ARTICLE
The Chamber is celebrating 130 years of service to our county and it is only fitting that the Chamber’s past be a reflection of our present with the re-branding of the Santa Cruz COUNTY Chamber of Commerce. A new logo but the same mission — promoting county wide economic vitality where more than 60% of the Chamber members conduct business outside the Santa Cruz City limits. A new milestone was achieved last week in a deal made to protect more than 900 acres of the Santa Cruz Mountains redwood forest. This recent story rekindles the past — here’s the other story. In Nick Ybarra’s March 27 article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel he wrote about last week’s announcement that more than 900 acres of redwood forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains was set for permanent protection from development under a new deal between Palo Alto-based Peninsula Open Space Trust and the McCrary family, owners of Big Creek Lumber. This two-property deal Tuesday is valued at $11.7 million. You can read the article here: deal-made-to-protect-more-than-900-acres-of-santa-cruz-mountains-redwood-forest/ The partnership between interests that have historically been at odds may be the first of its kind in Santa Cruz County. Under the deal, Big Creek Lumber will acquire 617 acres of second-growth redwood forest in Corralitos, southeast of the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park under a conservation easement that permanently protects the land from development and places restrictions on lumber harvesting. As part of the deal, the lumber company is handing over 320 acres of mature redwood forest adjacent to Butano State Park that conservationists say is critical habitat for the marbled murrelet, an endangered seabird. History has a way to repeating itself positively when conservationists and business leaders work together for the greater good as indicated in the story above. Big Basin State Park and the Santa Cruz Board of Trade, circa 1900. Let me take you back to the turn of the 20th Century, as Santa Cruz County moved away from industry and toward tourism and agriculture. The Chamber was instrumental in creating the first redwood park, worked to attract new residents to the county, and promoted Santa Cruz as a tourist destination. In 1900, Santa Cruz Board of Trade (the Chamber) worked with a group of conservationists called the Sempervirens Club in the effort to save the redwood forests of Big Basin. The building of the Big Tree Road was done under the supervision of the Board of Trade. In 1902, the first California redwood park was created, now known as Big Basin State Park. In 1903 at the invitation of Santa Cruz community leaders, President Theodore Roosevelt came to the County aboard S&P Railroad. His remarks are noted below: Remarks at the Big Tree Grove Santa Cruz, California President Theodore Roosevelt May 11, 1903 MR. MAYOR, AND LADIES FIRST, AND TO THE REST OF THE GUESTS IN THE SECOND PLACE: “I want to thank you very much for your courtesy in receiving me, and to say how much I have enjoyed being here. This is the first glimpse I have ever had of the big trees, and I wish to pay the highest tribute I can to the State of California, to those private citizens and associations of citizens who have cooperated with the State in preserving these wonderful trees for the whole nation, in preserving them in whatever part of the State they may be found. All of us ought to want to see nature preserved; and take a big tree whose architect has been the ages, anything that man does toward it may hurt it and cannot help it; and above all, the rash creature who wishes to leave his name to mar the beauties of nature should be sternly discouraged. Take those cards pinned up on that tree; they give an air of the ridiculous to this solemn and majestic grove. To pin those cards up there is as much out of place as if you tacked so many tin cans up there. I mean that literally. You should save the people whose names are there from the reprobation of every individual by taking down the cards at the earliest possible moment; and do keep these trees, keep all the wonderful scenery of this wonderful State unmarred by the vandalism or the folly of man. Remember that we have to contend not merely with knavery, but with folly; and see to it that you by your actions create the kind of public opinion which will put a stop to any destruction of or any marring of the wonderful and beautiful gifts that you have received from nature, that you ought to hand on as a precious heritage to your children and your children's children. I am, oh, so glad to be here, to be in this majestic and beautiful grove, to see the wonderful redwoods, and I thank you for giving me the chance, and I do hope that it will be your object to preserve them as nature made them and left them, for the future.” It is not lost on those historians that recall how one President stood tall among the ‘big trees’ empowering some of the boldest environmental moments in U.S. history. The Santa Cruz County Chamber continues this tradition by finding balance between the environment and our economy. There are many stories of our past that need to be re-told to this generation of Santa Cruzans. Stay tuned for another Santa Cruz County history lesson in the weeks ahead.
