Monday, December 9, 2024

Mendocino County’s Montgomery Woods Grows by 80 Acres With the Addition of Rocky Ridge

The following is a press release issued by the Save the Redwood League:


The 80-acre Rocky Ridge property, named for the large rock outcrop at its center, was added to Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve in March 2024. [Photo by Adrianna Andreucci, Save the Redwoods League]

 Save the Redwoods League today announced the transfer of 80 acres in Mendocino County to California State Parks as an addition to the adjacent 2,743-acre Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve. The parcel, known as Rocky Ridge, was directly deeded to the state park system in March from the former landowners, the Weger family, as part of a deal negotiated by the League to conserve Weger Ranch. Rocky Ridge is the first land acquisition by California State Parks in the Sonoma-Mendocino District since 2008.

“Rocky Ridge is an ideal addition to the adjacent Montgomery Woods. It contains old-growth redwoods, Douglas-firs and the headwaters of Montgomery Creek, which flows through the heart of the Reserve, before joining the South Fork Big River,” said Paul Ringgold, chief program officer at Save the Redwoods League. “The river provides critical spawning habitat for steelhead trout and coho salmon, which are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Montgomery Woods and the forests around it comprise a strikingly beautiful and ecologically important corner of the coast redwood range, for both recreational visitors and conservation. It is a unique and special place.”

The property got its name—Rocky Ridge—from a large rock outcrop in the center of the property that provides peregrine falcon nesting habitat. While Rocky Ridge is steep and isolated, a future trail extension from the existing Montgomery Woods loop trail could afford Reserve visitors the opportunity to experience the 360-degree views from atop Rocky Ridge while gazing over the old-growth redwood crowns below.

Montgomery Woods expansion brings a host of benefits

The acquisition provides an opportunity for California State Parks to expand public access for visitors to the Reserve. The park is also adjacent to a Bureau of Land Management parcel and nearby properties protected by Save the Redwoods League. With Rocky Ridge added, these properties and the Reserve form a protected greenbelt of more than 11,500 acres in the upper reaches of the Big River watershed. Protected wildlife corridors are critical for unimpeded migration and movement potential for endangered or threatened species that inhabit the area.

“The conservation ethic of Save the Redwoods League is engrained in the DNA of California State Parks,” said Bill Maslach, Sonoma-Mendocino district superintendent for California State Parks. “The League continues to help State Parks evolve and create innovative solutions to the preservation and stewardship of California’s landscapes. We are grateful to the Weger family for bringing their private land into the Montgomery Reserve. This generous contribution assures greater wildlife connectivity and increases public access to a remarkable place in Mendocino County.”

Montgomery Woods Initiative

This purchase and transfer of the Rocky Ridge property is the latest effort in fulfilling Save the Redwoods League’s vision for the Montgomery Woods Initiative, which is expanding the area of protected lands surrounding the park and improving trails and park experiences for visitors in the park. The Initiative, announced in September 2022, began with the purchase and protection of the adjacent 453-acre Atkins Place property in 2022 as a future fee addition to Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve. In August 2023, the League secured a conservation easement on the 3,862-acre Weger Ranch, safeguarding its coast redwood and Douglas-fir forest. The easement protects the ranch from subdivision, development and excessive logging in perpetuity. The deal also ensures that the property will remain as a sustainable working forest buffering Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve.

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The League has now protected more than 64 square miles (40,974 acres) in Mendocino County.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you to the Weger family for this wonderful addition to the preserve. Montgomery Woods is a stunningly beautiful and special place here in Mendocino County. Thank you to the Save the Redwoods League for their tireless efforts to protect and save what is left of our forests.

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MendoFever Staff
MendoFever Staff
Editor's Note: Whenever an article's byline reads "MendoFever Staff", the contents of that article were not composed by any of our reporters. Types of writing that will be attributed to "MendoFever Staff" include press releases, letters to the editor, op-eds, obituaries— essentially writing that is not produced by a reporter.

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