110 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



the Sage Lumber Company. This stand of Red- 

 woods is largely mixed with spruce and the 

 ground is carpeted with ferns in great abun- 

 dance and variety. 



One of the most conspicuous features of these 

 Redwood forests, especially in Del Norte 

 County and the northern portions of Humboldt, 

 is the profusion of ferns. It is said that some 

 thirty species of ferns are found in these woods. 



This Redwood Creek stand is as yet untouched 

 and should be carefully considered for a national 

 park, because the timber being inaccessible can 

 be acquired at a relatively small cost. 



The most important groves north of this sec- 

 tion are on the Klamath River and also on the 

 Smith River in Del Norte County, known as 

 Mills Creek grove. There are several other 

 groves in this region and the Redwood stand 

 throughout Del Norte County is exception- 

 ally fine. The trees, perhaps, are less healthy 

 but they are larger, more weird and grotesque in 

 their contours, and while less valuable for tim- 

 ber, are even better adapted for preservation in 

 a park. As Del Norte County is somewhat re- 

 mote it may be immune for a short time from 

 serious inroads by the axe, and there is no doubt 

 that the Smith River Redwoods should be ac- 

 quired ultimately for a national park. 



On our return from the north the writer was 

 called upon, as one of the representatives of the 

 Redwoods League, to return to Eureka and take 

 part in the park movement which had made 

 great progress since our first visit. The citizens 

 of Eureka had brought together at a public 

 meeting all the small holders who were actually 

 operating along the highway. As a result of 

 this remarkable public demonstration, the lum- 

 bermen agreed for the sum of $60,000 to sus- 

 pend cutting and to give two-year options on 

 their property at reasonable figures. Thirty 

 thousand dollars of the money needed were 

 donated by Stephen T. Mather and by William 

 Kent, both Vice-Presidents of the Redwoods 

 League. The remaining $30,000 were supplied 

 from the county funds of Humboldt County. 

 These options were purchased upon the under- 

 standing that they would be exercised when due 

 and the lands paid for by special county bond 

 issues. The state of California is expected to 

 furnish a general bond issue for the purchase of 

 the remaining timber lands on the south fork of 

 the Eel, together with the Bull Creek and Dyer- 

 ville Flats, containing in all some 20,000 or 

 25,000 acres. 



The great stand of Redwoods on the left bank 

 of the main Eel River below the forks was left 

 out of consideration temporarily because of the 



large sum involved -in its purchase, but if the 

 preservation of the South Fork is once secured 

 public interest will inevitably demand the ex- 

 tension of the Park to include these trees. It 

 is perfectly obvious from the aroused public sen- 

 timent in Humboldt County and elsewhere in 

 California that the time is at hand when lumber 

 companies will not be allowed to destroy such 

 superb groves for a net return often absurdly 

 small. 



The protection of these Redwoods must be 

 secured by Humboldt County and by the State 

 of California, but the Federal Government 

 also must do its share by establishing a large 

 National Redwoods Park. To obtain Con- 

 gressional action is a matter of many months, 

 but a resolution has been offered in Congress by 

 Representative Lea, calling for an investigation 

 of the whole Redwoods problem with a view to 

 the establishment of such a park. Hereto- 

 fore national parks have been carved out of 

 the public domain and it will be a new departure 

 for Congress to buy private lands for public use 

 on any such scale as will be necessary here. 



The Redwoods League looks confidently to 

 private holders of timber to donate either groves 

 of Redwoods which are within the proposed park 

 area (and several such donations have already 

 been offered), but it also expects to receive gifts 

 of Redwoods which can be exchanged for land 

 within the park area. There are many patriotic 

 Californians who will be only too glad to 

 donate funds for the preservation of the Red- 

 woods when they realize that there is an organi- 

 zation ready to accept, administer these groves 

 and turn them over to the State or Nation when 

 the proper time arrives. 



The inhabitants of Del Norte and Humboldt 

 Counties have scarcely awakened to the possi- 

 bilities of fabulous wealth in their Redwoods as 

 an attraction for visitors. The annual value of 

 the tourist crop to southern California is said to 

 be about $80,000,000, although natural curiosi- 

 ties other than the climate sometimes have to 

 manufactured. As an amusing example of the 

 business acumen of southern California, one may 

 mention Ramona's "place of marriage" and hei 

 "grave," at San Diego, to both of which the 

 tourist is religiously conducted and gravel} 

 assured that, if Ramona ever had lived othei 

 than in the brain of a sentimental novelist, she 

 would have been married and buried at these 

 mythical shrines. 



When Humboldt and Del Norte Counties 

 awaken to a full realization of the revolutior 

 effected by automobiles, which will flood tht 

 country with tourists as soon as the highways 



