Save-the-Redwoods LeagueSpring Bulletin 2006

Cover photo: Montgomery Woods State ReservePhoto by Evan Johnson

To receive our Bulletin via email, send your email address to membership@savetheredwoods.org

Save-the-Redwoods League 114 Sansome Street • Room 1200 • San Francisco • CA • 94104(415) 362-2352 voice • (415) 362-7017 fax • www.savetheredwoods.org

9 PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

A Gift for Generationsto Come: RedwoodGrove Dedication

Dedicating a redwood grovethrough a gift to Save-the-Redwoods League ensures that thebeauty and grandeur of theredwoods will continue to inspirefuture generations, while settingaside a very special place whereyou and your family may savor thetrees, rivers and wildlife of theforest. Redwood groves areavailable for dedication all alongthe redwood ecosystem, fromJedidiah Smith Redwoods StatePark in the north to LimekilnState Park in Big Sur to the south.Some are easily accessible; othersrequire sturdy shoes and a walkingstick to reach.

Donation levels for a namingopportunity start at $25,000. Thedonation may be made in a lumpsum, spread over a three-yearperiod, or by bequest or otherform of planned gift. In manyparks, a sign bearing the name ofthe honoree will be placed in thegrove.

Gifts to the League to dedicate aredwood grove can support landacquisition, environmentaleducation, redwood research,restoration, and otherprogrammatic work at the donor’srequest, and are fully deductible tothe extent of the law.

For more information, pleasecontact Jennifer Gabriel, MajorGifts Officer, by calling toll free:(888) 836-0005 or by e-mail atgroves@savetheredwoods.org

CYNTHIA GRUBB:

A Life Devoted to Conservation

As a child, Cynthia Grubb loved the 20dogwood trees planted by her father in theiryard, and she has maintained a deep love oftrees ever since. Within the first month of herarrival in California in 1955, Cynthia wenthiking in Big Basin Redwoods State Park andtravelled to Sequoia National Park – herintroduction to redwoods. She has neverforgotten these first encounters with the coastalredwood and the giant sequoia, and her lifelongcommitment to conservation was born.

Together she and husband Ted Grubb hiked many of California’s redwoodforests. Ted’s father, D. Hanson Grubb, had been a Councillor for many years,and Ted took his place upon his father’s illness. After Ted passed, Cynthiajoined the Council, and her decade of work on the Board of Directors greatlyenriched the organization. She remains an active Councillor and is a memberof the Development Committee.

Cynthia’s favorite redwood park is Montgomery Woods State Reserve, and shewas delighted to contribute in 2005 towards the successful purchase of landthat will double the size of the reserve. “My real love of trees and theopportunity to help pass on such a fantastic redwood conservation legacy forposterity are the reasons why I am involved with the League,” she says. Otherfavorite League projects include the restoration of 25,000 acres of previouslyharvested redwood lands at Mill Creek and furthering the scientificunderstanding of the Dawn Redwood indigenous to China.

Two of the family’s treasures are the memorial groves named for the wonderfulmen of the Grubb family. A spectacular grove at Montgomery Woods StateReserve is named for Ted and his father, and another beautiful grove atCalaveras Big Trees State Park is dedicated to Ted. Cynthia is very pleased thatthese groves serve as living classrooms and family memories for her daughterand grandchildren.

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On January 4, I received an e-mail from Ranger Dan Ash at Humboldt Redwoods State Park:

We’ve had 28 inches of rain in 14days this December.

Tried to attach a photo of a 10feet dbh [diameter at breastheight] redwood that fell acrossthe Avenue in Drexler Grove. Thetree fell a few minutes after Idrove by on the road. Missed me.Ironically another tree, 6’ dbhabout 100 feet from the first one,fell a few minutes before I arrivedthe next day.

There have been a number ofsignificant tree losses with thisstorm. Bank damage at Kent Grovecaused us to suffer the loss ofabout 5 big ones there. FederationGrove also had some difficulties.

Thanks for your support.

The impact of floods in the redwoods was suddenlyvery real. The League’s strategy for effectiveconservation is based on protecting redwood forestland at a scale that is sufficient to support the naturalprocesses like fire and flood, that characterize a forestin its natural state. These processes are the dynamicforces that change the forest, sustaining the vibrantsystem that is vital for long term health of a forestrather than an insulated, simplified tree zoo ofbeautiful monarch trees.

