Media Contact:
Robin Carr, Landis Communications Inc.
Email: [email protected] | Phone: (415) 766-0927
Newly Acquired Property Protects 200 Acres of Old-growth Coast Redwoods and Imperiled Species Habitat
San Francisco, Calif. (July 29, 2020) — Save the Redwoods League today announced the purchase of Andersonia West, a 523-acre property between Sinkyone Wilderness State Park and the Usal Forest in Mendocino County, in the remote northern California area known as “the Lost Coast.” The League acquired Andersonia West for $3.55 million, protecting old coast redwoods throughout the property, including a 183-acre old-growth stand. This critical habitat corridor includes a portion of Anderson Creek. The acquisition of this forest also improves ecosystem connectivity across adjacent protected lands and the coast, a goal identified in the League’s 2018 Centennial Vision for Redwoods Conservation. The League will retain ownership of the property for up to one year until it can be transferred to a permanent steward, with the League holding a conservation easement.
“In the few generations since the gold rush of the mid-1800s we have lost 95 percent of the ancient redwood forest. The Andersonia West property, which is in Sinkyone Tribal territory, is a window into the forest that once was, and a doorway into the forests of our future,” said Save the Redwoods League President and CEO Sam Hodder. “This is an acquisition that has been a long time coming for the League. Protecting this forest both saves some of the last unprotected old-growth redwoods and demonstrates, through its vital second-growth stands, the power, resilience and astounding potential of the young redwood forest recovering across the redwood range.”
In this coastal conifer forest, old-growth redwoods tower among Douglas fir, tanoaks and madrones over a lush understory of huckleberry, manzanita and ceanothus. One-and-a-half miles of Anderson Creek, which feeds the South Fork Eel River, will also be protected, preventing habitat loss and fragmentation. This vibrant habitat corridor supports coho salmon, steelhead trout, marbled murrelets and northern spotted owls, all listed under the Endangered Species Act.
“The idea to protect Andersonia started in 1980. It became evident to me and the owners that this place should be protected for its biodiversity, fish and wildlife habitat and historical and cultural resources,” said Hap Anderson, who represented his family in the negotiation. “My family was happy to make a land value donation of $510,000 to help protect the property forever.”
The purchase of Andersonia West was fully funded by Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s (PG&E) Compensatory Mitigation Program related to its Multiple Region Habitat Conservation Plan (MRHCP) to meet the company’s 30-year conservation goal for northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet.
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To schedule an interview, contact Robin Carr at (415) 766-0927 or [email protected].
To access hi-res images of the Andersonia West property, please visit our newsroom.
One of the nation’s longest-running conservation organizations, Save the Redwoods League has been protecting and restoring redwood forests since 1918, and connecting generations of visitors with the beauty and serenity of the redwood forest. Our 24,000 supporters have enabled the League to protect more than 216,000 acres of irreplaceable forest in 66 state, national and local parks and reserves. For more information, go to SaveTheRedwoods.org. To sign up for e-newsletter updates, please visit SaveTheRedwoods.org/signup.
Tags: 2020, Andersonia West, land acquisition, lost coast, Mendocino, preservation, Press Release, redwood forest conservation
One Response to “Save the Redwoods League Protects Andersonia West in Mendocino Redwoods, Along the Lost Coast”
Carol Berkeley
We need to try and save all redwood forests