HOWARD KING
CSPRA Honorary State Park Ranger 1980

"Few people are as talented as Howard King. His color photography of the Redwoods is superlative art at its very best. For many years he has worked with the Save-the-Redwoods League in photographing the majesty of the Redwood forests in order to help the League raise the funds to protect the 30 California Redwood State Parks. Howard has generously donated his complete collection of Redwood negatives to the League to be used in our continuing efforts to complete the parks. I cannot think of many persons more worthy to receive this highly prized award. . ." John Dewitt, Save-the-Redwoods League.

"I have known Howard since 1965 when he was active in the drive to acquire the timber rights on the virgin redwoods on Berry Creek Falls in Big Basin Redwoods State Park As he says "I can't raise money for the trees, but I can take pictures of them." He does this better than any color photographer I know of. Howard has been the mirror through which thousands of people view the redwoods. . . " Tony Look, Sempervirens Fund.

Howard King photo
Howard King has also donated time and efforts, through his photography to the preservation of Castle Rock State Park and the San Francisco Bay ecosystem with his work on the book, Exploring Our Baylands, to which Howard donated his photographs. He has also put on free naturalist and photography training sessions for State Park Rangers and was a director of the Santa Cruz Mountains Natural History Association, as well as an early and ardent supporter of the Redwood Docent Program.

His knowledge of the state parks he has donated his time to is so comprehensive that he was asked to map out the Memorial Grove areas in Big Basin Redwoods State Park and show DPR personnel the park boundaries.

We are proud to have Howard King as our 1980 Honorary Ranger.

Below, views along the Howard King Trail to Mount McAbee at Big Basin Redwoods
 Epitaph by Denzil and Jennie Verardo, 2003

HOWARD J.KING
June 1, 1906 - June 30, 2003

Howard King was an inspiration, and his impact on
California State Parks has been incalculable. He
made enormous contributions as a park volunteer, and
as a parkland surveyor, trail planner and trail builder,
but his greatest contributions were as a photographer.
Howard began his photography of the redwoods
during the drive to save the Butano forest (now
Butano State Park) in the 1950s. "I can't raise money
for the acquisition of trees, but I can take pictures of
them," he said. And did he take pictures!

Howard, along with Tony Look, in 1968 co-founded
Sempervirens Fund, renewing the charter of the
original Sempervirens Club. They immediately
conducted the successful "M4y Day" campaign that
raised the necessarym oney that allowed 365 acres of
Mt. McAbee to be purchased and added to Big Basin
Redwoods State Park.

Honorary membership in the California State Park
Rangers Association was bestowed on Howard King in
1980 in recognition of his conservation efforts and his
photographicc ontributionst o both SempervirensF und
and Save-the-RedwoodsL eague. He also earnedt he
honor of having a trail in Big Basin named after him.
For more than 30 years Howard was busy taking
photos for conservation purposes and showing park
staff the art of color nature photography. He was an
inspiration to all of us who had the honor and privilege
of working with him. He was, as Tony Look so aptly
expressed, "the mirror through which thousands of
people view the redwoods."

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