Sequoia Forestkeeper (SFK) is a California-based environmentalist organization focused on the protection and management of Sequoia National Forest and the Giant Sequoia National Monument. Founded in 2001 by environmentalist Martin Litton, the group has consistently promoted strict forest preservation policies, frequently opposing timber management, fire-mitigation projects, and other active interventions in the wilderness. ¹

SFK has also taken a public stance against nuclear energy, co-signing a 2021 letter to President Joe Biden urging the phaseout of nuclear power in favor of weather-dependent solar and wind sources, despite nuclear energy producing no greenhouse gas emissions and being widely recognized as a safe and efficient clean-energy source.  ^{2  3}

People

Founder

Sequoia Forestkeeper was founded in 2001 by Martin Litton, a lifelong conservationist and former editor of Sierra Magazine, the national publication of the environmentalist Sierra Club. Litton was a prominent figure in the environmental movement, advocating for the protection of rivers, wilderness areas, and iconic forest ecosystems across the American West.  ⁴

Litton spent decades opposing development, logging, and federal management he deemed harmful to Western wilderness, campaigning against dams in Dinosaur National Monument and efforts to establish Redwood National Park and federal wilderness in the Sierra Nevada. He leveraged political connections with multiple presidents, including Bill Clinton, who designated the Giant Sequoia National Monument in 2000, and Barack Obama, for whom Litton helped organize support from 81 U.S. representatives to push for monument management under the National Park Service. ⁵

Leadership

As of 2025, SFK was being led by executive director Ara Marderosian. ⁶ Other key officers included director Ed Begley Jr., director Kristina Haddad, treasurer Charlene Little, vice-chairperson Natalie Stauffer-Olsen, chairperson Danielle Fugere, and secretary Valerie Costa who previously worked as the group’s programs director from 2002 to 2013. ⁷

Mission and Programs

Sequoia Forestkeeper seeks to influence land management practices, promote stewardship, enforce existing laws, and educate the public. ¹ Its principal programs as of 2025 included the Southern Sierra Project Review Program, the Protect the Forest & Monument Campaign, and a public education outreach initiative. In 2022, SFK reported program expenses of $58,073 for the project review program, $32,183 for the forest and monument campaign, and $16,945 for public education outreach. ⁸

While SFK emphasizes environmental monitoring, its approach frequently relies on legal challenges rather than collaborative management with federal agencies. The organization routinely challenges government projects on procedural grounds, such as alleging violations of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Wilderness Act. Critics argue that SFK’s litigious strategy can delay or obstruct necessary forest management interventions, including controlled burns, selective logging, and reforestation projects aimed at mitigating wildfire risk and maintaining ecological balance. ^{9  10}

Opposition to Nuclear Energy

Sequoia Forestkeeper was a cosigner on an April 2021 letter to President Joe Biden that asked the administration to promote weather dependent wind and solar power systems and “end the fossil fuel era.” The letter also advised the president to “Phase out nuclear energy as an inherently dirty, dangerous and costly energy source.” ¹¹

Nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, and from 1990 until 2021 accounted for 20 percent of American electricity production—the largest source of zero carbon electricity in the United States. ¹² An October 2018 proposal from The Nature Conservancy noted that zero-carbon nuclear plants produced 7.8 percent of total world energy output and recommended reducing carbon emissions by increasing nuclear capacity to 33 percent of total world energy output. ¹³ A 2020 analysis from Our World in Data reported that nuclear energy “results in 99.9% fewer deaths than brown coal; 99.8% fewer than coal; 99.7% fewer than oil; and 97.6% fewer than gas,” making it “just as safe” as wind and solar power production. ¹⁴ The U.S. Department of Energy has concluded that “nuclear energy produces more electricity on less land than any other clean-air source” and that it would require “more than 3 million solar panels to produce the same amount of power as a typical commercial reactor or more than 430 wind turbines.” ¹⁵

Litigation and Controversies

SFK has a documented history of lawsuits targeting federal forest and park management initiatives. In late 2023, the organization, alongside allied environmental groups, sued the National Park Service (NPS) over tree removal and replanting in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. SFK alleged that the NPS had circumvented public engagement and environmental review by labeling these interventions as “emergency actions.” In early 2024, SFK challenged the U.S. Forest Service over logging projects in the Giant Sequoia National Monument, claiming violations of federal environmental laws. ⁹

