History
Save the Redwoods League was founded after a life-changing road trip. In 1917, urged by the then National Parks director Stephen Mather, three prominent conservationists drove north on California's newly constructed Redwood Highway to investigate the status of the tallest trees on Earth. What John C. Merriam, Madison Grant and Fairfield Osborn found was both inspiring and appalling. The beauty and tranquility of the primeval redwood forest filled them with awe, but the accelerating rate of its destruction horrified them. From the Eel River drainage north through Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, they found vast tracts of virgin redwoods--some of which exceeded 300 feet tall--being felled to make vineyard stakes, shingles and railroad ties. The next year, in the spring of 1918, the three friends and allied conservationists channeled their sense of urgency and organized the League to ensure the permanent survival of the ancient redwoods.
Specialties
Since 1918, Save the Redwoods League has worked to protect and restore redwood forests and connect people to their peace and beauty. We have pioneered innovative, science-based forest-restoration work, educated thousands of schoolchildren about the uniqueness and resilience of these wild marvels of nature, improved access to parkland and helped create parks and reserves that have touched the lives of millions of people from around the world.