A San Francisco conservation group has reached an agreement to purchase 200 acres in northwest Sonoma County that will expand its existing old-growth redwood reserve east of Stewarts Point and Salt Point State Park.
Under the agreement, Save the Redwoods League will buy the property for $4 million from the family of the late Harold Richardson. The land will be added to the group’s Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve, a 730-acre forest that was acquired from the family in 2018, bringing the combined reserve to nearly 1,000 acres.
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The reserve, inland from a scenic and rugged stretch of the Sonoma Coast, is home to the 1,640-year-old McApin Tree, a 239-foot coast redwood with a staggering 19-foot diameter trunk. It is one of the oldest known coast redwoods south of Mendocino County and the widest south of Humboldt County, according to Save the Redwoods.
Many of the 319 ancient coast redwood trees in the reserve are more than 300 feet tall.
Located on the southwest edge of the existing reserve property, the additional land will provide a “buffer” for some of the reserve’s most sensitive areas, said Jeff Stump, Save the Redwoods’ land protection manager.
“We are going to be bolstering the edges of the reserve by purchasing those 200 acres,” Stump said.
But the new acreage is itself special.
It includes primarily redwood forest along with Douglas fir, bay laurel, tan oak and open grassland meadows. Included in the forestland is a 35-acre grove of old-growth redwood.
“It’s really a big conservation win,” Stump said.
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Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve, located near the north end of the Sonoma Coast, will be expanded by 20% with Save the Redwoods League’s purchase of adjacent property. Securing this expansion to the reserve will enable the League to advance planning for recreational access. (The Coldwater Collective for Save the Redwoods League)
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Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve, located near the north end of the Sonoma Coast, will be expanded by 20% with Save the Redwoods League’s purchase of adjacent property. Securing this expansion to the reserve will enable the League to advance planning for recreational access. (The Coldwater Collective for Save the Redwoods League)
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The old-growth forest provides habitat for a number of rare wildlife species, including the northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet as well as the California giant salamander, Skilton’s skink lizard and tree-dwelling bats.
The reserve as a whole is “the anchor” to an important watershed that drains into the Gualala River, providing clean water for steelhead trout and coho salmon.
In 2018, Save the Redwoods acquired the reserve from the Richardson family in a deal that included a land swap plus cash. In exchange for the 730 acres of old-growth forest, the conservation group paid $9.6 million and transferred to the family the group’s 870-acre Stewarts Point Ranch.
Save the Redwoods has been working on the property since then. It offers guided seasonal hikes that can be booked via the group’s website. Stump said his organization plans on maintaining a “longer-term ownership role” as it provides greater public access.
Transferring the property to a public parks system, such as Sonoma County Regional Parks, could take some time, he said.
“Unlike some places where there’s adjacent public ownership and really wonderful partners like Sonoma County Regional Parks, this is a place that doesn’t have that kind of neighbor,” Stump said. “We recognized — despite not being adjacent to another public land — the tremendous resource is the reserve.”
Stump called the newly acquired property the “missing piece” for access as it is a gateway to the existing reserve without the use of an easement.
“That’s going to allow us to really finish our plan for providing the public access to the property,” he said. “We had to cross private property to get into the reserve. Now we’re going to own the road to the reserve.”
On Tuesday, Save the Redwoods launched its fundraising campaign to raise the $4 million to purchase the property. It hopes to meet that goal over the next several months. The agreement with the Richardson family calls for the sale to be completed this year.
“We’ll be making a real strong effort and talking to our supporters and donors,” he said. “I’m hopeful within the next quarter of the year we’ll be successful.”
You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com.
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