Cruz mountains are a southern stronghold for California’s coast redwoods. The range’s oldest trees have withstood nearly two millennia of drought, floods, winds, fires, earthquakes, and changes made by the area’s human residents. In this new series we explore how Earth’s changing climate shaped redwoods, is affecting redwoods today, and what the future holds.

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Learn Redwoods And People Environmental Health

50 Trees in 50 States

We’ve created a list of 50 iconic trees from every state across the country along with a list of the top hikes in parks near you.

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A group of hikers looks up to an unseen redwood canopy in awe

Top 10 Redwood Trails

If you’ve been yearning to reunite with coast redwoods or to see one for the first time, look no further. We’ve gathered trails that feature old-growth redwoods, mature second-growth redwood groves, rare dwarf redwoods, and even rarer ghost redwoods all right here in the Santa Cruz mountains. Here are our Top 10 Redwood Trails for 2022 with the best places to see redwoods now.

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Aerial photography of the Saddle Mountain conservation area at the east entrance to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. This view looks west along California Highway 236 into Big Basin. The canopy is dominated by the crowns of redwoods, most of which were burned by the 2020 CZU wildfire. Photo by Jordan Plotsky.

NEWS: Redwood Forests at Big Basin Entrance Slated for Conservation

On January 11, 2022, Sempervirens Fund announced that they have an agreement to purchase 153-acres of redwood forests in Boulder Creek, Calif., which will become a new scenic entrance to Big Basin Redwoods State Park along California Highway 236. Sempervirens Fund has launched a campaign to raise $2.86 million by January 31 to permanently protect the property.

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Bats of the Redwoods

Love them or hate them, bats are an important part of our ecosystem. They help control insect populations and even pollinate some flowers. And like all of us at Sempervirens Fund, they find solace in and spend a lot of time among the redwoods. Read on to learn what one researcher discovered about bats of the redwoods.

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San Vicente Creek: Restoring a Stronghold

Mill Creek had been blocked since early in the last century by a 12-foot-tall, 25-foot-wide dam a quarter mile upstream from its confluence with the main aquatic thoroughfare, San Vicente Creek. In September 2021, that dam was removed, giving Mill Creek another half mile of free flow. The story of removing Mill Creek’s dam is a story about the pieces that fit together to bring life and vitality to an ecosystem.

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Old Growth Redwood Grove Fairy Circle

Old-Growth: What it Means and Why it Matters

Of the 10,000 acres of old-growth redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains, less than 1,000 acres remain unprotected in small, fragmented patches across the region. But what does old-growth really mean? Although old-growth has no one agreed upon definition, read on to learn more about what old-growth means for Sempervirens Fund and why it matters for the forests, wildlife, and people in and around the Santa Cruz Mountains.

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Filice Ranch meadow

320-Acre Filice Ranch Acquired in Sempervirens Fund/POST Partnership

Mostly forested with redwoods, the area has superlative conservation values for native flora and fauna. Los Altos, Calif. — May 9, 2019 — Sempervirens Fund and Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) today announced a deal to acquire and protect 320 acres of historic land north of Davenport, in a deal worth $3.85 million. Purchased from…

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