Free Online Campaign to Save Santa Cruz Redwoods

There is a new virtual weapon in the arsenal of those who would protect the environment: EarthAIDE.com is now offerring activists an opportunity to raise funds for nonprofit projects with out spending their own money.

EarthAIDE has teamed up with nonprofit Sempervirens Fund and sponsor Holistic Health Center in an effort to help purchase and permanently protect a redwood forest that loggers were eagerly pursuing. EarthAIDE's website gives public individuals the power to click to donate free to raise up to $10,000 for this important project. Not only is the delicate ecosystem of the forest at risk, but also the San Lorenzo River itself, which runs through the parcel. Any logging operation would cause erosion and pollution, lowering water-quality and imperiling the watershed's already threatened steelhead trout.


The forest was cut over 100 years ago, and is steadily recovering, having recently begun to develop old-growth characteristics. No sooner had these trees matured, before the logging industry put this parcel back in its sights. Because the forests of Santa Cruz County already face myriad human threats, Sempervirens Funds made a bold move to protect this forest, outbidding several major timber firms in 2000. While this was a major victory at the time, Sempervirens Fund is still working to pay off the principle of this purchase. EarthAIDE's "San Lorenzo River Redwoods Purchase" drive is part of their campaign to complete the payment before making the area available for public recreation.

Once the money has been raised, Sempervirens Fund will begin to transfer this land to California's state park system. In a few years, they hope to see thousands of public visitors enjoying this area.

Interested parties can visit http://www.earthaide.com for more information on how to make a difference.