NEWS LETTER JANUARY 2005

Happy New Year!   As you can see, I started this news letter in early January and I am just now getting it completed.  It has been ages since the last new letter.  It seem that as we grow older there is less and less time for us to do things.  But, what is important is that Vanna Rae and I are as well as can be expected and active with a number of interesting projects and meeting new and interesting people almost every day.

We are looking into the possibility of donating the entire property to RFI so that there can be a continuity for it's future development as a model to demonstrate how timberlands should be managed for the benefit of future generations.

We have started on the second phase of the development of the property where all undertakings are of a permanent nature using concrete and steel.  The first phase with limited recourses we established gardens, water systems, temporary buildings and shops, housing, etc.  In this second  phase with permanency in mind, we have completed a concrete arched bridge over gulch 7 shown at left.  Then the main entry  bridge crossing in concrete and steel as shown at right.  Our basic thought is to leave the property after our demise in the way we would like to have things if we were starting out at this stage.  I wonder what it would be like if I had another 36 years to carry the development of the property forward from where we are at now. Also, we are upgrading equipment.  The latest are the purchases of a backhoe, dump truck, and a D6C Caterpillar tractor.

Last year we completed new workshops and storage facilities.  They turned out great.  We constructed 4 miles of road into an area of the  property that we were never able to access.  We  tagged another 470 trees along the hiking trails and on the North Boundary Ridge to be preserved in perpetuity so that giant redwoods can be restored to these areas.  Our plans are to add another 500 or so redwoods along Gulch 7 into the Conservation Easement so that they, too, can be protected to become Giants.  We have just completed another access road for heavy equipment and our "Little Buddy RTV" starting from the area behind our house to the top of the ridge where the big tree is located.  It worked out really great!

February last, we thought we had put together the purchase of 74 Acres for RFI where Irmulco Rd joins Hiway 20.  We had a donor that agreed to donate $100,000.00 and with the $70,000.00 we have in our land acquisition fund we expected to meet the $170,000.00 selling price.  Unfortunately, the donor changed his mind at the last minute and backed out so we missed a golden opportunity for RFI.  I was tempted to purchase this property with our own personal funds and then try to seek donations so that RFI could purchase it from us at the our cost.  Regrettably, we did not act in time and someone else purchased the property.  Maybe next time we will succeed?  We need to build up the land acquisition fund to at least $200,000.00 if we wish to extend our activates beyond the boundaries of the Redwood Forest Ranch.  Any one that would like to renew their membership or make a contribution to the land acquisition fund in this endeavor will be greatly appreciated.  There are always properties coming up for sale in the valley.

On a more personal note, my broken leg after almost a year is finally on the mend though you would never know that it has not been well during the past 9 months as I just have not had time to stay off my feet to let it heal as I should have.  In spite of a constant low grade pain I have been able to complete 4 miles of road with a back hoe this fall going through a beautiful, healthy, young stand of timber on the property that I was not accessible in the past.  Next visit we will take you for a ride on this road from the bottom of the valley to the very top of the mountain in "Little Buddy", shown to the left.   It took over a month to complete the project and it is a really nice hike or ride.

Vanna Rae has had 10 months feeling really well after a bad spell last spring with vomiting, diarria, and nausea where she lost 13 lbs in about a week down to 103 lbs.  She was able to gain back all of her lost weight  and is now able to climb to the top of the mountain and do most all of the things she was able to do before.  Recently she was pleased that she was able to go the full 6 months before repeating her chemo medication to knock the cancerous white blood cells in the head.  Shortness of breath is still a problem.