But losing any of the big old trees that have stood forhundred and hundreds of years, hits me very hard.

A week later I was in Humboldt Redwoods with Danto look at the tree that had nearly hit Dan when it fellacross the Avenue of the Giants, and to see the damagein the Women’s Federation Grove. We kept returningto the question of whether these trees had fallen as aresult of processes that were truly “natural”, or whetherthe extent of human impacts on the forest had led totheir failure.

When we walked out through the Kent Grove to thebank of the South Fork of the Eel River, it took mybreath away: the river had carved away a huge shelfsixty feet wide and more than a hundred yards long.Two of the five “big ones” that Dan had described werestill snagged in the water below; the others long gonein the high waters that had receded. Across the river,we could see the confluence of Canoe Creek with theEel. Was the bank failure within the “natural” range ofdisturbance? Or had the logging in the Canoe Creekwatershed decades before, been the cause? And whathad been the effect of the forest fire in Canoe Creekthree years before? Is the intensity of rainfall linked tosome broader pattern of climate change?

As the League works to implement appropriatestrategies to protect the forest, the support of ourmembers is critical. Your support continues the visionof the League’s founders more than 85 years ago thatled to the protection of Humboldt Redwoods StateParks: the world’s largest contiguous stand of ancientredwoods. In 1919, Stephen Mather, then the firstDirector of the National Park Service, traveled up thenew redwood highway and stopped in the midst offelled giant redwoods being split into grapestakes. Onthe spot, he pledged money from his own pocket tobuy that grove and asked William Kent to do the same.Today the Mather and Kent groves, side by side, stillstand because they acted. Their personal commitmentmade it possible for the League to halt the cutting andbuy that land: one of the League’s first acquisitions.

Thank you for your interest and commitment to savingthe redwoods in the face of the uncertainty andchallenges that lie ahead.

In the depths of the redwoods in 1919. On the edge of a grape-stakecutting along the Highway in South Fork basin.Reprinted from Zoological Society bulletin Sept. 1919 Vol. XXII No. 5

Letter from the Executive Director Mongomery Woods acquisition doubles

size of reserve. This project adds 1250 acres to Montgomery WoodsState Reserve, vastly increasing habitat diversity andprotecting the majestic ancient redwoods in the parkdownstream (see feature article).

Completion of the corridorfrom the Redwoods to the SeaProject consolidates resourceprotection and connectsmajor reserves. After many years of work, theLeague has completed the Corridorproject with an exchange of over1000 acres of land between the

League and a local rancher and transfer of the League’slands to the Bureau of Land Management forpermanent protection. The land exchange, coupledwith a conservation easement on the 4000-acre ranch,provides the last link in the chain of protected habitatstretching from the ancient redwoods of HumboldtRedwoods State Park to the wild roadless coast of theKing Range National Recreation Area.

Portola Redwoods State parkpurchase buffers the parkfrom residential development. The League recently purchased anundeveloped 80-acre parcel that liesbetween the park and a developedresidential area to the east. Theforested property enhancesprotection of the Peters Creek groveof ancient redwoods, one of the most spectacular grovesin the Bay Area, and provides new recreationalopportunities within the Park.

Forest of Nisene Marks acqui-sition removes a criticalinholding. State Parks has long sought to buyout the last few private holdings inthe Hinkley Basin area of the park,where a handful of isolatedresidences have created

administrative headaches for years. With the assistanceof the seller, the League arranged to remove the existingcabin on the property so that it could be delivered toState Parks clear of buildings, ready to be assimilatedinto the surrounding redwood forest.

Map by GreenInfo Network www.greeninfo.org

Recent League Acquisitions

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S a v e - t h e - R e d w o o d s L e a g u e | S p r i n g B u l l e t i n Page S a v e - t h e - R e d w o o d s L e a g u e | S p r i n g B u l l e t i n Page

On January 4, I received an e-mail from Ranger Dan Ash at Humboldt Redwoods State Park:

We’ve had 28 inches of rain in 14days this December.

Tried to attach a photo of a 10feet dbh [diameter at breastheight] redwood that fell acrossthe Avenue in Drexler Grove. Thetree fell a few minutes after Idrove by on the road. Missed me.Ironically another tree, 6’ dbhabout 100 feet from the first one,fell a few minutes before I arrivedthe next day.