The Chamber is celebrating 130 years of service to our county and it is only fitting that the Chamber’s past be a reflection of our present with the re-branding of the Santa Cruz COUNTY Chamber of Commerce. A new logo but the same mission — promoting county wide economic vitality where more than 60% of the Chamber members conduct business outside the Santa Cruz City limits.
A new milestone was achieved last week in a deal made to protect more than 900 acres of the Santa Cruz Mountains redwood forest. This recent story rekindles the past — here’s the other story.
In Nick Ybarra’s March 27 article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel he wrote about last week’s announcement that more than 900 acres of redwood forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains was set for permanent protection from development under a new deal between Palo Alto-based Peninsula Open Space Trust and the McCrary family, owners of Big Creek Lumber. This two-property deal Tuesday is valued at $11.7 million. You can read the article here: deal-made-to-protect-more-than-900-acres-of-santa-cruz-mountains-redwood-forest/
The partnership between interests that have historically been at odds may be the first of its kind in Santa Cruz County. Under the deal, Big Creek Lumber will acquire 617 acres of second-growth redwood forest in Corralitos, southeast of the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park under a conservation easement that permanently protects the land from development and places restrictions on lumber harvesting. As part of the deal, the lumber company is handing over 320 acres of mature redwood forest adjacent to Butano State Park that conservationists say is critical habitat for the marbled murrelet, an endangered seabird.
History has a way to repeating itself positively when conservationists and business leaders work together for the greater good as indicated in the story above.
Big Basin State Park and the Santa Cruz Board of Trade, circa 1900.
Let me take you back to the turn of the 20th Century, as Santa Cruz County moved away from industry and toward tourism and agriculture. The Chamber was instrumental in creating the first redwood park, worked to attract new residents to the county, and promoted Santa Cruz as a tourist destination.
In 1900, Santa Cruz Board of Trade (the Chamber) worked with a group of conservationists called the Sempervirens Club in the effort to save the redwood forests of Big Basin. The building of the Big Tree Road was done under the supervision of the Board of Trade. In 1902, the first California redwood park was created, now known as Big Basin State Park.
In 1903 at the invitation of Santa Cruz community leaders, President Theodore Roosevelt came to the County aboard S&P Railroad. His remarks are noted below:
MR. MAYOR, AND LADIES FIRST, AND TO THE REST OF THE GUESTS IN THE SECOND PLACE: “I want to thank you very much for your courtesy in receiving me, and to say how much I have enjoyed being here. This is the first glimpse I have ever had of the big trees, and I wish to pay the highest tribute I can to the State of California, to those private citizens and associations of citizens who have cooperated with the State in preserving these wonderful trees for the whole nation, in preserving them in whatever part of the State they may be found. All of us ought to want to see nature preserved; and take a big tree whose architect has been the ages, anything that man does toward it may hurt it and cannot help it; and above all, the rash creature who wishes to leave his name to mar the beauties of nature should be sternly discouraged. Take those cards pinned up on that tree; they give an air of the ridiculous to this solemn and majestic grove. To pin those cards up there is as much out of place as if you tacked so many tin cans up there. I mean that literally. You should save the people whose names are there from the reprobation of every individual by taking down the cards at the earliest possible moment; and do keep these trees, keep all the wonderful scenery of this wonderful State unmarred by the vandalism or the folly of man. Remember that we have to contend not merely with knavery, but with folly; and see to it that you by your actions create the kind of public opinion which will put a stop to any destruction of or any marring of the wonderful and beautiful gifts that you have received from nature, that you ought to hand on as a precious heritage to your children and your children's children. I am, oh, so glad to be here, to be in this majestic and beautiful grove, to see the wonderful redwoods, and I thank you for giving me the chance, and I do hope that it will be your object to preserve them as nature made them and left them, for the future.”
It is not lost on those historians that recall how one President stood tall among the ‘big trees’ empowering some of the boldest environmental moments in U.S. history. The Santa Cruz County Chamber continues this tradition by finding balance between the environment and our economy. There are many stories of our past that need to be re-told to this generation of Santa Cruzans.
Stay tuned for another Santa Cruz County history lesson in the weeks ahead.