Today EPIC and our allies filed suit to protect the ancient redwoods in Richardson Grove State Park from Caltrans’ ill-conceived plan to widen Highway 101. We are very pleased to have the pro-bono support of the Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy law firm, including the inspiration of Pete McCloskey, former US Congressman and veteran environmental advocate.

We are teaming up with the Center for Biological Diversity, Californians for Alternatives to Toxins and local citizens Loreen Eliason, Trisha Lee Lotus, Bruce Edwards and Jeff Hedin in our upcoming court battle.

Our plaintiff group is confident that we can protect the ancient trees at Richardson Grove, and unravel the misinformation campaign that Caltrans, big business interests and local officials have waged to promote the project.

I want to offer a special thank you to all of the amazing supporters who have made our own challenge to raise $5000 in one week to support this effort. With your help, we have had great success in exceeding our goal!

Please take a moment and read our joint press release, and keep checking back for more updates.

This filing marks an important elevation in our campaign to protect the grove, but it is only the beginning.

In addition to winning on legal merits, we must continue to build momentum so that we also might win in another, very important arena. The court of public opinion has been swayed by years of lobbying and deal-making by a few businesses influencing Caltrans and local officials to support this disastrous project.

To achieve these efforts, we will need volunteers and further financial support, as well as the support of our cultural activists, including musicians, poets and artists who support our campaign to protect Richardson Grove.We look forward to bringing our community a number of entertaining events locally to highlight the offerings made to us from a plethra of artists.

We look forward to finding many more creative ways for people who oppose this project to participate in a grassroots campaign to protect these ancient trees from harm.

Additionally, please feel free to download our Endorsed Richardson Grove Complaint (petition for writ of mandate).

Thanks for your attention!

Kerul Dyer

Richardson Grove Campaign Coordinator

Please help us achieve our goal of raising $5000 in one week.

Please help EPIC protect the old growth redwoods in Richardson Grove State Park. With your help, we can ensure the grove remains fully protected.

Right now, EPIC needs your help to make the kick-off for our Richardson Grove Legal Fund a success.

Already  four dedicated people have pledged to match up to $2500 to support the kick-off.

Will you be a part of the EPIC Challenge, and pledge your support this week?

Ancient redwoods are some of the tallest and oldest living things on earth. Old growth redwood forests provide important habitat for endangered species and a cathedral-like, peaceful setting for personal reflection. The incredible roots of these trees provide the lifeblood for their health and the structural integrity they need to stand tall. (more…)

Richardson Grove State Park marks the southern entrance to Humboldt County, and is considered to be the famous redwood curtain that has kept the county from becoming another exit along the superhighway of modern development. In 1922, concerns about “potential destruction of the trees by highway construction and logging” persuaded the State to protect the redwood grove. But now Caltrans is proposing to widen the highway through the Grove, resulting in removal of trees and destruction of old growth root systems.

Caltrans originally prepared a Categorical Exemption, attempting to do minimal environmental analysis for the proposed project. However, with the involvement of EPIC and other environmental advocates, Caltrans has been forced back to the drawing board to do more extensive research, stalling the proposed project in the planning process for the past year. The trees have been allowed to remain while Caltrans conducts further analysis, preparing an Environemtal Impact Report on the impacts associated with the proposed “Richardson Grove Operational Improvement Project.”

The Save Richardson Grove Campaign has already stalled Caltrans, now its our job to stop them. You can be part of winning this battle right now by joining the campaign, educating yourself, signing postcards, petitioning your elected officials, reviewing the environmental documents for inadequacies, publishing opinion articles in news outlets or by doing your own unique something to spread awareness and stop the project!

Click on the links below to view Caltrans’ environmental analysis documents for the proposed Richardson Grove highway widening project:

• Caltrans’ Draft Environmental Impact Report - Full Report
• Appendix I Natural Environment Study - Includes analysis of biological resources
• Appendix L Layout Maps – Includes maps of proposed tree and root removal
• Purpose and Need

The Save Richardson Grove Campaign has been accumulating community support for efforts to stop Caltrans’ widening project through the grove. The most recent event was held at the April 27th Board of Supervisor’s afternoon session, where community members requested that the Board put the Richardson Grove project on the agenda for discussion. Attendees included a retired HSU professor, members from regional Tribes, a poet, an expert on the construction impacts to trees, representatives from EPIC, a local business owner that runs a revocery center adjacent to the proposed project, small business owners who are concerned about local sustainability, and many other people on behalf of the trees who are opposed to the proposed project.

View the pages below to learn more about the Campaign to Save Richardson Grove and find out how you can get involved:

Take Action Now!

Caltrans plans to release their final proposal in May of 2010, and will stop accepting public comments at that time. Please visit EPIC’s action center to send a letter to Caltrans, to let them know your feelings about the Richardson Grove project.

Sign up for EPIC’s Save Richardson Grove listserve

You can receive regular updates about upcoming events and campaign developments. We can update you on our efforts to stop the Caltrans project threatening old growth redwoods in Richardson Grove State Park.

Join the Coalition to Save Richardson Grove.

This group of organizers has kept the heat on CalTrans and have brought many issues to light.  Already this group has successfully forced CalTrans to produce environmental planning documents to examine expected impacts of the proposed project.

The Big Picture: A Sacred Place, Not a Truck Rodeo

Widening the highway through Richardson Grove is just the first step in a larger scheme to alter the character of the county; to rob it of its quaint charm and turn it into a replica of so many Los Angeles suburbs.

Donate to EPIC’s “Save Richardson Grove Fund”

The power is in your hands, EPIC needs support from people like you to keep the Richardson Grove campaign going. We are up against large scale developers with unlimited budgets. Every donation helps.