by Sue Cag
I revisited Starvation Creek Grove expecting to find millions of sequoia seedlings as I’ve seen in all other groves, but instead, to my horror, I found the forest turned into dust! Starvation Creek burned in the 2021 Windy Fire and as a fire-adapted forest, it should now be teeming with baby trees. But no. Cows have crushed the sequoia seedlings to death! (Along with every other conifer sprout). These beasts were allowed into the grove immediately after the fire. They are permitted to trample our public lands, including the USFS-managed sequoia groves in the Giant Sequoia National Monument. When I toured the burned groves in December of 2021, I saw cows tearing up the woods. The forest was still burning at the time, flames, smoke, and all. The ground was bare ash. I was accosted multiple times by Forest Service staff who told me that people were not allowed into the forest. The forest was kept closed for years because they said the area was fragile and needed to recover. HA! Meanwhile, cows, weighing in at more than 1,000 pounds, wantonly trampled and destroyed the abundant natural post-fire regrowth! I have witnessed egregious seedling destruction by cows in other groves as well, including Freeman Creek, Red Hill, Black Mountain, Deer Creek, Kennedy, and Peyrone.
Take a look:
About the Author:
Sue Cag is a musician, artist, writer, photographer, and nature preservationist.
All photos and video by Sue Cag. All Rights Reserved. Photos and video may not be used without permission.
