May 11, 2010
Never judge a book by its cover...
We left our biking activists last issue en route from Arcata to San Francisco, on a publicized tour in support of Richardson Grove State Park and against a Caltrans proposal to widen the highway through it, which would entail the loss of ancient redwoods and untold damage to the ecosystem.
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A recent local concern is the dying-back of the tops of ancient redwood trees along the Avenue of the Giants. The Avenue (much of it part of Humboldt Redwoods State Park) is the former two-lane route 101--the main road before the mid-sixties, now a scenic alternative to the four-lane highway. The Avenue features narrow roadside sections of old-growth redwoods highly visible to 101 traffic, a prized remnant of the last 3% of our ancient redwood forests. But in some median and roadside areas, particularly where pavement impacts surface contact for roots, the crowns of the giant trees are losing their foliage in an apparent die-back of the formerly healthy trees, creating what has been called "Avenue of the Spike-Tops." It's a tragic sight for anyone traveling highway 101 or that part of the Avenue. Our actions affect our environment, the root issue of the Richardson Grove Improvement Project (RIP).
Coastal redwoods are exceptional trees. Most marvelous (and still being studied) is how a single old-growth redwood can transport hundreds of gallons of water per day vertically up hundreds of feet. Recent research has demonstrated that the hydrostatic movement of water and nutrients through cambium tissues cannot be limited by gravity1. Redwoods can grow even taller than the current record held by "Hyperion" in Redwood National Park at 373 feet, as long as nature (and humankind) allows them to.
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According to the two life-long residents of Pepperwood whom we encountered this day, the afflicted trees were damaged from a bypass built in the mid-sixties by the Department of Public Works, now known as Caltrans. When the current four-lane Highway 101 was built, the original two-lane highway became Avenue of the Giants. In some places, surface water located between the new thoroughfare and the older section was diverted into culverts--surface water the ancient trees had depended upon for centuries. Therefore, it is a logical assumption that the affected redwoods along the Avenue of the Giants dried out due to the road builders' short-sightedness.
These pricey projects create a lot of pork spending. CalTrans recently cut over 342 redwoods along 101 between Windsor and Santa Rosa. They don't give a rip about a two-mile section of ancient trees through Richardson Grove, and the multi-million-dollar RIP involves the cutting, filling, compacting, and paving of redwood roots that are likely three to five thousand years old! By the time the effects from the RIP are visible, the controversy will be a distant memory, just as in this case with the dying redwoods on the Avenue. Our new friends thanked us for what we were doing to help raise awareness about Richardson Grove, and we continued south.
The Avenue: the most scenic, tranquil, and anticipated part of our journey. It's an epic drive, but words cannot describe the experience of cycling through such a sacred place. Bicycling the Avenue makes you realize that driving through in your car is blasphemy against nature. After cycling most of the California coast, there is no place safer or more rewarding for a moderate bike trip of one or more days. We were relieved to catch up to Gambit as other cycling friends joined along the way to camp for the second night just north of Garberville.
The ride began to feel as if we were casting a protective spell on behalf of Richardson Grove. We made great time on the path to Redway and were joined by more cyclists. KMUD let us give a radio update before reaching Garberville, as well as invite listeners to join us at Richardson Grove for the grand finish. KMUD is one of the last true community radio stations left on the north coast, a vital and progressive resource for local music, news, and events.
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The number of cyclists peaked on the final stretch to Richardson Grove. It felt very empowering to have so many friends and community members riding with the same intention. It felt like the power of our protective spell was increasing with every mile. While there were fewer participants than expected in northern Humboldt, southern Humboldt sure turned out.
I became concerned about earlier threats made by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to shut down our planned event in the grove. If this were to occur, they would do it just before we reached the end of the ride. It was suggested that we get off the highway at Benbow and take a scenic route over the Eel River and back to the 101, ending up a couple hundred feet north of the Richardson Grove park entrance. Between the Avenue and this newfound (for us) bypass, the CHP never knew we slipped by (just as we never knew if the CHP was really waiting to nab us).
We were cheered as we rode into the park. We had finally made it! It was such a good feeling to have so much support for
the ride as we dove into the waiting potluck and cold beers. Although it wasn't quite over for my partner and me, the hardest part of organizing and fretting over the event was behind us. It all came together because community-minded people unite to defend our sacred and fragile microcosm.
Never question why you should defend your home and community. Question why wouldn`t you. If Caltrans tries to pave paradise, they will have an experienced and impassioned community to contend with. We are all connected, just like redwood roots. Our strengths are in our diversity and in our loving compassion for each other and all creatures. As Jene McCovey would say, this includes even the one-legged creatures (trees).
My partner and I continued south to San Francisco, hanging posters, gathering petitions, and spreading awareness about the RIP. It was really hard to find anyone who was for parting the Redwood Curtain (by widening the road), especially as our surroundings became more urban. Once it's gone, you can never go back.
If you enjoyed this series and are interested in the rest of our adventure, Part III of the Redwood Curtain Bicycle Run will be featured in the next issue of Forest & River News. Stay tuned for more about Richardson Grove.
1. How Water Climbs to the Top of a 112 Meter-Tall Tree? (May 2006), George Koch, Northern Arizona University; Stephen Sillett and Gregg Jennings, Humboldt State University; Stephen Davis, Pepperdine University (http://4e.plantphys.net/article.php?ch=&id=100)
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TOC for Forest & River News, Spring 2010