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| #Muir_Woods_Northern_California The area is the remnant of the ancient redwood forests They can live for over 2000 years, making them almost as old as the dinosaurs When a local water company had business plans to build a reservoir and log the trees in this area John Muir asked his friend William Kent (who was a politician, conservationist and philanthropist) for help He ended up buying 600 acres and gave 295 acres to the US Federal Government for protection as a national monument National Park Service Once Kent was elected to the US House of Representatives, he co-introduced the legislation to establish this organization which manages Muir Woods plus other parks and monuments within the country |
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| Annual Rings It serves as a climate record and captures a trees personal history A) Light and Dark; together represents one years growth B) Wide; show years of plentiful rainfall C) Narrow; harsher conditions D) Fire Scars and Cracks; a tree struggling to survive Location The Redwoods are found along the Pacific coast from central California to southern Oregon They are best suited to be around 80 kms (50 miles) from the ocean, so then they are protected from the wind, the salt spray and also have a constant source of moisture |
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Bohemian and Cathedral are the biggest trees here at the Muir Woods How large you ask I took this photo purposely with humans to show the comparisons The highest is over 115 meters (379 feet) with a width of 4.2 meters (14 feet) which makes it the worlds tallest living thing The mature trees range in age of 500 to 800, with the oldest over 1000 years old Sequoias grows larger in bulk but is less vertical than the Redwood They can be found in Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Parks |
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Fog The Redwoods can only flourish here on the Northern California coast because of its summer fog as this provides critical moisture during that dry season So with the winter rains and the floodplains of streams (that periodically overflow) this supplies the levels of water that is needed for the rest of the year Fire It clears the forest floor of duff ( decaying organic matter) which allows the redwood seeds to reach the mineral soil It also recycles the nutrients and can enhance wildlife forage Finally the National Park Service conducts prescribed burning to re-establish fires natural role in the forest Thick Bark Its spongy plus fibrous which is 15 to 31cms (6 to 12 inches) thick, so it insulates the mature redwood against fire damage, insects and disease |
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Interesting Facts; A) The Redwoods intertwine their roots with each other, which helps them gain stability and support to offset the "top heavy" effect because of their height B) Despite their massive size they start from very small cones, that are only about 2.54cms (1inch) long C) Some adult trees can "clone" themselves from sprouts, which helps them survive forest fires and the effects from other damage D) Their enormous canopies can contain an entire ecosystem which supports a wide variety of plants and animals |
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| The Sierra Club Founded in San Francisco 1892 by John Muir It had a mission to protect and preserve the wilderness plus our natural resources Fun Facts A) Charter Members; had 182 who joined during the first five months with a wide range of backgrounds. A banjo teacher, taxidermist, the inventor of the cable car and even the founder of the Pasadena annual New Years Eve Rose Parade All paid an annual $5.00 fee (around $135.00 today) B) Beatles Song Connection; one charter member, botanist Frederic Bioletti was the first cousin to the barber in the song Penny Lane C) Earthquake 1906; the building where the club was founded was destroyed during that terrible event With the first meeting then being held at the California Academy of Sciences which ironically John Muir missed Environmental Movement In the 1960s there was a proposal to build hydroelectric dams in the Grand Canyon, which would of resulted in flooding and lost land within the park The Sierra Club launched a massive public relations campaign which resulted in a compromise among the Colorado River basin areas thus the national reserve was saved Yosemite Park The club began a fourteen year campaign to convince the government to put the area under federal management John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt did a camping trip together in Yosemite, which became a pivotal moment as he showed the Commander in Chief "the value of the untamed land" After Roosevelt became a strong advocate for conservation which culminated in 1906 act that combined Mariposa Grove, Yosemite Valley plus the surrounding high ground into a larger National Park 10th Mountain Division Many Sierra Club members provided technical knowledge, training and survival skills for this elite unit of the military at Camp Hale Colorado Alaska Beginning in the 1980s, the Sierra Club had a major involvement in the states land and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) It has lobbied through litigation plus pressuring financial institutions against oil drilling on this land Today In 2025 it has remained active in environmental advocacy It challenged a permit for a nuclear-waste disposal facility in Federal Court and won the case Pushing for more renewable energy over fossil fuels, responding to government policies As the fight continues |
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| United Nations Signed on June 26th 1945 by the representatives of the 50 original Member States President Roosevelt was the principal architect and designed it to ensure postwar peace plus security through a system with the major Allied Powers They used this park for his memorial as the ancient redwoods in Cathedral Grove symbolized the Presidents ideals and faith |
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Quotes from John Muir "The mountains are calling and i must go" "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks" |