Today, Richardson Grove continues to hold great cultural significance as an important place of prayer, ceremony and cultural lifeways. This is in part because Richardson Grove is one of only a few remaining ancient redwood groves, a critical part of the surviving 2% old-growth redwood still standing. Gááhs-tcho (coast redwood tree in Sinkyone language, also referred to as Na-Gááh-tcho) is a special relative whom Indigenous Peoples are taught to never harm. Tribal leaders thro

Computer-generated illustration shows how proposed project would look on the Samoa Peninsula. Image courtesy of Nordic Aquafarms. Comments are due May 24 on the County’s review of the environmental impacts of Nordic AquaFarms’ proposed land-based fish factory. The project would involve redeveloping nearly 36 acres at the former pulp mill in Samoa to produce 73 million pounds of fish per year. Twelve million gallons of treated wastewater would be released into the ocean daily,

Trees marked for logging in Jackson Demonstration State Forest. Photo by Matt Simmons. John P. O’Brien, PhD (JP to his friends) loves Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JDSF). The forest is practically in his backyard so he regularly gets to enjoy taking long hikes and mountain bike rides through its impressive stands of predominantly coastal redwood forest. So, when he heard that CAL FIRE intended to conduct a series of timber harvest plans in some of his favorite places in

To the Sinkyone People, Gááhs-tcho (Redwood Tree) is a special relative whom they were taught to never harm. “As Indigenous Peoples, our responsibility is to respect and care for places like the Grove because of their inherent sacredness and importance within the larger Gááhs-tcho temperate rainforest of this region and beyond. The Grove is an irreplaceable part of the cultural landscape and identity of the Sinkyone People,” asserts Mary Norris who is Chairwoman at the Cahto

On the same day as the Trump administration announced the elimination of 3.4 million acres of critical habitat for the northern spotted owl, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s top owl expert formally objected to the decision in a document recently unearthed as part of ongoing litigation. The Jan. 15 memorandum, written by Oregon State Office Supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Dr. Paul Henson, found that “it is reasonable to conclude that [the reduction in cri

Governor Gavin Newsom recently pledged to conserve 30% of California by 2030. The goal is based on a scientific consensus that conserving that much land is necessary to prevent a catastrophic loss of biodiversity and climate change. And now, the government wants to hear from the public about how best to go about doing that. So, he created this survey that any Californian can fill out and let him know how best to accomplish that goal. We here at EPIC believe that preserving ou

We all know that climate change is having and will continue to have a dramatic impact on our planet. But knowing exactly what that impact will be can be a tricky business. Our planet’s weather patterns are the result of a delicate balance of a multitude of factors. And so, tracking how increasing global temperatures will impact specific regions takes a lot of scientific inquiry. Even more complicated is understanding what climate change’s impact on specific species will be. T

The past year will go down in history as one of the strangest times of our lives. Although we spent a large portion of the year in quarantine, canceled gatherings, worked from home, and fumbled through video conferences while juggling kids and cats, we were able to adapt to our new reality and continue efforts to protect wild places and the wildlife that call them home. Looking back, 2020 was an incredibly productive year. With the help of our supporters, coalitions and allie