Redwood National and State Parks, California
SCA Crew: 6 students, 2 Crew Leaders
Dates: 6/26/08-7/25/08
Area Description
Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) comprises 45 percent of the remaining old growth redwood forest along the coast of Northern California. The redwoods can live to be 2,000 years old and grow to 370 feet tall. The park's landscapes include forests, oak woodlands, ridgetop prairies, rivers and streams, and 35 miles of pristine Pacific coastline. Herds of elk are often seen grazing in the prairies. The RNSP coastline contains a unique collection of life that has adapted to the harsh environment. Among the seastacks, brown pelicans and seals find a comfortable home; crabs and colorful anemones crowd the tidepools along the sea's edge. The RNSPs are designated as a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.
"I was exposed to so many elements of the world that before this internship I only heard about, or read about in literature.
My experience truly fits under the category of once in a lifetime."
- Anne Marie Opipari, 2008 Redwoods Intern
Project Description
The high school student crew will measure intertidal zone turbidity, salinity, and water temperature, and take water and sand samples along the 35-mile long coastline of the RNSPs. Other parameters will be collected (GPS location, wind speed and direction, wave direction, and photo documentation) to describe each site. Water samples will be processed for suspended sediment and turbidity in the park lab. The crew will camp within RNSP at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park adjacent to a beautiful prairie and old growth redwood forest. Environmental education activities will focus on marine ecosystems and RNSP. Activities include seining for juvenile salmonids in the Redwood Creek estuary, invasive plant removal on Gold Bluffs Beach, seabird and tidepool surveys, and visits to Humboldt State University and its Trinidad Marine Laboratory, the Arcata marsh, and the North Coast Marine Mammal Rescue Center.
Check Out the Final Report for COAST's Redwood Internship Program
