Sempervirens Fund

Sempervirens Fund Coast redwoods—Sequoia sempervirens—are the iconic guardians of California's most precious habitats and wildlife.

With your support, we protect and restore redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains to safeguard this majestic ecosystem, now and always.

Whether it’s in the redwood forest, your local park, or a backyard garden, spending time outdoors is linked with reducti...
05/29/2026

Whether it’s in the redwood forest, your local park, or a backyard garden, spending time outdoors is linked with reductions in depression and major depressive disorder, and increases in self-esteem, focus, memory, and creativity.

Craving a mental health boost? Trails Rx is a wellness program created by Dr. Suzanne Bartlett Hackenmiller in collaboration with Sempervirens Fund. Trails Rx leverages the physical and mental health benefits of spending time in nature by guiding users through designated trails in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The program encourages regular use of these trails to integrate nature's healing benefits into daily life. Explore detailed information about each trail: https://sempervirens.org/trails-rx/

📸 Photos: Orenda Randuch

05/27/2026

Have you ever seen a California Nutmeg (Torreya californica)? These trees grow in the shaded understory of the redwood forest and are sometimes mistaken for their much taller neighbors (Sequoia sempervirens) because of the similar look of their needles. Here are some ways to tell them apart:

1️⃣ California Nutmeg needles are stiff and can prick your fingers. Redwood needles are thinner & softer.
2️⃣ Crush California Nutmeg needles and you’ll get a pungent odor. Crushed Redwood needles smell milder - warm and earthy.
3️⃣ California Nutmeg bark is grayish in color and firm. Redwood bark has a softer, spongy texture and red hues caused by its high level of tannins.

California nutmeg trees are scattered throughout the coast redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains, contributing to the rich diversity of its ecosystem.

➡️ Today at 1pm! Join us for a free webinar on Zoom to hear from U.C. Irvine professor Paul Piff, Ph.D., who was feature...
05/26/2026

➡️ Today at 1pm! Join us for a free webinar on Zoom to hear from U.C. Irvine professor Paul Piff, Ph.D., who was featured in Lisa Landers’ film Giants Rising. Dr. Piff will introduce us to the science of how we experience awe and how it can benefit our lives by nurturing open-mindedness, contentment, and happiness.

For anyone who has stood among the redwood forest and felt calmer or more connected than before, this conversation explores why experiences in nature can leave such a lasting impact.

Sign up: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

05/25/2026

10 seconds of stillness from the redwoods. You’re welcome. 🙂

A long weekend means more time to explore your local redwood forest! Here are five favorites for leaving everyday life b...
05/22/2026

A long weekend means more time to explore your local redwood forest! Here are five favorites for leaving everyday life behind and experiencing the magic of walking among ancient giants.

🌲Six Bridges Trail, Butano State Park
Difficulty: Easy, High elevation
Length: 2.2 miles
Try this hidden gem at Butano State Park, a classic nature trail with moderate inclines and occasional natural obstacles.

🌲Redwood Grove Loop
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Difficulty: Easy, accessible
Length: 0.8 mile loop
See the grove that launched the redwood conservation movement and Sempervirens Fund on this accessible trail featuring a cave-like hollow you can explore in the living old-growth “Fremont Tree” and a rare ghost redwood tree.

🌲Old Tree Trail
Portola Redwoods State Park
Difficulty: Easy, Kid-friendly
Length: 1.2 miles out & back
Deep within this redwood canyon Sempervirens Fund helped to protect, you’ll find a 1,200 year-old old-growth redwood named "Old Tree" —one of only 14 redwoods that stand over 300 feet tall in the Santa Cruz mountains.

🌲Peters Creek Loop
Portola Redwoods State Park
Difficulty: Strenuous
Length: 11.9 miles out & back
Visit what’s been called one of the most rewarding trails in the Bay Area under the lavish canopies of second-growth redwoods and tanoaks to reach a remote and ancient grove of old-growth redwoods called Peters Grove.

🌲Saratoga Gap Trail to Castle Rock Trail Camp
Castle Rock State Park
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 7+ mile loop
Venture through Castle Rock State Park’s diverse habitats to see some of its most extraordinary features such as rare old-growth dwarf redwoods, Castle Rock Falls, Goat Rock, and great views from both Russell Point and Emily Observation Point all in one loop!

Get outside and get into the redwoods! We would love to see you at one of our upcoming events where you can explore natu...
05/22/2026

Get outside and get into the redwoods! We would love to see you at one of our upcoming events where you can explore nature, expand your knowledge, and connect with others to make a positive impact on the redwoods. If you can’t make it, please share with your friends. 🤗

🌲The Science of Awe, with Paul Piff, Ph.D.
Date: May 26, 2026
Where: ZOOM
Join U.C. Irvine professor Paul Piff to learn about the science behind how we experience and benefit from awe.