There have been a number ofsignificant tree losses with thisstorm. Bank damage at Kent Grovecaused us to suffer the loss ofabout 5 big ones there. FederationGrove also had some difficulties.

Thanks for your support.

The impact of floods in the redwoods was suddenlyvery real. The League’s strategy for effectiveconservation is based on protecting redwood forestland at a scale that is sufficient to support the naturalprocesses like fire and flood, that characterize a forestin its natural state. These processes are the dynamicforces that change the forest, sustaining the vibrantsystem that is vital for long term health of a forestrather than an insulated, simplified tree zoo ofbeautiful monarch trees.

But losing any of the big old trees that have stood forhundred and hundreds of years, hits me very hard.

A week later I was in Humboldt Redwoods with Danto look at the tree that had nearly hit Dan when it fellacross the Avenue of the Giants, and to see the damagein the Women’s Federation Grove. We kept returningto the question of whether these trees had fallen as aresult of processes that were truly “natural”, or whetherthe extent of human impacts on the forest had led totheir failure.

When we walked out through the Kent Grove to thebank of the South Fork of the Eel River, it took mybreath away: the river had carved away a huge shelfsixty feet wide and more than a hundred yards long.Two of the five “big ones” that Dan had described werestill snagged in the water below; the others long gonein the high waters that had receded. Across the river,we could see the confluence of Canoe Creek with theEel. Was the bank failure within the “natural” range ofdisturbance? Or had the logging in the Canoe Creekwatershed decades before, been the cause? And whathad been the effect of the forest fire in Canoe Creekthree years before? Is the intensity of rainfall linked tosome broader pattern of climate change?

As the League works to implement appropriatestrategies to protect the forest, the support of ourmembers is critical. Your support continues the visionof the League’s founders more than 85 years ago thatled to the protection of Humboldt Redwoods StateParks: the world’s largest contiguous stand of ancientredwoods. In 1919, Stephen Mather, then the firstDirector of the National Park Service, traveled up thenew redwood highway and stopped in the midst offelled giant redwoods being split into grapestakes. Onthe spot, he pledged money from his own pocket tobuy that grove and asked William Kent to do the same.Today the Mather and Kent groves, side by side, stillstand because they acted. Their personal commitmentmade it possible for the League to halt the cutting andbuy that land: one of the League’s first acquisitions.

Thank you for your interest and commitment to savingthe redwoods in the face of the uncertainty andchallenges that lie ahead.

In the depths of the redwoods in 1919. On the edge of a grape-stakecutting along the Highway in South Fork basin.Reprinted from Zoological Society bulletin Sept. 1919 Vol. XXII No. 5

Letter from the Executive Director Mongomery Woods acquisition doubles

size of reserve. This project adds 1250 acres to Montgomery WoodsState Reserve, vastly increasing habitat diversity andprotecting the majestic ancient redwoods in the parkdownstream (see feature article).

Completion of the corridorfrom the Redwoods to the SeaProject consolidates resourceprotection and connectsmajor reserves. After many years of work, theLeague has completed the Corridorproject with an exchange of over1000 acres of land between the

League and a local rancher and transfer of the League’slands to the Bureau of Land Management forpermanent protection. The land exchange, coupledwith a conservation easement on the 4000-acre ranch,provides the last link in the chain of protected habitatstretching from the ancient redwoods of HumboldtRedwoods State Park to the wild roadless coast of theKing Range National Recreation Area.

Portola Redwoods State parkpurchase buffers the parkfrom residential development. The League recently purchased anundeveloped 80-acre parcel that liesbetween the park and a developedresidential area to the east. Theforested property enhancesprotection of the Peters Creek groveof ancient redwoods, one of the most spectacular grovesin the Bay Area, and provides new recreationalopportunities within the Park.

Forest of Nisene Marks acqui-sition removes a criticalinholding. State Parks has long sought to buyout the last few private holdings inthe Hinkley Basin area of the park,where a handful of isolatedresidences have created

administrative headaches for years. With the assistanceof the seller, the League arranged to remove the existingcabin on the property so that it could be delivered toState Parks clear of buildings, ready to be assimilatedinto the surrounding redwood forest.

