2017-18 Annual Report
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ANNUAL REPORT 2018 CELEBRATING A CENTURY OF SUCCESS Pursuing a Bold, New Vision Contents 4 ACHIEVEMENTS The impact of your support 2017-18 6 PROTECT Safeguarding ancient redwoods and vibrant forest landscapes Highlights Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve Red Hill Mailliard Ranch Grove of Old Trees 9 RESTORE Setting young redwood forests on the path to become ancient wonderlands Highlights State of Redwoods Conservation Report Centennial Vision for Redwoods Conservation Redwoods Rising Preventing Severe Wildfires Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative Redwood Genomes 12 CONNECT Linking people to the redwood forests’ peace and beauty Highlights Free Parks Pass Events Enhancing the Visitor Experience in Yosemite National Park, Humboldt Redwoods, Portola Redwoods, Big Basin Redwoods, Calaveras Big Trees, and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Parks, and Redwood National and State Parks Exhibits at California Academy of Sciences and The Bancroft Library 22 FINANCES To use our resources responsibly, this publication is printed with soy-based inks on paper that contains recycled fiber and is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative. If you must print this electronic version, please help conserve our 2 Saveforests the Redwoodsby reusing paper Leagueor choosing recycled, Annual chlorine-free Report paper 2018 made from waste. Dear Friends of Save the Redwoods League, For 100 years, our organization has been protecting and restoring the redwood forests and connecting people to their peace and beauty. We have protected 214,000 acres, saving treasured examples of our coast redwood and giant sequoia forests. We helped create and expand 66 redwood parks, forming the California state parks system and touching the lives of hundreds of millions of redwood park visitors across generations. And we have invested in scientific research, greatly enhancing our understanding of the natural world. Our year-long Centennial celebration began in January 2018, the fourth quarter of the fiscal year covered in this annual report. The celebration was about more than looking back and admiring our legacy. It was about celebrating with you and community members who rallied with us—and who will rally again—to save California’s iconic redwood forests. You make our work possible, and together, we can build hope and momentum for a new era of leadership to protect and heal our forests. In our second century, we are committed to doing the extraordinary. We will dramatically accelerate the pace and scale of land conservation in the redwood forests; set entire landscapes of young recovering forests on a restoration trajectory to become the old-growth forests of tomorrow; Sam Hodder, President and CEO, and revitalize the redwood parks that will inspire the next left; and Justin Faggioli, Chair of generation with a deeper understanding and appreciation the Board. of the redwood forests. This year, we took substantial steps toward achieving these COVER A pristine creek runs through Harold Richardson Redwoods goals, and we present them to you in this annual report. Reserve. The League secured an agreement to acquire this 730- Thank you for celebrating 100 years of redwoods conservation acre ancient forest, the largest with us, and for your support in the years to come. unprotected old-growth coast redwood forest left in the world. Gratefully, Learn more on page 6. OPPOSITE PAGE The 1,640-year-old McApin Tree in Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve is the oldest- known coast redwood south of Mendocino County. Learn more Justin Faggioli Sam Hodder on page 6. Chair of the Board President and Chief Executive Officer Photos: cover and opposite page by Mike Shoys; this Paolo Vescia. SaveTheRedwoods.org 3 The Impact of Your Support 2017-18 Achievements Save the Redwoods League made great progress toward our mission of protecting and restoring the redwood forests and connecting people to their peace and beauty. From the coast redwood rainforest of Redwood National and State Parks near the Oregon border to the giant sequoia in the Sierra Nevada, this year included a broad and deep portfolio of conservation successes. Through land transactions, we protected Your contributions to the Redwood critical redwood forestland. We restored Land Fund made these extraordinary degraded redwood forests, bringing to conservation successes possible, bear the highest standards of restoration allowing the League to seize forestry and setting them on a path to opportunities in a complex and fast- become vibrant old-growth forests for paced real estate market, to actively our children’s children. And we brought engage in the stewardship and tens of thousands of new visitors to the restoration of the forest, and to invest forest, inspiring wonder and moments in the redwood parks that inspire and of joy in the parks that our predecessors sustain us. helped to create. PROTECTED COMPLETED 11,000 Acres of Mailliard Ranch HIGHLIGHTS State of Redwoods Conservation Report and Purchased conservation 2017-18 Centennial Vision for easements for three- Redwoods Conservation quarters of ranch