If you met me, you'd never guess that I've never went on a hike until I was in my 20's (I'm a lover of nature) and my very first hike was at Big Basin. One of the first thoughts that ran across my mind was, "Wow. This is what I've been missing?!" All this in my own backyard (i.e. w/in a 30 mile radius) and to know that a place like this was that close made it that much more special. When I found out there was an organization that has a mission to protect places like Big Basin and the redwoods, it gave me a very comforting feeling. I truly hope Sempervirens will continue to protect these places and the wildlife that cannot protect themselves. Thank you Sempervirens!

Sempervirens is an amazing organization that protects the Coastal Redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains. They are responsible for starting some of the best parks in the area such as Big Basin and Castle Rock. These parks and many others that Sempervirens has started not only protect these gigantic majestic trees, but also provide the community with a place to hike, camp, and enjoy nature. Even after protecting all these areas, they are continually working to protect more, both for the better of the environment as well as provide more areas for the public.

For me, Semper Virens protects the essential parts of our fabulous coastal forests. These huge and beautiful trees provide for every other living member of nature's bounty. I consider the soil, the water and the air to be the living warp and weft of the great fabric we call nature. These redwoods clean the air and water and hold the soil in place in addition to enriching their components. They provide an anchor for the flora and fauna that decorate this carpet of life and give us a gift of peacefulness and beauty that turns our prosaic existence into joyful bliss. The noblest response we can muster is to support this cause with our gifts and energies. To this end Semper Virens is the perfect vehicle of action.

I've always had a special place in my heart for the redwoods of the coast range in Northern California. The Sempervirens Fund helps protect and preserve this precious resource for our kids and their kids someday. I've been particularly impressed with what Sempervirens has done over the years with Big Basin State Park. I'm an HP employee, and was glad to see Little Basin (which used to be a getaway for HP employees) move into the public domain, with help from the Sempervirens Fund and POST. Keep up the good work!

The Sempervirens Fund has greatly contributed to the creation and expansion of many of the State Parks in the Santa Cruz Mountains. They developed a regional, science-based plan to guide their work to further expand and connect existing protected lands, in order to protect redwood forests, conserve biodiversity and wildlife connectivity, and create more opportunities for compatible public uses of the land in this important bioregion. Sempervirens Fund staff are hard working, dedicated, and innovative; the organization is highly collaborative, and works effectively with diverse groups including local, state, and federal agencies, other conservation organizations, private landowners, and the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band of Ohlone/Costanoan Indians--the native people of the region. I look forward to witnessing the next era of conservation in this region, which I call home.

I love going hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was amazing to
encounter the beautiful redwoods in Big Basin. And I learned how
Sempervirens Fund was instrumental in protecting these trees back then
and how they continue to protect more of them today. It's such an
important mission and they undertake it with great dedication. I highly
recommend them as a place to donate or volunteer.

I have hiked extensively in the Santa Cruz mountains, but only in the last two years have I realized the importance of Sempervirens Fund in creating the state parks and preserving this wonderful resource for all the people living in Silicon Valley and the surrounding areas.

Since 1900 when Sempervirens Fund was founded, the donations to Sempervirens Fund have create Big Basin Redwoods State Park (the first state park in California), and Castle Rock State Park, and the fund is trying to create an uninterrupted wildlife corridors and an ecological preserve in cooperation with existing land owners, as well as by acquiring land as it becomes available.

This is important to our present as well as to our children's future.

Jim Mott, Oakland, CA

I have been a donor for around 14 years and now also a volunteer since 2013. Preserving and managing local redwood forest is so important for the present and the future. Sempervirens Fund does a great job to accomplish its goals. All the staff, board members and volunteers work very hard. Every cent of my donation is put to good use. I will keep on donating to Sempervirens Fund. Thank you so much.

I am so grateful to Sempervirens Fund for preserving the redwood forests of California and the wildlife habitat they provide.

The redwoods are an American legacy that held a storied place in my childhood, spent all the way across the country in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. My Granddaddy loves trees, and he loves none more than California's redwoods. He drove all the way across the country, twice, just to see them.

They are magical. Even if I had never had the joy of living in Santa Cruz and seeing them everyday, I would (and did) support the mission of preserving them for future generations. Thank you Sempervirens!