Map by GreenInfo Network www.greeninfo.org

Recent League Acquisitions

phot

o by

Rus

kin

Har

tley

phot

o by

Jef

f Can

epa

S a v e - t h e - R e d w o o d s L e a g u e | F a l l B u l l e t i n Page S a v e - t h e - R e d w o o d s L e a g u e | F a l l B u l l e t i n Page S a v e - t h e - R e d w o o d s L e a g u e | S p r i n g B u l l e t i n Page S a v e - t h e - R e d w o o d s L e a g u e S p r i n g B u l l e t i n Page

“All the water on this land, all the wildlife onthis land – it’s all connected to the watershed”

Ian Ross, Former Property Owner

The property bears archeologicalevidence of Native Americans usingthe land 5,000 years ago, and Rossanticipates that California StateParks will manage the land for thefuture with equal appreciation. Hedescribes exploring a wonderland ofwinter waterfalls tumbling intofern-encrusted grottoes, groves ofsculpted buckeyes haunted byrabbit, deer, fox, golden eagle, andblack bear, and summer springswhere the wildflowers riot and thewater comes right out of theground. “We wanted to see thisnever get developed” says Ross.

With this year’s addition, the statereserve now abuts a large privateranch managed under aconservation easement whichensures that its old growthredwoods will never be cut.Together with four adjacent BLMproperties, more than 5400 acres ofprotected lands are linked together.In securing such a generous slice ofthis steep drainage at theheadwaters of the Big River’s southfork, the transaction linksnumerous habitats across thewatershed, a landmark of creatingviable public parks and a hallmarkof the League’s Master Plan for theconservation of our few remainingcoast redwood forests at theecosystem level. “We consider this avery high-leverage asset,” says MikeWells, superintendent for theMendocino District of CaliforniaState Parks. “By filling in gapsbetween existing public andpreserved lands, this purchase truly

multiplies ourprotected acreage.”

Ian Ross shares thisvision. “All the wateron this land, all thewildlife on this land– it’s all connected tothe watershed,” saysRoss, who firstapproached theLeague last year todiscuss the terms of adeal. He and hiswife, both retiredelectronics executives,

assembled their property from eightparcels purchased piecemeal fromfour sellers over the last decade.

Looking from the Ross property toward Montgomery Woods photo by Ruskin Hartley

The Legacy of Ynes Mexia

Ynes Mexia, the recentlywidowed granddaughter of aMexican general, traveled to SanFrancisco in 1909, where shediscovered her love for thenatural world, especially the holysilence of an old-growthredwood grove.

In 1919, one year after theLeague’s founding, she sent acheck for $2.00 to join theLeague: “I am heartily insympathy with any effort to savethese trees”, mentioningMontgomery Grove. Her letterssparked the beginning of theLeague’s actions to protectMontgomery Woods.

She never missed a year’smembership contribution exceptin 1931 when she was on a threeyear solo botany expedition inthe Amazon. In her lifetime, shecollected more than 150,000specimens including 500 newspecies.

Ynes Mexialeft half of herestate to theLeague.Honoring herlove forMontgomeryWoods, theLeaguededicated a grove there in her memory.

Go there yourself. Be inspired byYnes Mexia, whose membershipand “interest in the movementfor which the League stands” ledher to “give it a great deal ofthought, and …wonder if thereis anything I can do, as anindividual, to help the workalong.”

Mexia grove Photo by Evan Johnson

Hope Springs from theHeadwatersLeague Purchase Doubles Montgomery Woods

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(continued on page 6)

“Breaking it up would disrupt thewildlife patterns and the network ofhabitats. Seeing the wildlife up hereand feeling myself a part of it —this has become one of my greatestjoys, and it was a formative elementin the growth of my children.”

Meanwhile, the Cook propertiesincluded easements over publiclands in the old-growth redwoods,and when the threat arose ofbulldozers clearing roads, a host ofconcerned citizens including Rosstook voiced concern. The League’sability to move quickly to buy these

lands turned that potential threatinto a conservation success. Suchbold initiative has distinguished theLeague since it first responded toYnes Mexia’s cry for help 87 yearsago, and it remains possiblethrough the generous support ofdonations to the League’s RedwoodLand Program.

The newly expanded reserve nowincludes dramatic ridgetops paintedwith 300 acres of Californiaoatgrass, the beautiful long-livedDanthonia californica. Suchmeadows have largely beeneliminated from most of theCalifornia Coast Ranges byovergrazing and invasion of weedslike medusahead, Italian thistle,barbed goatgrass, and other exoticannuals inadvertently introduced byEuropeans with their livestock andtheir feedbags. These annual grasseslive fast and die young, leaving ourhillsides in summer thatcharacteristic shade of goldenbrown; but perennial native grassesstay green throughout the year,especially in the moist meadowswhere Danthonia thrives.

