If it weren’t for a small Los Altos-based land trust, Big Basin Redwoods State Park probably would be a housing development.
In 1900, more than 50 years before Los Altos became a city, the founders of the Sempervirens Fund, originally called the Sempervirens Club, were working to preserve land in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
At the time, the redwoods in what is now Big Basin Redwoods State Park were held privately and on the brink of being logged. The average age of a redwood tree in the park is estimated at 2,000 years. That year, a small group of influential Peninsula residents started the campaign to save the property – with $32.
The club completed its fight to save Big Basin in 1902, with the opening to the public of a 3,800-acre park, purchased for $25,000. It later became California’s first state park.
Fast forward to 1968, when Los Altos resident Claude “Tony” Look decided to rekindle Sempervirens, its membership
having fallen dormant in the 1950s. His aim was to save two parcels of land bordering Big Basin from development. A hotel-resort was about to be built on a 2,500-acre site and a housing complex was planned for a 300-acre parcel. Look helped raise $19,000 that combined with money from the state to acquire the properties.
He then renamed the conservancy Sempervirens Fund, now the oldest in the state, and enlisted the help of his friends. (The non-profit organization derives its name from the coast redwood’s scientific name sequoia sempervirens, “evergreen” in Latin. It is the tallest living plant species.)
Although the non-profit’s office is now located in Mountain View, it maintains its Los Altos post office box address. That’s because many of its members still associate Los Altos with the conservancy, said Sempervirens Fund board director Richard Wheat, Look’s friend and 50-year Los Altos resident.
In the early days of the fund, there was no paid staff. Wheat and Look and other early members met wherever they could find space.
“It’s a homegrown organization,” Wheat said. “It started in the minds of a few individuals and has become an important organization with an important role in the state.”
In 1969, Look had another ambitious goal. He organized 1,000 volunteers to build the 33-mile Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail, connecting Castle Rock State Park through Big Basin Redlands State Park to Waddell Beach. Volunteers completed the trail in one weekend.
Today development pressure is stronger than ever in the Bay Area, making it increasingly difficult to purchase additional land.
“Property has become much more expensive, and more and more people are becoming interested in building large homes in the mountains,” Wheat said.
But Sempervirens’ fund raising has continued to be successful, and the organization continues to seek out new purchases, he said, adding, “Saving park land close to urban areas that takes you back to nature in all its forms is a wonderful thing.”
The non-profit’s Los Altos connection has remained through the years. Los Altos resident Emily Thurber is vice president of the board of directors.
Thurber’s environmental activism stretches back to when she worked on Senator Alan Cranston’s staff. One of Cranston’s many groundbreaking achievements was the preservation of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Thurber also worked as campaign manager for former State Senator Byron Sher, who pioneered California legislation on environmental issues from clean water and air to landfills and land preservation.
“Working in the political arena heightened my environmental sensitivity,” Thurber said.
Thurber described the board as taking an active role in the non-profit, literally. Board members tramp through the woods and check out potential land purchases before voting on acquiring them, and frequently meet with property owners.
“That’s one of the most satisfying parts of being on the board,” Thurber said. “You can be actively involved in preserving redwoods.”
Thus far, the non-profit has preserved more than 21,000 acres. It wrapped up a $500,000 capital campaign Dec. 30 to achieve another ambitious goal – the purchase of Panorama Ridge, a 40-acre property abutting Castle Rock State Park, land originally acquired by Sempervirens and then transferred to the state park system.
“It was a missing piece,” Thurber said. “This was an area where you couldn’t hike and now you can. We are building a 20-mile trail to go around the whole park.”
More than 1,700 people contributed to the campaign. From the Panorama Ridge property, hikers will be able to view Monterey Bay to the south and north to the Farallon Islands.
Executive Director Brian Steen said Sempervirens is poised to transfer the trail to the state park system once it is complete. The non-profit plans to open the property to the public this spring.
“It could have been a trophy-house site,” Steen said. “It could have been sold to anyone in Silicon Valley who wanted a killer view.”
What’s next for Sempervirens?
“We will continue our good work,” Thurber said. “Our board is not afraid to be daring. We all want to make a difference.”
For more information, visit www.sempervirens.org.
