SO YOU HAVE THAT ONE FRIEND... who apparently has everything, or a substantial portion of everything, or maybe they don't have everything but they're not forthcoming about those items they would like, or need, on the occasion of their birthday. It can be quite difficult to shop for such a pal, or even to know where to begin. Do you write them a poem? Perform an interpretative dance in their honor? Your brain is positively scrunched with all the frantic mulling. Now, just imagine, you were tasked with marking the 50th anniversary of the redwoods, or, rather Redwood National Park, as the trees themselves are, yes, rather older (they've got several half centuries, and then some, to brag about). We mean... where would you even start to browse for stuff the redwoods might dig? What doodads or trinkets might the giants like? They have fog and breezes and rain and birds and the stars by night, so they're rich, indeed, and we're rich because the redwoods are in our world. If you'd like to give back on the occasion of the park's big 50th year, there is a special day on...
SATURDAY, APRIL 7... to keep in mind. That's when redwood devotees will gather at Elk Meadow Day Use Area for four hours of invasive plant removal, the adding of native vegetation, and some cool ranger-out-front hikes, too. Oh yes, and family activities are on the docket, making it a perfect spring day of treeful joy. The hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Watersheds Stewards Program is a partner on the pitch-in day, and a raffle will round things out. Aha, there we go, that's perhaps what the redwoods would want most of all, if they could share their wish lists with we who dwell much closer to the ground. They'd like our continuing care and commitment to their health and future, and such a give-back day adds greatly to that particular pile of presents. Though, on second thought, perhaps we do mean presence, instead.
