Sempervirens Fund Partners To Help Preserve Santa Cruz Summer Camp

SAN MATEO, CA — San Mateo-based wildlife preservation organization Sempervirens Fund is partnering with The Y of San Francisco to help preserve Camp Jones Gulch, a summer camp located in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The fund agreed to purchase a conservation easement from The Y for more than $9.6 million, according to a news release Wednesday.

The camp has served San Mateo County fifth and sixth grade students since 1968, allowing them to spend a week exploring nature and discovering the redwoods.

“The County Board of Education and I are thrilled with this partnership that further enhances Camp Jones Gulch and ensures generations of San Mateo County students continue to benefit from immersive outdoor learning opportunities,” said Nancy Magee, San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools. “The Camp Jones Gulch experience is a true treasure for students and helps them build their capacity for a climate ready future.”

The purchase by Sempervirens Fund will allow for infrastructure upgrades and repairs. The fund will also create a stewardship worth $422,000 towards ecological restoration work.

“This invaluable stretch of redwood forest is home to notable groves of trees like the ‘Valley of the Giants’ and a cherished nature camp accessible to all of the region’s youth and families,” said Sara Barth, Executive Director of Sempervirens Fund. “This conservation easement means the forests at Camp Jones Gulch and its surroundings will be permanently protected from development, commercial logging, and other forms of resource extraction and cared for in partnership with The Y.”

Laura McLendon, Sempervirens Fund’s Director of Conservation, said that adding conservation protections to privately-owned redwood forests is essential to creating a thriving regional ecosystem.

“This land is home to some of the oldest and most notable trees in the entire Santa Cruz mountains,” McLendon said. “Some of these trees are well over 500 years old and this easement will protect them forever. It is a conservation gem.”