The Sacred Grove is one of the few remaining riverside redwood groves on the Mattole River and as such is vital habitat for the King and Coho salmon, endangered indicator species of the California north coast forest eco-system.  Coastal tribes tell stories of how the salmon were once so abundant that during their spawning season one could walk across the river on their backs.  They tell of how the salmon returned each year under the protective cloak of Fog Woman.  The mist that gathered in the tips of the trees was the blanket she wore.  A covenant was made between the fish and the two leggeds: in exchange for human protection of the forests and the streams, the fish promised to return each year.  In the cool of the fog shrouded environment, the salmon found their way upstream.  Groves such as the Sacred Grove, containing 1,000 year old trees and home to hundreds of plant and animal species, are the barest remains of what was once a gigantic forest system that covered the entire continent.

We have taken up the ancient covenant and have seen salmon spawning in the river at The Sacred Grove.  The Women’s Forest Sanctuary is a non-profit land trust, dedicated to preserving old growth forest habitat.  We currently have over 900 donors who are helping us make our quarterly payments of $6,500.  We are committed to deep ecology, eco-feminism and environmental activism and education.  We offer a variety of programs and fundraising events throughout the year in the Bay Area and on the land.

By purchasing land in the Mattole River Headwaters area of priority and concern, we have become part of a larger web of individuals and organizations dedicated to healing the planet by protecting the threatened eco-systems that contain the bio-diversity upon which the spiritual and physical survival of our own and myriad species depend.  We bring further honor and purpose to this place by dedicating it in the name of women, —as a place where the deep sacred can arise in all.