Field ecologists surveying the Rossproperty discovered a pure three-acre stand of Oregon oak (Quercusgarryana), a gorgeous deciduoustree with pale white bark andgnarled limbs. Q. garryana can live500 years, and is a commonelement of mixed evergreen andconifer woodlands from Californiato British Columbia, but only rarelyoccurs at this latitude as its ownforest type. Here the understory is

eep currents connect theancient to the contemporary inMontgomery Woods, where livingstands of old redwood dwarf ourhuman perceptions of time. One ofthe last and largest remaining standsin logged-over Mendocino County,this virgin first-growth forest 10miles west of Ukiah first came topublic attention in 1919, when theeminent botanist Ynes Mexia wrotea plea (enclosed with her $2 Leaguemembership dues) that themagnificent specimens ofMontgomery Grove should bespared the fate of “the axe and theshake.” Spurred to swift action, theLeague reported back the next yearthat cutting in the heart of thegrove had been halted. The old-growth stand finally received stateprotection when Robert Orrdonated a nine-acre parcel to createthe Montgomery Woods StateReserve in 1945.

From this seed, subsequentpurchases and donations from theLeague have grown MontgomeryWoods to a magnificent 2,382acres, boosted in major part by theLeague’s purchase this year of threeproperties from twosellers, Ian Ross and hiswife Jody Edwards, andJon Cook, effectivelydoubling the park’stotal size. The landincludes a wide range ofhabitats: stands of old-growth redwood andDouglas-fir, mixedriparian zones withspawning steelhead andcoho salmon, a rareforest of pure Oregonwhite oak, valleys andswales punctuated bydramatic rock outcrops markedwith cliffs and caves, and wide-opennative perennial grasslands wherehunting raptors circle.

dichelostemma venustumphoto by Peter Warner

blue wild rye mixed with other native grasses, and thefeeling changes with the seasons: the dappled leafy shadeof June, the blustery falling foliage of October, thespooky white slashes of trunk and branch in January,and the thrilling whisper of green in early April.

A one-day field survey last May reported 200 species ofvascular plants on the Ross property, most of themnative; Save-the-Redwoods League forest ecologist DanPorter believes that if he had returned in June, he couldhave uncovered 100 more. Such diversity underscoresthe biological value of this enchanted region. Amongthe many interesting discoveries was an extremely rarelily, Dichelostemma venustum (botanical Greek and Latinfor “the toothed crown of Venus”), a spring-bloomingbulb with flowers shaped like rose-colored firecrackers;it is the only member of its genus to be pollinated bybirds, and (according to the Calfloradatabase) has never before beenobserved south of Humboldt County.

Such data builds a compelling scientificpicture, but the true conservationistmeasures the land at more meaningfulscale — neither by the acre nor by thestate or county line, but rather by thewatershed. These contours of mountainand valley are the basic units of earth,and each sustains its own system ofwater, like a bowl where rainfall gathersitself together for the long run home tothe sea. Such elemental intersectionscarry high stakes: ecological, spiritual,and financial. Intact forests in theheadwaters anchor the slopes, while theprofit-driven practices of clear-cuttingand reckless development can fill the

rivers with sediment and threaten the health of theentire biome.

The League takes pride in the work we haveaccomplished in the Big River watershed. The estuaryof the Big River, the longest and most undevelopedestuary in Northern California that stretches up to 8miles inland, was purchased from timber interests bythe Mendocino Land Trust with significant financialsupport from the League, and transferred to CaliforniaState Parks in 2002. Big River State Park andMontgomery Woods State Reserve now bookend thewatershed, the majority of which is owned by theMendocino Redwood Company, certified by theindependent Forest Stewardship Council for itscommitment to moving toward a future ofenvironmentally friendly harvests.

One man’s life feels small in the context of an old-growth redwood or the wider watershed it helpssupport. Yet conscious steps we take today will preservethese portals to the past for our grandchildren. Suchsuccess stories — like the flourishing of MontgomeryWoods — prove that a series of small human acts cangenerate tremendous returns.

By Geoffrey Coffey© Permission required for reprint, sale or use.* * *Geoffrey Coffey writes about native plants for the San FranciscoChronicle. He is the director of the Madroño landscape design stu-dio (www.madrono.org) and a principal of Bay Natives nursery(www.baynatives.com).

