Ancient Northern Calif redwoods to be preserved

WILLITS, Calif. (AP) — A grove of redwood trees, some more than 1,500 years old, will be preserved after a conservation group raised millions of dollars to buy the land from a logging company.

Save the Redwoods League announced Thursday that it successfully raised $3.5 million in donations before an April 1 deadline posed by Willits Redwood Co.

The group paid $7.5 million total for the 426-acre grove along the historic Skunk Train route in Mendocino County.

The company had said it would start logging after April 1 if the group was not able to exercise its option to purchase the grove that includes old-growth Douglas firs and provides habitat for a number of endangered species, including the bald eagle and Pacific fisher.