On the heels of the 1-year anniversary of the CZU Lightning Complex Fires, Big Basin Redwood Forest, California’s Oldest State Park shares the true story of a conservation victory for the ages.

Inspired by a story shared by her great-great aunt six decades ago during a family outing at Big Basin, local author Traci Bliss spent more than a decade meticulously researching the untold story of a herculean effort to preserve the ancient redwoods for future generations.

Big Basin Redwood Forest, California’s Oldest State Park shares the epic saga of Big Basin which began in the late 1800s, when the surrounding communities saw their once “inexhaustible” redwood forests vanishing. Expanding railways demanded timber as they crisscrossed the nation. But the more redwoods that fell to the woodman’s axe, the greater the effects on the local climate. California’s groundbreaking environmental movement attracted individuals from every walk of life. From the adopted son of a robber baron to a bohemian woman winemaker to a Jesuit priest, resilient campaigners produced an unparalleled model of citizen action.

“The decade-long study continued to reveal rich new layers about the men and women who never gave up, many of whom received little if any recognition for creating California’s first permanent state park,” Bliss wrote in the preface. “They came together to do what no one else in the country had done before, not only because they loved the redwood forests but also because of their innate humanity.”

Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks Executive Director Bonny Hawley authored the introduction. “The early preservationists endured one challenge after another over decades, with persistence and unselfish devotion,” said Hawley. “Their inspiring story could not be better timed.”

Although rooted in the turn of the 20th century, the book features a foreword by California State Parks Historian Martin Rizzo-Martínez and Mark Hylkema, supervisor of the California State Parks Cultural Resources Program that explores the history of native people in the region, including the Cotoni who inhabited the Big Basin area for centuries. The epilogue focuses on the CZU Lightning Complex Fire and provides a detailed account of the courage and dedication of several park employees during the fire and afterward.