Transcript Redwood National Park

Redwood National Park
Redwood National Park
Things To Do
History
Environmental Concerns
Animals
Plants
Natural Features & Ecosystyems
Things To Do
Places To Go
Campgrounds
Nearby Attractions
Schedule of Events
There are no event scheduled at this time
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Outdoor Activities
Ranger-led programs
Horseback Riding
Bicycling
Scenic Drives
Other Activites
Backcountry
Guidelines
Permits
Northern Section
Middle Section
Southern Section
Nearby Attractions
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Crater Lake
Oregon Caves
Lassen Volcanic
Lave Beds
Unfortunately all these attractions are from 60
to 230 miles away or 1 ½-5 hours
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Outdoor activities
Most of these activities are during the summer. There are
many different activities to choose from for all ages so
you can take your pick and have fun.
The rangers keep the activities fun so don’t worry about
getting bored.
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History
American Indians
The native people of the North Coast region have made the redwood forests and associated
ecosystems their home for thousands of years. These American Indians spoke many
different languages and held numerous and distinct identities. Today, the descendants of
these people continue to live on and off reservations in the redwood region.
American Indians Today
Over the passage of time, some aspects of northwestern California Indian cultures began to
merge. Many customs, beliefs, and ceremonies grew similar, but the languages have
remained distinct. Four of them – Tolowa, Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk – are still living
languages, spoken yet by a handful of cherished elders. Encouragingly, in a revival that is
now sweeping the entire area, these languages are once again being learned by members of
the younger generation.
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Logging
When Euro-Americans swept westward in the 1800s, they needed raw material for their homes
and lives. Commercial logging followed the expansion of America as companies struggled to
keep up with the furious pace of progress. Timber harvesting quickly became the top
manufacturing industry in the west.
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Save-the-Redwoods League
When redwood logging reached a fever pitch by the 1890s, most of the redwood forests had
become privately owned. Though some people had previously proposed the idea of
preservation, the huge demand for lumber in America made it impossible at the time.
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Paleontologists Henry Fairfield Osborn of the American Museum of Natural History, Madison
Grant of the New York Zoological Society, and John C. Merriam of the University of California
at Berkeley founded the Save-the-Redwoods League in 1918. The League was formed as a
nonprofit organization dedicated to buying redwood tracts for preservation. Through donations
and matching state funds, the League bought over 100,000 acres of redwood forest between
1920 and 1960.
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A variety of wildlife species call RNSP home. The diversity of ecosystems in the parks means
that creatures as different as black bears, sea stars, and bald eagles can be seen by a lucky visitor
in a single day. In addition to the more common inhabitants, many threatened and endangered
species rely on the parks' old-growth forests, open prairies, estuaries, and the coastline for crucial
havens of survival. Marine mammals such as sea lions and gray whales are among the most
visible wildlife in the parks. Visitors are also likely to see Roosevelt elk browsing in the prairies.
Pelicans, ospreys, and gulls are frequently spotted along the coast. Of course, tide pool creatures
aren't likely to run very far at your approach, so anemones and crabs are easy to spot too.
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At RNSP, visitors often come just to see the redwoods. They are the world's tallest trees, but
they are also just one species in an incredibly varied ecosystem. From the wind-pruned,
salt-tolerant Sitka spruce by the seaside, to the cool, moist redwood groves, and sunny, open
grasslands of the prairies, visitors can find an interconnected community of greenery. In
this narrow
zonevisitors
whereoften
land
meets
sea,
winds, cold fog-shrouded days, steep
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At RNSP,
come
just to
see salt-laden
the
slopes, and
sandyThey
beaches
against
plants.
redwoods.
are theconspire
world's tallest
trees, but
Plants
they are also just one species in an incredibly varied
ecosystem.
From and
the wind-pruned,
salt-tolerant
The protected
valleys
alluvial flats
found along streams and creeks provide ideal
Sitka spruce by the seaside, to the cool, moist
growing conditions for the coast redwood, with many trees exceeding 300 feet in height.
redwood groves, and sunny, open grasslands of the
Other trees
include
hardwoods
such as big-leaf maple, California bay (laurel), and red
prairies,
visitors
can find an interconnected
alder. Sword
fern of
and
redwood
most common members of redwoods'
community
greenery.
In thissorrel
narroware
zonethe
where
land meets sea, salt-laden winds, cold fog-shrouded
understory.
days, steep slopes, and sandy beaches conspire
against plants.
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The protected valleys and alluvial flats found along
streams and creeks provide ideal growing
conditions for the coast redwood, with many trees
exceeding 300 feet in height. Other trees include
hardwoods such as big-leaf maple, California bay
(laurel), and red alder. Sword fern and redwood
sorrel are the most common members of redwoods'
understory.