S a v e - t h e - R e d w o o d s L e a g u e | S p r i n g B u l l e t i n Page S a v e - t h e - R e d w o o d s L e a g u e | S p r i n g B u l l e t i n Page

are Bird follows Maria Mudd Ruth’s love affairwith the marbled murrelet, a seabird that nests high inthe trees of the Pacific coast’s old-growth forests. Themurrelet’s story is particularly compelling because theradical decline in its population keeps pace with thedecrease in the amount of old-growth redwoods.

What is the marbled murrelet’s relationship with theredwood forest?Redwood forests grow close to the coast, and offer theheight, branch width, and multi-layered canopy thesebirds require. In the spring, the adult murrelets flyinland to the old-growth forests in search of a nestingsite. Most marbled murrelet nests are found within 37miles of the coast.

Does the bird build a nest in the redwood tree?Marbled murrelets do not build nests but takeadvantage of naturally growing moss or naturaldepressions in the branch. The female murrelet lays asingle egg. The male and female share incubationduties equally, each taking 24-hour-long shifts, whichbegin and end at dawn. The “off-duty” adult returns tothe sea to forage. After about a month, a downy chickhatches and is brooded a few days until it can regulateits own body temperature. Both adults return to the seato forage. The chick remains alone, still, andmotionless for 85% of its time on the nest. Adultsreturn to the nest briefly, from one to eight times a day,to deliver small fish which the chick swallows headfirstand whole. After a period of between 28 and 40 days,the chick has grown its juvenile plumage and is readyto fledge. It waits until just after dusk, spreads itswings, and departs from its nest (for the first time),flies through the forest (without stopping) on a route

not necessarily taken by either of its parentsfor some as-yet-unknown distance to

the sea (which it has never seen) tobegin to swim, dive, and catch

fish (which it has neverdone) on its own.

How do scientists study it?With patience, stamina, and pots of coffee! At sea, themarbled murrelet is shy and quick to dive below thewater and disappear—only to reappear moments laterin an unexpected place. In the forest, the situation iseven more challenging. Adult birds fly into and out ofthe forest in the low light of dawn so biologistssurveying the birds have to be in place well beforedawn. If a survey site is remote (they most often are)and in steep terrain, a biologist’s day may begin at 3a.m. to allow time to hike to the site. If the biologist islucky, the site will feature a window of open sky in thedense forest—a window that affords a silhouetted viewof a marbled murrelet in flight. Against the backdropof the dark forest, marbled murrelets are wellcamouflaged in their brown summer plumage.Biologists have to be very alert to detect a bird.Marbled murrelets fly fast—routinely around 40 mph,but they have been clocked on radar at 103 mph. Mostdetections of marbled murrelets in the forest areauditory; scientists had to develop a special protocol forestimating numbers of birds based on the number andtiming of their “keer” calls.

What makes this bird so strange and marvelous?In very unscientific language, this bird is almost like adream—existing at the very edge of humanconsciousness. Flying over the forest, a marbledmurrelet is an apparition, a shadow, a fleeting shape inthe periphery. At sea, it’s a distant form, an eyestrain, aruffle of feathers, a splash, and then a trail of bubbles.

R

A Brief Interview With Maria Mudd RuthAUTHOR OF RARE BIRD: PURSUING THE MYSTERY OF THE MARBLED MURRELET

Take a closer look and readRARE BIRD: Pursuing theMystery of the MarbledMurrelet (Rodale Books,June 2005, $23.95)

Montgomery Woods Photo by Ruskin Hartley

(continued from page 5)

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blue wild rye mixed with other native grasses, and thefeeling changes with the seasons: the dappled leafy shadeof June, the blustery falling foliage of October, thespooky white slashes of trunk and branch in January,and the thrilling whisper of green in early April.

A one-day field survey last May reported 200 species ofvascular plants on the Ross property, most of themnative; Save-the-Redwoods League forest ecologist DanPorter believes that if he had returned in June, he couldhave uncovered 100 more. Such diversity underscoresthe biological value of this enchanted region. Amongthe many interesting discoveries was an extremely rarelily, Dichelostemma venustum (botanical Greek and Latinfor “the toothed crown of Venus”), a spring-bloomingbulb with flowers shaped like rose-colored firecrackers;it is the only member of its genus to be pollinated bybirds, and (according to the Calfloradatabase) has never before beenobserved south of Humboldt County.

