SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Save the RedwoodsLeague today announced the completion of the purchase ofCascade Creek, a 564-acre property between Big BasinRedwoods and Año Nuevo State Parks.The $9.6 million project — includingboth land acquisition, closing and initial stewardship costs —marks a keystone connection for protected habitat from the SantaCruz Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. It also advances the League'sgoal of protecting the last of the old-growth redwood forest asidentified in their 2018 Centennial Vision for RedwoodsConservation. While the entire Cascade Creek propertyexperienced wildfire in August during the CZU Lightning Complex,the fire was a mix of low- to high-intensities, and the coastredwood and mixed conifer forest is already showing signs ofrecovery.
'This year's fires have amplified our need to protect the coastredwood forest. We need resilient habitat in the face of a changingclimate,' said League President and CEO Sam Hodder. 'Cascade Creek contains maturesecond-growth redwoods and more than 100 acres of old-growthredwoods. It is a forest that — once recovered — will be a refugeof green, carbon-rich stability in a fire-impacted landscape.'
'While the forest may look rough for a few years, almost all ofthe coast redwoods within the Cascade Creek property appear to havesurvived the CZU Lightning Complex fires,' Hodder continued. 'Theferns, sorrel and other understory plants are already sproutingback even in advance of the winter rains. The redwood trees aresprouting fluffy green stems up and down their trunks and alongtheir branches. This quick regeneration forms a stable foundationon which the broader forest habitat recovery will build.'
Post-Fire Recovery at Cascade Creek
The League plans to restore and steward Cascade Creek following therecent fires. Initial rehabilitation efforts will focus onprotecting the road and creekside trail from erosion and hazards.Longer term, the League will focus on promoting natural recoverywherever possible. This means managing invasive species, monitoringnatural regeneration of the forest and planting on an enrichmentbasis where natural regeneration is not adequate.
2020 Wildfires in the Coast Redwood Range
In 2020,California more than doubled itsrecord number of acres burned in one year. In forests and othernatural lands across the state, climate change and management thathas suppressed all fire for more than 150 years have resulted inintense burn conditions. As a result, fire-adapted redwood forestsare facing an unprecedented test.
To date in 2020, Californiawildfires covered more than 81,200 acres of coast redwood forestsof varied ages, approximately 4.9 percent of the total redwoodrange. Out of just 117,679 acres of old-growth redwood forestremaining in the world today, 11,178 acres experienced fire, whichis about 9.5 percent of the ancient footprint. Initial reportssuggest that the fires burned at mixed intensities throughout thecoast redwood range.
We did a 10 mile hike along Cascade Creek. It was a beautiful trail. The guide book we had told us to cross the creek, which was impossible. Thankfully we ran into some other folks, who told us that we didn't have to cross the creek and it would lead to the same location. 7301 Cascade Creek Lane, Independence, OH 44131 is a 4 bedroom, 5 bath single family home offered for sale at $599,900. The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange program of NEOHREX. 9 Cascade Creek Dr, Somerville, AL 35670 is a studio, 3.5 bathroom, 3,284 sqft single-family home built in 2000. This property is not currently available for sale. 9 Cascade Creek Dr was last sold on Jul 3, 2017 for $260,000. The current Trulia Estimate for 9 Cascade Creek Dr is $358,990. The lower section of Cascade Creek may be done if using the sneak route, which drops you in below the Charmin Tube (9th rappel) and above the bottom 3 rappels. There is minor exposure and some route-finding for the shortcut hike. Lower Cascade only requires half a day.
Mature coast redwood trees have exceptionally thick bark thatinsulates them from heat and fire. Even if fire consumes theircrowns, which is lethal for most conifers, the trunk of a redwoodcan sprout back to life. Second-growth forests, which make up 93percent of the coast redwood range today, grow more densely and thetrees have not had as much time to develop thick bark, putting themat higher risk.
'Our hearts go out to the firefighters, first responders andcommunities affected by the season's wildfires,' said Hodder. 'Thisyear's blazes underscore the critical need to protect our redwoodforestland and invest in science-based forest stewardship now. Thiswork will protect California'sredwood forests — and our neighboring communities — to ensure thecollective resilience of our forests and people in the years tocome.'
Purchase and Protection of Cascade Creek
The purchaseand protection of Cascade Creek was made possible by the more than6,700 donors who supported the project through the ForeverForest: The Campaign for the Redwoods, the League's capitalcampaign to raise $120 million inprivate support to implement the early years of theCentennial Vision for Redwoods Conservation. Justover half of the Forever Forest Campaign goal — $65 million — is dedicated to protecting coastredwood and giant sequoia forests and accelerating the pace andscale of redwood conservation through strategic land acquisitions.The other half will support forest restoration and redwood park andeducation projects that connect all people with redwoods. Since theLeague launched the campaign in 2017, funds from Forever Foresthave been used to acquire and protect suchproperties as CascadeCreek (2020), AlderCreek(2019), RedHill(2018) and the HaroldRichardson Redwoods Reserve(2018), to name afew.
'We are incredibly thankful for the stability, resilience, andgenerosity of the many dedicated donors who helped us safeguardthis special place,' added Hodder.
Lead gifts to support the protection and restoration of CascadeCreek came from League Councilor RalphEschenbach together with his wife Dr. Carol Joy Provan, the Gordon and Betty MooreFoundation, project partner Peninsula Open SpaceTrust (POST), and the California State CoastalConservancy. The Holmes familyalso agreed to reduce the purchase price, which amounted to nearlya $1 million discount on the sale ofthe property.
To schedule an interview, contact RobinCarr at (415) 971-3991or redwoods@landispr.com. To access hi-res images,b-roll and drone footage of the Cascade Creek property, pleasevisit the League's newsroom.
9 Cascade Creek Ferndale Ar
Save the Redwoods League
One of the nation's longest-running conservation organizations,Save the Redwoods League has been protecting and restoring redwoodforests since 1918. The League has connected generations ofvisitors with the beauty and serenity of the redwood forest. Thenonprofit's 24,000 supporters have enabled the organization toprotect more than 216,000 acres of irreplaceable forest in 66state, national and local parks and reserves. For information,please visit SaveTheRedwoods.org.
Contact:
Robin Carr,Landis Communications Inc.
Phone: (415) 971-3991 Email:redwoods@landispr.com
Cascade Creek Washington
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9 Cascade Creek
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