Groundbreaking report shows redwood ecosystems are facing significant REACHED AGREEMENTS challenges; our Centennial Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve + Red Hill Vision shows how we can Completed negotiations, due diligence and fundraising meet these challenges needed to purchase old-growth groves LAUNCHED RESTORED CONNECTED Redwood Genome in Redwood National throughout Project and State Parks California Began pioneering study to Thinned 500 acres 16,000 students visited sequence the coast redwood to restore historically and learned about and giant sequoia genomes logged forests redwood forests 4 Save the Redwoods League Annual Report 2018 OREGON CALIFORNIA REDWOOD NATIONAL AND STATE PARKS (pp. 10, 16) N ORICK MILL SITE (p. 16) MAP AREA Eureka HUMBOLDT REDWOODS STATE PARK (p. 13) STANSBERRY RANCH, CORRIDOR FROM THE REDWOODS TO THE SEA (p. 10) CALIFORNIA SHADY DELL (p. 10) CAPE VIZCAINO (p. 10) Mendocino MAILLIARD RANCH (p. 8) STEWARTS POINT (p. 6) HAROLD RICHARDSON REDWOODS RESERVE (p. 6) GROVE OF OLD TREES (p. 8) BEAVER CREEK (p. 10) Arnold PACIFIC CALAVERAS BIG TREES OCEAN STATE PARK (pp. 10, 15) Berkeley THE BANCROFT LIBRARY (p. 16) San Francisco CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (p. 16) MARIPOSA GROVE (p. 12) YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK (p. 12) PORTOLA REDWOODS STATE PARK (p. 14) BIG BASIN REDWOODS STATE PARK (p. 14) MAP KEY SAN VICENTE REDWOODS (p. 10) Coast Redwood Range Monterey Giant Sequoia Groves 2018 Achievements PFEIFFER BIG SUR RED HILL (p. 7) STATE PARK (p. 15) Protect Porterville Restore GIANT SEQUOIA NATIONAL MONUMENT (pp. 7, 18) Connect Map copyright © 2013 National Geographic Society. 0 50 100 miles SaveTheRedwoods.org 5 The League kicked off its second century with a Centennial Vision for Redwoods Conservation that defines our commitment to finish what we started in 1918. We are working to double the protected forest reserve over the next 100 Protect years, and ensure its health and beauty Protecting the ancient redwoods will endure for coming generations. and the vibrant forest landscapes that sustain them AGREEMENT COMPLETED TO SAVE LARGEST PRIVATE ANCIENT COAST REDWOOD FOREST Near the Sonoma coast lies 730 acres of pristine ancient coast redwood forest, a wonder that was unknown to the public until recently. Formerly known as McApin Ranch, Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve shelters the 1,640-year-old McApin Tree, the oldest-known coast redwood south of Mendocino County. The League secured an agreement to purchase and permanently protect the property from harvesting, subdivision, and development. Named after the man who owned and managed the forest for decades, the reserve is one-third larger than the famous Muir Woods National Monument and contains 47 percent more old- growth redwoods. In fiscal year 2017-18, the League completed work for an exchange of the 870-acre Stewarts Point property (permanently protected with a conservation easement) and a $9.6 million payment for the reserve. Major funding came from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, two anonymous donors, and The Mattson Family Foundation. League members also provided generous support, collectively more than $500,000 toward the purchase completed in fiscal year 2018-19. Pending a final management plan, the League will create the first ancient redwood park in a generation, opening the reserve to the public. See a video showing this amazing forest: SaveTheRedwoods.org/HRRR. 6 Save the Redwoods League Annual Report 2018 Red Hill shelters 110 ancient giant sequoia, by most assessments, the largest, oldest and most magnificent trees in the surrounding area of Giant Sequoia National Monument. OPPOSITE PAGE The League negotiated an agreement to purchase and permanently protect Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve, which contains more than 1,450 old-growth redwood trees. AGREEMENT REACHED TO PURCHASE ONE OF LAST PRIVATE GIANT SEQUOIA FORESTS Within the magnificent Giant Sequoia National Monument is the 160-acre Red Hill property, the second-largest giant sequoia grove in private hands. Red Hill contains 110 spectacular giant sequoia trees, some of the oldest, most massive and most spectacular trees in the world. The League completed work in fiscal year 2017-18 to purchase the forest, and acquired the property in June 2018. We intend to eventually transfer the property to the US Forest Service for permanent protection as part of the monument and Sequoia National Forest. In the meantime, we will be advancing forest stewardship and fuels reduction activities and considering linkages with nearby trail systems. Thanks to a generous challenge to match all gifts, the League raised more than $4 million for the purchase and stewardship of Red Hill. The funds raised supported the $3.3 million purchase and the estimated $700,000 for project costs and stewardship activities. More than 3,100 League members contributed to the effort, along with significant grants from individuals and The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation, Jerry Martin, The Summer Hill Foundation, the Ted Martin Legacy Fund at the Central Valley Community Foundation, The Conservation Alliance, and the Flora L.