Such data builds a compelling scientificpicture, but the true conservationistmeasures the land at more meaningfulscale — neither by the acre nor by thestate or county line, but rather by thewatershed. These contours of mountainand valley are the basic units of earth,and each sustains its own system ofwater, like a bowl where rainfall gathersitself together for the long run home tothe sea. Such elemental intersectionscarry high stakes: ecological, spiritual,and financial. Intact forests in theheadwaters anchor the slopes, while theprofit-driven practices of clear-cuttingand reckless development can fill the

rivers with sediment and threaten the health of theentire biome.

The League takes pride in the work we haveaccomplished in the Big River watershed. The estuaryof the Big River, the longest and most undevelopedestuary in Northern California that stretches up to 8miles inland, was purchased from timber interests bythe Mendocino Land Trust with significant financialsupport from the League, and transferred to CaliforniaState Parks in 2002. Big River State Park andMontgomery Woods State Reserve now bookend thewatershed, the majority of which is owned by theMendocino Redwood Company, certified by theindependent Forest Stewardship Council for itscommitment to moving toward a future ofenvironmentally friendly harvests.

One man’s life feels small in the context of an old-growth redwood or the wider watershed it helpssupport. Yet conscious steps we take today will preservethese portals to the past for our grandchildren. Suchsuccess stories — like the flourishing of MontgomeryWoods — prove that a series of small human acts cangenerate tremendous returns.

By Geoffrey Coffey© Permission required for reprint, sale or use.* * *Geoffrey Coffey writes about native plants for the San FranciscoChronicle. He is the director of the Madroño landscape design stu-dio (www.madrono.org) and a principal of Bay Natives nursery(www.baynatives.com).

S a v e - t h e - R e d w o o d s L e a g u e | S p r i n g B u l l e t i n Page S a v e - t h e - R e d w o o d s L e a g u e | S p r i n g B u l l e t i n Page

are Bird follows Maria Mudd Ruth’s love affairwith the marbled murrelet, a seabird that nests high inthe trees of the Pacific coast’s old-growth forests. Themurrelet’s story is particularly compelling because theradical decline in its population keeps pace with thedecrease in the amount of old-growth redwoods.

What is the marbled murrelet’s relationship with theredwood forest?Redwood forests grow close to the coast, and offer theheight, branch width, and multi-layered canopy thesebirds require. In the spring, the adult murrelets flyinland to the old-growth forests in search of a nestingsite. Most marbled murrelet nests are found within 37miles of the coast.

Does the bird build a nest in the redwood tree?Marbled murrelets do not build nests but takeadvantage of naturally growing moss or naturaldepressions in the branch. The female murrelet lays asingle egg. The male and female share incubationduties equally, each taking 24-hour-long shifts, whichbegin and end at dawn. The “off-duty” adult returns tothe sea to forage. After about a month, a downy chickhatches and is brooded a few days until it can regulateits own body temperature. Both adults return to the seato forage. The chick remains alone, still, andmotionless for 85% of its time on the nest. Adultsreturn to the nest briefly, from one to eight times a day,to deliver small fish which the chick swallows headfirstand whole. After a period of between 28 and 40 days,the chick has grown its juvenile plumage and is readyto fledge. It waits until just after dusk, spreads itswings, and departs from its nest (for the first time),flies through the forest (without stopping) on a route

not necessarily taken by either of its parentsfor some as-yet-unknown distance to

the sea (which it has never seen) tobegin to swim, dive, and catch

fish (which it has neverdone) on its own.

How do scientists study it?With patience, stamina, and pots of coffee! At sea, themarbled murrelet is shy and quick to dive below thewater and disappear—only to reappear moments laterin an unexpected place. In the forest, the situation iseven more challenging. Adult birds fly into and out ofthe forest in the low light of dawn so biologistssurveying the birds have to be in place well beforedawn. If a survey site is remote (they most often are)and in steep terrain, a biologist’s day may begin at 3a.m. to allow time to hike to the site. If the biologist islucky, the site will feature a window of open sky in thedense forest—a window that affords a silhouetted viewof a marbled murrelet in flight. Against the backdropof the dark forest, marbled murrelets are wellcamouflaged in their brown summer plumage.Biologists have to be very alert to detect a bird.Marbled murrelets fly fast—routinely around 40 mph,but they have been clocked on radar at 103 mph. Mostdetections of marbled murrelets in the forest areauditory; scientists had to develop a special protocol forestimating numbers of birds based on the number andtiming of their “keer” calls.