🥾Guided Hike at Castle Rock State Park
Date: May 28, 2026
Where: Castle Rock State Park
Join us May 28th for a moderate 4.5 mile guided hike at Castle Rock State Park for a spring-themed group hike through one of California’s most iconic state parks

🥾Guided Hike at Portola Redwoods State Park
Date: June 6, 2026
Where: Portola Redwoods State Park
Hike to Tiptoe Falls! Join Sempervirens Fund on June 6th for a guided hike through Portola Redwoods State Park

💚Volunteer Day at Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument
Date: June 16, 2026
Where: Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument
Join Sempervirens Fund for a volunteer day of pulling invasive plants at Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument.

Photo: Orenda Randuch

05/20/2026

🐝Bzzzzzz … Happy World Bee Day! Bees are vital to our ecosystem. While many animals spread pollen, the most common pollinators are insects—especially bees. Bee populations have been declining globally over recent decades due to habitat loss, intensive farming practices, changes in weather, and the excessive use of pesticides. One way to protect bees is to protect their natural habitat, which includes the redwood forests that are home to the many flowers bees love to snack on.

Some of the bee species in the Santa Cruz area:
🐝 Andrenidae (sometimes called mining bees or sand bees, they are small enough to fit inside tiny flowers)
🐝 Apidae (very common—small and hairy)
🐝 Colletidae (has a distinct tringular face)
🐝 Halictidae (enjoys landing on humans and drinking their sweat 😱)
🐝 Melittidae (rare; feeds exclusively on clarkia flowers in the California chaparral).

Fun fact: Bees can fly up to 20 MPH. That buzz you hear? It could be a bee’s wings flapping up to 230 times per second.

📸 Photo Credits
Opening bee video: Orenda Randuch
2nd slide, 3rd slide: Orenda Randuch
Bee on yellow flower: Russell Ferretti-Hoyle
Bee on pink flower: Orenda Randuch
Bee on red flower: Ian Bornarth

Pumas (Puma concolor) are the native mountain lions of the Santa Cruz Mountains. In 2026, mountain lions in Southern and...
05/19/2026

Pumas (Puma concolor) are the native mountain lions of the Santa Cruz Mountains. In 2026, mountain lions in Southern and Central California were listed as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act.

Pumas need extensive ranges for territory, hunting, and breeding, one reason why it’s so important to have large intact habitats with connected wildlife corridors. Roads and new development that fragment habitat are the biggest threats to mountain lions.

Once they have established a home range, pumas may live up to 12-13 years in the wild. Here in the Santa Cruz Mountains an average male home-range will be 100 square miles, while a female puma will range about 30 square miles.

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📸 Photo Credits
Page 1 main: Sensor cam
Page 1 inset: Santa Cruz Puma Project

Page 2 inset: Sebastian Kennerknecht
Page 2 main: Santa Cruz Puma Project

Page 3 inset: Stock photo
Page 3 main: Santa Cruz Puma Project

05/18/2026

🎉 In 1900, a group of citizen activists banded together to form Sempervirens Club—now Sempervirens Fund —and committed to protecting and restoring coast redwoods so they would remain “sempervirens”, or “always green”. Today, May 18, is our 126th birthday!🎂

The movement to save the Santa Cruz Mountains’ redwoods from logging gained momentum at the turn of the century when community members were horrified by the destruction they saw in their backyard and joined forces.
The first order of business for The Sempervirens Club (as it was then called) was to establish and permanently protect six square miles of old-growth redwoods, creating Big Basin Redwoods State Park, the oldest park in the California State Park system.

We wouldn’t be where we are today without our community - without you. Thank you for recognizing the importance of redwoods for generations to come—as a California icon, as climate change superheroes, and as trees that inspire awe and wonder.🌲 🌲 🌲

Tree huggers unite! It’s . 💚🌲 If you’re not near a redwood, find your favorite neighborhood tree and show it some love....
05/16/2026

Tree huggers unite! It’s . 💚🌲 If you’re not near a redwood, find your favorite neighborhood tree and show it some love.

📸 Photos: Images of people hugging redwoods in the forest
Image 1 credit: Mike Kahn
Image 2 credit: Orenda Randuch
Image 3 credit: Mike Kahn

Listed under the Endangered Species Act since 1992, the marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a rare and elusiv...
05/15/2026

Listed under the Endangered Species Act since 1992, the marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a rare and elusive seabird, under threat by oil spills, unsustainable fishing, and onshore habitat loss. The only seabird that nests in the forests of the lower 48 states, the marbled murrelet is especially vulnerable because it relies on two habitats to survive. They spend most of their lives along the shores and only come inland to nest and lay a single egg. They fly over the redwoods at dawn and at dusk—en route to the ocean to catch fish, or to their hidden nest in the redwoods.

Together, let’s defend the Endangered Species Act that helps to protect the marbled murrelet and other endangered species that make the Santa Cruz Mountains their home including the Northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), and Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Contact your federal legislators today and urge them to defend the Endangered Species Act and protect the forests, public lands, and wildlife habitat endangered species need to survive.

▶️ Our online form makes it easy and takes just a moment. Take action: https://secure.sempervirens.org/a/defend-endangered-species-habitats

Photo: Marbled murrelets sport mottled brown feathers during breeding season, which falls between mid-April and late September. (Photo credit: Oregon State University)

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P. O. Box 1417
Los Altos, CA
94023

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