The following is a press release issued by the Save the Redwood League:
Save the Redwoods League today announced that it has purchased three coast redwood properties totaling 750 acres in Sonoma and Mendocino counties that will one day be added to Armstrong Redwoods and Montgomery Woods state natural reserves (SNR). The League acquired the properties from private landowners, the Ayers and Robinson families and the Mendocino Redwood Company for nearly $3.5 million. The acquisitions are the first steps toward long-term protection for these coast redwood properties.
Save the Redwoods League now has protected more than 84 square miles (53,850 acres) in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. These lands are protected for the benefit of everyone in some of the region’s most-loved parks, including Austin Creek State Recreation Area, Fort Ross State Historic Park, Montgomery Woods SNR, Mendocino Headlands, Sinkyone Wilderness, Navarro River Redwoods and Hendy Woods state parks.
“I’m proud of our land protection team that successfully negotiated these three acquisitions and grateful to the former landowners for agreeing to help ensure that more redwood forest can grow and thrive long into the future,” said Jeff Stump, director of land protection for Save the Redwoods League. “Together with California State Parks and local partners, we can work toward our shared vision of expanding the neighboring parks that are enjoyed by more than a million people each year.”
“Armstrong Redwoods and Montgomery Woods state reserves are unparalleled treasures in our district, safeguarding some of the world’s tallest trees — coast redwoods that have stood for over 1,000 years,” said Bill Maslach, Sonoma-Mendocino Coast district superintendent for California State Parks. “Collaborating with Save the Redwoods League to preserve the last remaining stands of big trees and expand these parks is not just conservation; it’s preserving living history. Now, we must focus on the surrounding forests to ensure they are resilient to fire, securing their legacy for future generations.”
Future Expansion of Armstrong Redwoods SNR in Sonoma County
Save the Redwoods League purchased two properties totaling 360 acres for $1,981,000 to create the new Armstrong Ridge addition. The former landowners agreed to sell to the League to fulfill shared goals of one day seeing these lands protected forever as part of Armstrong Redwoods SNR. Both properties are in excellent condition with mature second-growth coast redwood forest and a small area (approx. 23 acres) of old-growth that survived past commercial logging.
The League will lease both properties to California State Parks until they can be officially acquired by the park system and added to Armstrong Redwoods SNR for ongoing protection and stewardship. Sonoma County Ag + Open Space, in partnership with State Parks, launched the effort to protect these properties with initial project design and planning, and engaged Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods as a key partner in the process. Ag + Open Space then transferred the project to Save the Redwoods League and supported their work to ensure the long-term conservation of this land and its vital natural resources.
The sites are within the traditional lands of the Southern Pomo people. Regional biodiversity includes mountain lions, black-tailed deer and northern spotted owls. The Ayers property contains the headwaters of the east fork of Fife Creek, the stream that flows through Armstrong Redwoods SNR, as well as the headwaters and portions of Hulburt Creek.
Future Expansion of Montgomery Woods SNR in Mendocino County
The League purchased the 390-acre Dark Gulch property from Mendocino Redwood Company for $1.5 million. Dark Gulch will be transferred to California State Parks to ensure lasting protection and future public access as part of Montgomery Woods SNR.
Dark Gulch is within the traditional lands of the Northern Pomo people. It is on the western side of Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve and is mostly forested, with a mix of young coast redwoods, Douglas-fir and tanoak, with manzanita, huckleberry and California hazelnut growing in the shade provided by the larger trees. White-flowered rein-orchids, a special status species that smells like honey, also line the forest floor. Approximately a quarter of a mile of the South Fork Big River flows adjacent to the property, which is part of a priority salmon recovery area for coho and Chinook salmon and steelhead trout. Dark Gulch provides habitat for the endangered northern spotted owl and foothill yellow-legged frog.
The acquisition of Dark Gulch is part of the League’s Montgomery Woods Initiative, which aims to expand the park boundary, secure lasting protections for the vast forest that surrounds the park. Plans also include the redesign of trails and new interpretive exhibits improving the visitor experience. The Initiative began with the purchase of the 453-acre Atkins Place property in September 2022 as a future addition to the park. In August 2023, the League secured a conservation easement on the 3,862-acre Weger Ranch that protects the ranch’s coast redwood and Douglas-fir forest from subdivision, development and excessive logging in perpetuity. The League also recently expanded Montgomery Woods SNR by facilitating the transfer of the 80-acre Rocky Ridge property in March 2024?the first land acquisition by California State Parks in the Sonoma-Mendocino District since 2008.
Save the Redwoods League raised $3.5 million to purchase the three properties, including generous support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for the properties adjacent to Armstrong Redwoods and contributions to the League’s Redwood Land Fund, which enables the League to move quickly and make critical land acquisitions when opportunities become available.