What makes this bird so strange and marvelous?In very unscientific language, this bird is almost like adream—existing at the very edge of humanconsciousness. Flying over the forest, a marbledmurrelet is an apparition, a shadow, a fleeting shape inthe periphery. At sea, it’s a distant form, an eyestrain, aruffle of feathers, a splash, and then a trail of bubbles.

R

A Brief Interview With Maria Mudd RuthAUTHOR OF RARE BIRD: PURSUING THE MYSTERY OF THE MARBLED MURRELET

Take a closer look and readRARE BIRD: Pursuing theMystery of the MarbledMurrelet (Rodale Books,June 2005, $23.95)

Montgomery Woods Photo by Ruskin Hartley

(continued from page 5)

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Illustration by Paul Harris Jones

Illustration byPaul Harris Jones

Save-the-Redwoods LeagueSpring Bulletin 2006

Cover photo: Montgomery Woods State ReservePhoto by Evan Johnson

To receive our Bulletin via email, send your email address to membership@savetheredwoods.org

Save-the-Redwoods League 114 Sansome Street • Room 1200 • San Francisco • CA • 94104(415) 362-2352 voice • (415) 362-7017 fax • www.savetheredwoods.org

9 PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

A Gift for Generationsto Come: RedwoodGrove Dedication

Dedicating a redwood grovethrough a gift to Save-the-Redwoods League ensures that thebeauty and grandeur of theredwoods will continue to inspirefuture generations, while settingaside a very special place whereyou and your family may savor thetrees, rivers and wildlife of theforest. Redwood groves areavailable for dedication all alongthe redwood ecosystem, fromJedidiah Smith Redwoods StatePark in the north to LimekilnState Park in Big Sur to the south.Some are easily accessible; othersrequire sturdy shoes and a walkingstick to reach.

Donation levels for a namingopportunity start at $25,000. Thedonation may be made in a lumpsum, spread over a three-yearperiod, or by bequest or otherform of planned gift. In manyparks, a sign bearing the name ofthe honoree will be placed in thegrove.

Gifts to the League to dedicate aredwood grove can support landacquisition, environmentaleducation, redwood research,restoration, and otherprogrammatic work at the donor’srequest, and are fully deductible tothe extent of the law.

For more information, pleasecontact Jennifer Gabriel, MajorGifts Officer, by calling toll free:(888) 836-0005 or by e-mail atgroves@savetheredwoods.org

CYNTHIA GRUBB:

A Life Devoted to Conservation

As a child, Cynthia Grubb loved the 20dogwood trees planted by her father in theiryard, and she has maintained a deep love oftrees ever since. Within the first month of herarrival in California in 1955, Cynthia wenthiking in Big Basin Redwoods State Park andtravelled to Sequoia National Park – herintroduction to redwoods. She has neverforgotten these first encounters with the coastalredwood and the giant sequoia, and her lifelongcommitment to conservation was born.

Together she and husband Ted Grubb hiked many of California’s redwoodforests. Ted’s father, D. Hanson Grubb, had been a Councillor for many years,and Ted took his place upon his father’s illness. After Ted passed, Cynthiajoined the Council, and her decade of work on the Board of Directors greatlyenriched the organization. She remains an active Councillor and is a memberof the Development Committee.

Cynthia’s favorite redwood park is Montgomery Woods State Reserve, and shewas delighted to contribute in 2005 towards the successful purchase of landthat will double the size of the reserve. “My real love of trees and theopportunity to help pass on such a fantastic redwood conservation legacy forposterity are the reasons why I am involved with the League,” she says. Otherfavorite League projects include the restoration of 25,000 acres of previouslyharvested redwood lands at Mill Creek and furthering the scientificunderstanding of the Dawn Redwood indigenous to China.

Two of the family’s treasures are the memorial groves named for the wonderfulmen of the Grubb family. A spectacular grove at Montgomery Woods StateReserve is named for Ted and his father, and another beautiful grove atCalaveras Big Trees State Park is dedicated to Ted. Cynthia is very pleased thatthese groves serve as living classrooms and family memories for her daughterand grandchildren.

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