Public and Private Partnership Secures Protection of 280 acres in Humboldt County

Save the Redwoods League
Friday, 29 September 2000

San Francisco, CA – Save-the-Redwoods League and the Bureau of Land Management have purchased 280 acres of Douglas-fir timber lands from Eel River Sawmills. This unique collaboration among Save-the-Redwoods League, the Bureau of Land Management, and Eel River Sawmills was made possible by a shared desire to see the land permanently preserved.

The property is adjacent to the King Range National Conservation Area on the north. "This acquisition will greatly enhance the King Range by protecting one of the last remaining stands of low-elevation old growth douglas fir in the Mattole river watershed," noted Dan Averill of the Bureau of Land Management. The scarcity and rarity of low-elevation old growth Douglas-fir make protection of this land particularly important.

Squaw Creek flows through the property and provides a much needed safe habitat for endangered Chinook and coho salmon. "Anytime we can capture in public ownership these types of last remaining stands that contribute to the watershed and to the [King Range] National Conservation Area, we protect the area for fisheries and for clearer, cleaner water," added Lynda Roush of the Bureau of Land Management.

"There is inherent benefit knowing that a unique ecosystem is being protected and preserved when there is such a small amount of it left", said Averill.

After successful negotiations with Eel River Sawmills, Katherine Anderton, Executive Director of Save-the-Redwoods League, secured an option to purchase the property from Eel River Sawmills for its fair market appraised value of $1.6 million. Through funding earmarked by the Department of the Interior last year, the Bureau of Land Management funded the entire purchase and will hold title to the property.

Save-the-Redwoods League, a non-profit organization, was established in 1918 to protect California's primeval forests from destruction by including them in state and national parks and reserves. To date, the League has assisted in preserving over 180,000 acres of forest lands in California.

For more information, or to contact Save the Redwoods League, see their website at: www.savetheredwoods.org