What Big Basin’s Redwoods Mean to You (and Why They’ll Be OK)

Speaker 1: 00:00 One of the fires that's been burning in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties has scorched California's first state park, big basin, nearly all of the parks, historic buildings have been lost, but the good news is many of its enormous old growth redwoods are expected to survive as they have for centuries. Sasha Koka presented this collection of stories and memories about the park for the California report. Speaker 2: 00:23 Those giant trees have inspired lots of folks in different ways. Listener Tom Taylor composed this piece of music called big basin breakdown as an ode to the park Speaker 3: 00:34 Shortly after high school, my friends and I went camping to big basin, had a wonderful night. Unfortunately, the next day I went home and my mom handed me my draft notice. So surprise. I had to spend a little time in the army before going to college, but I always had such a fondness for big base. And what a beautiful place Speaker 2: 00:52 Tom says, his tribute to the giant trees really helped launch his career and make him the musician he is today. Speaker 3: 01:00 It did take me to Europe and beyond. I got to meet the president of Bavaria, the mayor of Munich, all sorts of dignitaries, just because of a wild night with some of my high school friends. Back in 1972 Speaker 2: 01:11 Tom's piece is being performed here by musicians from San Jose state, with the Kronos quartet and David Grisman on mandolin. We're going to play it for you now while other listeners share their memories of big basin. Hi, my name is Arianne Lozano. I was born in the Philippines and moved to the U S at 13 and in seventh grade, one of my teachers organized this camping trip for us. I just remember thinking to myself, getting to big basin. Wow. I have never seen such Jai GaN take trees. I mean, I was just in awe and stunned by how beautiful the redwoods were. My name is Kim Baker and I worked at big basin, Redwood state park as a park ranger in the early two thousands. The park has 17 or so residences where staff live year round. It's kind of a unique experience because you really form a close bond with your neighbors. Speaker 2: 02:15 We lived in the sky meadow neighborhood. Unfortunately it was destroyed in the fire. It was a special place to live, especially with children. It was just a great place for the kids to be able to play. They could run freely, back and forth to different houses. Everybody celebrated birthdays together. We really felt like it wasn't just us. We were part of many generations of park families that had grown up in that neighborhood and a long tradition. I think a lot of people are reaching out to each other right now to console each other over philosophy of that special part of the park. Hi, this is Jessica from Pleasanton, big basin. It's so near and dear to our family's hearts, being Latinos and first generation Americans. We really feel that it's important to expose our boys of color, to nature and big bass, and really played a key role in that. Speaker 2: 03:12 This was really our way of breaking social barriers and constructs for them growing up in the Bay area. Our mother made it a point to take us on hikes, which is really remarkable being that it was something she really didn't do growing up in an impoverished Nicaragua and big basin has really helped us do that and teach our boys to respect nature, which we really hope in turn. They can apply that to their fellow human we're just so heartbroken. What's happened to big basin due to the fires, but we also realize that this is just part of nature and it'll survive this disaster as it's done for tens of thousands of years. So I just want to say thank you the basin and I can't wait to go back. Speaker 4: 04:05 [inaudible].