Big Basin Redwoods State Park – Woodside-Atherton Garden Club

The GCA Restoration Initiative funds will help restore both the natural areas at this newly-repurposed entrance to the park, Rancho del Oso. Plans were already underway to replace the dilapidated welcome center at this location and now, with the loss of the Big Basin Lodge, the schedule for completion has moved up. This welcome center will serve as the only entrance into the old growth forest once visitors are allowed to return to the Park. Planting areas adjacent to the building as well as natural, forested areas just beyond the building were ruined by the fire.  The hope is to create informational beds of native plants, both of which will help visitors understand the ecosystem of an old growth forest just prior to heading into nature’s great cathedral where, as John Steinbeck wrote, they will meet these “ambassadors from another time.”

A full survey is underway to assess the extent of the damage to the entire Big Basin Redwoods State Park. This will be followed by an extensive planning, rebuilding, and replanting process which will take years and cost many millions of dollars. The funds from the Restoration Initiative Grant will be used to purchase replacement plant material and soil. We expect the planting to begin in the spring/summer of 2021 and take approximately three weeks.

Woodside-Atherton Garden Club will partner with Save the Redwoods League staff and volunteers to complete this project. We will invite members from the five other Northern California GCA clubs to join us in the work.