Dillonwood Grove added to Sequoia National Park

Save the Redwoods League Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 6, 2001 



For Information Contact: Nancy Dunn: 415-362-2352



Save-the-Redwoods League makes 1,540 acre gift to National Park

Service League's gift adds Dillonwood Grove to Sequoia National Park





1,540 acres of wild, remote forest rich in wildlife, giant sequoias, and

scenic vistas were added to Sequoia National Park today when

Save-the-Redwoods League, a San Francisco based non-profit organization,

finalized the purchase of the land for $10.3 million.  The property,

known as Dillonwood Grove, will extend the southern boundaries of

Sequoia National Park in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, located

92 miles southeast of Fresno.



Prior to the sale, the Dillonwood Grove was the largest grove of giant

sequoia trees in private ownership, comprising 70% of the remaining

privately owned sequoia forestland. Dillonwood's inclusion in the park

re-unites the grove with the bordering Garfield Grove, separated until

now in name only. The two combined groves, botanically a single grove,

and one of the five largest sequoia groves in existence, will now be

managed as a single unit. "Save-the-Redwoods League took a real

leadership role in securing the permanent protection of the

Dillonwood-Garfield grove and the park is honored to be its steward,"

commented Dick Martin, Superintendent of Kings Canyon and Sequoia

National Parks.



Dillonwood's forests include a unique variety of giant sequoia, not

found elsewhere in the National Park, according to League Executive

Director Kate Anderton. "In this beautiful forest you find the ancient,

giant Sequoias, more than 2000 years old, towering over second growth

trees 150 years old and younger," Anderton said. "This creates an

unusual and rich opportunity for a forest laboratory, where we can

actually study the progression in the life of these magnificent trees."

When naturalist John Muir walked through these forests in the 1870's, he

was especially moved by the beauty of these sequoias: "The entire upper

portion of the Tule basin is magnificently forested with sequoia, the

finest portion being on the north fork.  This, indeed is, I think, the

noblest block of sequoia in the entire belt, surpassing the giant forest

of the Kaweah."



Dillonwood's acceptance by the National Park Service required expansion

of the southern boundary of Sequoia National Park to include the

property.  Congressman George Radanovich (R-CA) and Senator Barbara

Boxer (D-CA) introduced legislation to formally expand the park's

boundary.  Moments before adjourning the last session of the 106th

Congress, in December, 2000, HR 4020 was passed by the Senate and the

House of Representatives to expand the boundary of Sequoia National Park

to include Dillonwood Grove.



Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) secured a $5 million appropriation for

Dillonwood's purchase. Save-the-Redwoods League raised the remainder of

the funds necessary for the purchase from foundations, individual

donors, and the State of California.



Save-the-Redwoods League Executive Director Kate Anderton, remarking on

the partnership nature of the transaction, which combined funding

sources from federal, state, and private sources, noted, "The widespread

support has been very gratifying, coming from individuals in all 50

states, and even including an especially touching gift of an 8-year

old's allowance money."



The League also acknowledges the Goldman Foundation, the Packard

Foundation, Oracle Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, and the

Wildlife Conservation Board for their generous support.



Wild and remote,  Dillonwood is populated by bear, mountain lion,

California spotted owl, pileated woodpecker, and goshawk. It is suitable

habitat for the Pacific fisher, a species of special concern, and the

wolverine. California condors were seen as recently as the 1960's. In

addition, the pure waters of the Tule Rivers' North Fork are home to a

number of native aquatic species. The property is also rich in cultural

resources. Remains of a high-elevation seasonal Native American

encampment, a significant archaeological site estimated to be 1800 years

old, have been found on the property.  A 19th- century sawmill has also

been located.



The headwaters of the North Fork of the Tule River originate at

Dillonwood.  The integrity of this healthy riparian corridor and the

pure waters flowing from there are of significance to the overall value

and importance of this gift.  Representatives of local land agencies

refer to the League's purchase as a key component of the watershed

protection strategy for the Tule River.  The recent and former owners,

Dave Reed, of Quincy, California, and his sister Susan Matthews of

Agoura Hills, offered to sell Dillonwood to the League in 1999. Reed,

whose family owned and managed Dillonwood for forty years, has spent

most of his life on the property.  He and his wife Nancy lived there for

over 10 years, in a small cabin with no electricity. "That was my little

paradise," Reed remembered. While parting ways with the land is

difficult, Reed said he and his family "feel that Sequoia National Park

will be the next best steward of Dillonwood."



Tentative plans for a June, 2002 dedication celebration are underway.





For more information: Contact Save the Redwoods League at

info@savetheredwoods.org Save-the-Redwoods League 114 Sansome Street,

Room 1200 San Francisco, CA 94104-3823 telephone: (415) 362-2352 fax:

(415) 362-7017

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