Restoring A Forest – And Home For The Coastal Tailed Frog

When The Conservation Fund purchased the 24,000-acre Garcia River Forest in the heart of Northern California’s redwood country in 2004, we had something to prove. We wanted to demonstrate that, as one of the nation’s first nonprofit forest owners, we could sustainably harvest the trees and use the proceeds to restore the land—bringing this degraded forest back to health.

It was a tall order.

Little did we know that our restoration efforts might also provide a brighter future for the coastal tailed frog, whose recent discovery on our property symbolizes the many environmental benefits of our commitment to sustainably manage this land.

Dating back even before dinosaurs, the tailed frog is one of the world’s most primitive frog species. To survive, the coastal tailed frog needs cold and clear running water. For years, that was not the kind of condition you’d find at Garcia River Forest, where decades of intensive logging and road-building clogged streams with sediment and eroding soil.

But beginning in 2004, once the Garcia property was in our hands, we worked with scientists from The Nature Conservancy our partner, to develop and implement a land-management plan that includes forest ecosystem restoration and sustainable harvests. We’ve taken steps to reduce stream sediment by repairing roads, and we are monitoring waters for a healthy level of shade from trees above. And the coastal tailed frog has now been found on site, where it belongs.

Research is in the early stages, but scientists say the frog’s presence at Garcia is a good sign for the health of our streams. By restoring this special place, we’re also providing safe haven for salmon, owls and other wildlife. Equally important, we’re providing jobs to support people and families who call this area home.

Just like this project, our work across America combines a passion for conservation with an entrepreneurial spirit to protect your favorite places before they become just a memory. With your support, we can do so much more.

Photo: Brome McCreary