Redwoods, California
Redwood Sky Walk
Walkway Updates
Redwood Sky Walk at Sequoia Park Zoo, Eureka, California
Our Role: Initial Fundraising KeyNote Speaker
- In 2016, Dr. Margaret Lowman was invited to be the keynote speaker at the the Conservation Foundation’s annual fundraising event. Her inspiring talk helped kick off fundraising for the development of the canopy walkway/skywalk at the Sequoia Zoo.
Threat/Opportunity:
- Redwoods have been around for about 240 million years and in California for at least 20 million years. In the last 150 years, the impact of humans has reduced the number of these ancient trees to a mere 5% of their former number through clear-cut logging and development.
- The local Coast Redwood tree can grow to 300 feet tall or more, yet its root
system is only 6 to 12 feet deep. Redwoods need the support and protection of other tree species in the forest to grow tall – and in return, they provide plant and wildlife habitat and the strength to withstand powerful winds and floods by extending their roots more than 50 feet from the trunk and living in groves where their roots can intertwine.
Solution:
- The sky walk is a series of connected elevated bridges that take visitors to the raised platforms, where they can see this old-growth redwood grove from a new perspective. (ADA -accessible)
- Located within the Sequoia Park, a 67-acre grove in the city of Eureka and home to Redwood National Park where more than 45 percent of California’s remaining protected old-growth redwoods forests grow.
- Redwood National Park is one of four neighboring state parks that together constitute an International Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site.
Results:
- Opened to the public in June 2021
- $4,000,000 project made possible through local lodging alliances, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, Outdoor Environmental Education Facilities, Habitat Conservation Grant, and local donations
California: a Biodiversity "Hot Spot"
Located within the Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP), the ancient and preserved Coast Redwood ecosystem contains some of the planet’s most majestic forests. These trees are not only some of the world’s tallest and oldest, but also the widest – sometimes reaching over 20 feet in diameter. The average lifespan of a Coastal Redwood is 600 years – with some surviving close to 2,000 years. Undisturbed old-growth forests like the Coastal Redwoods exhibit unique ecological features, and the crowns of these trees are so ecologically lavish that groves of smaller trees, hidden from the ground, can grow out of the soil that accumulates on the immense branches, creating a new, and mostly unexplored layer of life, within which exist species that are rare or absent elsewhere.
What is a "Hot Spot"?
A “Hot Spot” is a forest habitat of high biodiversity and critical environmental importance. Unfortunately, many of these ecosystems are threatened by habitat destruction, climate change, and other factors. MISSION GREEN believes that these areas could significantly benefit from a canopy walkway conservation program.
MISSION GREEN Global "Hot Spots"
Canopy Walkways and Walkway Prospect Locations
