Redwood National and State Park
Located along the pacific coast of northern California, near Crescent City, Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) is a 112, 512 acres of protected lands. It shelters roughly 45% of the remaining groves of coastal redwood trees – the tallest and one of the largest trees in the world. Aside from the redwood forests, the park also preserves grassland prairies, cultural resources, and 37 miles of unspoiled coastline. It is visited by close to 400,000 visitors per year.
Originally created as the Redwood National Park, it was administratively combined by the National Park Service and the California Department of Parks and Recreation with 3 state parks in 1994. The resulting degree of collaboration between the two agencies created a unique system rarely seen in the United States. In recognition of the rare ecosystem and cultural history found in the parks, the United Nations designated them a World Heritage Site on September 5, 1980 and as an International Biosphere Reserve on June 30, 1983.
The ecosystem of the RNSP preserves a number of threatened and endangered species such as the brown pelican, tidewater goby, bald eagle, chinook salmon, northern spotted owl, and Steller’s sea lion. Scores of different animal species were also documented within the area, including the black bear, mountain lion, bobcat, beaver, river otter, black-tailed deer, elk, coyote, big brown bat, red squirrel, northern flying squirrel, sandpiper, gull, osprey, red-shouldered hawk, great blue heron, and many more. The park has transformed a few logging roads into scenic public drives. Its employees perform air and water quality surveys, monitor endangered and threatened species, and work closely with the California Coastal National Monument, which is managed by the US Bureau of Land Management.
Redwood National Park Information
The area was home to various Native American tribes such as the Yurok, Tolowa, Shasta, Karok, Chilula, and Wiyot as early as 3000 years ago. An 1852 census determined that the Yurok were the most numerous among the tribes, with 55 villages and an estimated population of 2,500. They used the abundant redwood in the area for building boats and houses. At about that time, the redwood forests covered around 2 million acres of the California coast. With a primitive lifestyle, the old growth was in no danger from the inhabiting Native Americans. However, the discovery of gold along Trinity Creek in 1850 brought thousands of miners into the area. The encroachment of the miners led to several conflicts with the Native American tribes, most of which retreated to the hills and mountains. With a booming gold industry, settlements were built and the need for timber grew. With virtually no protection from indiscriminate logging, the once vast forest slowly got denuded. Early efforts were made when the Save the Redwoods League were formed in 1918. Diligent efforts enabled the league to save three redwood groves by the early 1920s. Along with the Sierra Club and the National Geographic Society, the Save the Redwoods League lobbied for the creation of a national park to curb further losses. Upon President Lyndon B. Johnson’s signing of the bill creating the park on October 2, 1968, nearly 90% of the redwood trees have already been logged.