Redwood Roots

Doubtless you’re familiar with the term “grassroots organization,” and you might understandably apply that term to Nisene Rio Gateway.  Thing is, grass doesn’t grow very high.  And a lawn or field doesn’t inspire like a majestic redwood forest.  For other reasons too, I prefer thinking of NRG as a “redwood roots organization.”

You see, not only are coast redwoods iconic features of our precious wilderness - they are also ancient bearers of collective wisdom.  They are towering, vital, resilient yet threatened, almost beyond compare.  Their strength & intelligence is primarily subterranean - an expansive root network that forms a true community.

You can burn them and they will prevail.  You can log them and they will regenerate.  They have persevered individually for thousands of years and collectively for countless eons.  They stand tall, but they don’t stand tall alone.  And they are not impervious to the destructive traumas of mankind.

NRG is, of course, not the only redwood roots organization.  In fact, we’re just the newest sprout in this second growth fairy ring.  We’ll all in the same recovering forest, and here in Santa Cruz County we all grow around the same felled mother.

This land was brutalized & exploited, it’s original sentinels & stewards all but vanished.  Yet, much to treasure still remains, thanks to the tireless advocacy & preservation efforts of many.  The original stewards are, in fact, still here and have generations of stories to tell.  New stewards are being inspired every day.  Together, our redwood community will continue to grow and rise, surely to tower once again as a sentinel for generations to admire, enjoy, and continue the legacy of stewardship.