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Environmental Concerns
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Restoration work along Redwood Creek includes the removal of several
miles of abandoned and eroding logging roads. These roads are remnants of
the logging and road building that happened before the parks'
establishment. The primary goals are to restore stream channels and
hillslopes to the natural conditions that existed prior to road construction.
These goals are accomplished by clearing stream channels choked with
road fill and logging debris, recontouring hillslopes marred by road
networks, and reestablishing natural drainage patterns. In achieving these
goals, the unnaturally high erosion and sedimentation rates in Redwood
Creek will be reduced and a solid foundation will be recreated for the
protection and reestablishment of a healthy ecosystem.
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Decaying and undersized culverts on existing roads are being replaced and roads
over streams modified to control erosion. These measures reduce sedimentation
from previously logged lands and associated roads, sediment that is harmful to
salmon survival in Redwood Creek and its tributaries.
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Placement of large in-stream wood structures, removal and modification of
unnatural fish barriers, re-establishment of streamside vegetation, and modification
of existing flood control levees are also improving fish habitat. Other measures that
benefit salmonids are the prioritization of roads slated for removal by risk failure
(potential for erosion) and sensitive resources (number of fish species and their
population size) and review of timber harvest plans adjacent to the park. Annual
surveys in summer and winter are conducted to provide information on the status of
salmon and steelhead. Two decades of monitoring juvenile salmonids in summer
and fall in the Redwood Creek estuary has verified the prominent role of estuaries
in the life cycle of chinook salmon and steelhead and the importance of small
coastal estuaries in degraded watersheds. The park is proposing to restore the
Redwood Creek estuary to a fully functioning ecosystem benefiting fish, wildlife,
and the public.
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During your travels through Redwood National and State Parks, you may
notice trees and landscapes that have been charred by fire. Some burns
happened due to lightning strikes, some from American Indian-ignited fires
of the past, and some from park management using prescribed fire.
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The American Indian method of managing plant communities with fire
contributed to ecosystem health by clearing brush and encouraging new
growth. However, management practices by Euro-Americans brought a
century of fire suppression and altered landscapes.
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Today, park resource managers are returning to the practice of using fire to
maintain landscape health. It is the long-term goal for RNSP to restore park
lands to the state that existed just prior to Euro-American contact and
influence. By using prescribed fire on a regular basis, park managers have
set the following goals for prairies and redwood forests
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Natural Features
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Earthquakes
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Studies have shown that the last great subduction zone earthquake took place
300 years ago. Intervals between such quakes are in the hundreds of years, so
predicting the next one is difficult. But research suggests that eventually such a
quake will occur. Disastrous effects are possible when visiting the redwood
region. BE PREPARED! Watch for things falling
Rocks
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Most of RNSP is underlain by rocks of the Franciscan asemblage, which is
primarily composed of sandstones and mudstones. This rock unit is best seen
along the coast from Enderts Beach to the mouth of Redwood Creek and in
road cuts on the way to the Tall Trees Grove trailhead. Much of the Franciscan
assemblage consists of rock that has been sheared and lifted from the ocean
floor as a result of the plate action along the Cascadia subduction zone.
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Tsunamis
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Tsunamis have killed in the past. They are always a possible threat in the
seismically active North Coast region, however, destructive tsunamis are rare
and shouldn't ruin your visit to the beach
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Rivers
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The three large river systems within the park — the Smith River, the Klamath
River, and Redwood Creek — have cut deep gorges through the forest and
mountainous terrain. Redwood Creek follows the Grogan Fault northwest, with
many small tributaries. The Klamath River, the largest in the North Coast
region, provides important habitat for wildlife along its banks and in its estuary.
The Smith River is also important for wildlife and has been named a Wild and
Scenic River.
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Ocean
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Tides rise and fall twice daily on a 25-hour lunar cycle. In the zone between high and low
tide, life forms arrange themselves vertically. Just where depends on their tolerance for
exposure to air and/or water and to heat and wave shock. Other biological limits apply,
too, such as predators and competing organisms.
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Prairies
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Unbeknownst to many visitors to RNSP are the parks' prairies, grasslands that provide
important habitat for elk, black-tailed deer, and other inhabitants of the biological
community. Today, park staff is using fire to maintain the oak woodlands,
grasses, and other native plants found in this diminishing natural community.
Fire not only helps preserve the natural values of these grassy expanses, but the
cultural values as well. Values represented by the historic barns, relict stands of
oak, and the openness of the land itself.
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