Monthly Archives: June 2017

LA Times Adds the Avenue to Its California Bucket List

The Los Angeles times has just added the Avenue of the Giants to their California Bucket List.

As the article says, “This stretch of Humboldt County highway is a journey to the heart of redwood country, the largest remaining expanse of old-growth redwoods in the world.”

It goes on to mention several of the most notable trails and sites along the Avenue.

You’ll find many other interesting things to see and do in California while checking out the Bucket List.  Their are also tags to find Family-Friendly destinations, or attractions within a particular region.

 

 

New Lawsuit to Stop Richardson Grove Project

The Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) has filed a new lawsuit against California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)  to stop the proposed expansion of US Highway 101 through the Richardson Grove.

The section of highway is just a few miles south of the Avenue of the Giants, and passes through one of the most significant remaining stands of California Coast Redwoods.

CalTrans proposed the project in 2007, claiming that  it is necessary to accommodate larger commercial trucks. However, the project would damage or destroy more than 100 redwoods, many of them 1,000 to 2,000 years old.

The lawsuit was filed on June 23rd by EPIC and allied citizens and environmental groups. Three previous legal challenges blocked construction and forced Caltrans to rescind all project approvals in 2014.

The courts have repeatedly found that Caltrans used faulty and inadequate environmental reviews.  In the most recent decision, the judge found that Caltrans had been “arbitrary and capricious” in its use of what the court called “faulty data.”

The latest Caltrans proposal fails to address objections raised in previous suits.

Learn more about the Richardson Grove project and the lawsuit on the EPIC website.

 

New and Improved AVEOFTHEGIANTS.COM !

For Release: June 19, 2017

Since 2003, AVEOFTHEGIANTS.COM has been providing information and recommendations for visitors to the Avenue of the Giants.

We’re very excited to announce a major update of the Avenue of the Giants website, just in time for Summer! The update will make the site more engaging and accessible, and will provide more information, especially for kids.

Here are a few of the changes:

  • A new section, Redwoods for Kids, featuring activities to engage children and teens visiting the Redwoods. The new section includes a downloadable guide of things to look for in the redwoods, as well as Fun Facts, and a Redwoods knowledge quiz.
  • An online store featuring redwoods-themed clothing and accessories.
  • A fresh new website design, which is easily accessible from phones and other mobile devices.

We invite you to visit AVEOFTHEGIANTS.COM, and give us your suggestions and feedback.

If you have a business on the Avenue of the Giants, please check the Towns section of our website to make sure the contact information for your business is correct.

For more information, contact:

info@aveofthegiants.com

Scientists Climb Redwoods to Study How Trees Resist Drought

Scientists Anthony Ambrose and Wendy Baxter, from UC Berkeley, are placing equipment in the crowns of five Redwood trees in a small grove at Bug Sur, California.  They plan to return to the grove regularly in the coming months to study how the trees are affected by climate conditions.

The equipment they have placed in the trees will monitor light, fog, humidity, temperature, and even the mix of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere around the trees. In addition, it will allow them to track how much water the trees are using, and how the water flows through the trunk.

Redwoods have the unusual capability to absorb water from fog, which helps to sustain the trees during rain-free months.  One goal of the study is to understand how much of the trees’ water needs are absorbed from fog, versus drawn from the ground.  This is important to predicting how the trees will be affected by climate changes.

 

Park Service Reminds Visitors: Stay on the Trails!

 

stay-on-trail-sign

As more and more people visit the redwoods, the impact of walking off trail is affecting the health of the forest.  In addition to trampling plants, visitors can actually damage the roots of the redwoods, which grow near the surface.

The Park Service will sometimes build wooden walkways near some of the most famous trees (like the Giant Tree on the Bull Creek Flats trail), so visitors can get close without harming the trees or the plant life.