Experts contend that these lawsuits may unintentionally harm sequoia ecosystems, as many trees rely on high-intensity fires for reproduction. Critics warn that obstructing controlled burns and selective logging could exacerbate wildfire severity, threaten surrounding communities, and hinder ecological recovery. SFK’s strict preservationist philosophy prioritizes procedural legal challenges over adaptive management, reflecting a cautious but controversial approach to forest stewardship.  ^{9  10}

Financials

In 2022, Sequoia Forestkeeper reported revenue of $82,399, expenses of $155,799, and assets totaling $97,874. The organization spent significantly more than it took in, highlighting potential financial instability or reliance on reserves from prior years to fund ongoing programs and operations. ¹⁶

Public support continues to be a key funding source for SFK, though contributions have declined in recent years. Overall public support in 2022 was down from previous years, when SFK received $204,625 in 2021, $178,304 in 2020, $202,249 in 2019, and $212,826 in 2018. This trend suggests decreasing donor engagement or challenges in maintaining prior fundraising levels. ¹⁷

In 2023, Environment Now, a private grantmaking foundation, donated $10,000 to SFK. ¹⁸

1. “Sequoia ForestKeeper: The eyes, ears, and voice of the forest.” Sequoia ForestKeeper. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://sequoiaforestkeeper.org/
2. Center for Biological Diversity, et. al. Letter to “The Honorable President Joseph R. Biden.” RE: NOW IS THE MOMENT TO ACCELERATE THE JUST, RENEWABLE ENERGY FUTURE AND END THE FOSSIL FUEL ERA. April 27, 2021. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/energy-justice/pdfs/2022-4-27_Letter-to-Pres-Biden-re-End-Fossil-Fuel-Era-Accelerate-Transtion-to-Renewable-Energy.pdf
3. “3 Reasons Why Nuclear is Clean and Sustainable.” U.S. Department of Energy. March 31, 2021. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/3-reasons-why-nuclear-clean-and-sustainable
4. “Martin Litton dies at 97; passionate wilderness conservationist.” Los Angeles Times. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-martin-litton-20141202-story.html#page=1
5. “Environmental warrior Martin Litton is still fighting at 95.” High Country News. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://www.hcn.org/issues/44-3/environmental-warrior-martin-litton-is-still-fighting-at-95/#:~:text=Then%20the%20sequoias%2C%20%E2%80%9Cthese%20groves,the%20effort%20in%20Washington%2C%20D.C.
6. “Ara Marderosian.” LinkedIn. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ara-marderosian-8026a8373/
7. “Valerie Costa.” LinkedIn. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-costa-5b73ba9b/
8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Sequoia Forestkeeper. 2022. Part III – Statement of Program Service Accomplishments.
9. “Why environmentalists are suing the National Park Service to prevent it from planting trees.” CNN. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/27/us/national-park-sequoia-planting-lawsuit-climate
10. “WW sues NPS to protect Wilderness in Sequoia and Kings Canyon.” Wilderness Watch. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://wildernesswatch.org/lawsuit-filed-to-protect-seki/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=f8257917-6849-425b-8f2b-787f597f990d
11. Center for Biological Diversity, et. al. Letter to “The Honorable President Joseph R. Biden.” RE: NOW IS THE MOMENT TO ACCELERATE THE JUST, RENEWABLE ENERGY FUTURE AND END THE FOSSIL FUEL ERA. April 27, 2021. Accessed July 25, 2025. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/energy-justice/pdfs/2022-4-27_Letter-to-Pres-Biden-re-End-Fossil-Fuel-Era-Accelerate-Transtion-to-Renewable-Energy.pdf
12. “Nuclear explained.” U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed July 25, 2025. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/us-nuclear-industry.php
13. “The Science of Sustainability.” The Nature Conservancy. October 13, 2018. Accessed July 25, 2025. https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/the-science-of-sustainability/
14. Ritchie, Hannah. “What are the safest and cleanest sources of energy?” Our World in Data. February 10, 2020. Accessed July 25, 2025. https://ourworldindata.org/safest-sources-of-energy  
15. “3 Reasons Why Nuclear is Clean and Sustainable.” U.S. Department of Energy. March 31, 2021. Accessed July 25, 2025. https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/3-reasons-why-nuclear-clean-and-sustainable
16. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Sequoia Forestkeeper. 2022. Part I – Summary.
17. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Sequoia Forestkeeper. 2022. Part III, Section A – Public Support.
18. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Environment Now. 2023. Part XIV – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.