An amazing diversity of life exists at Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP). The ancient coast redwood ecosystem preserved in the parks contains some of the planet's most majestic forests. Here, banana slugs, gray whales, Douglas-fir, black bears, and sea anemones are equally at home with redwoods.

Park staff work to maintain and restore the area's biological diversity through a wide range of resource management and educational activities. Preserving both natural processes and the region's species and genetic diversity helps ensure that countless generations can experience the beauty and complexity of an old-growth redwood forest.

Congress protected lands adjacent to the three California state parks in 1968 with the creation of Redwood National Park. In 1994, the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the National Park Service agreed to jointly manage the four-park area for maximum resource protection.

Today, visitors to RNSP will find not only old-growth redwood groves but open prairie lands, two major rivers, and 37 miles (60 km) of pristine California coastline. RNSP is also a testing ground for large scale forest and stream restoration of severely impacted lands.

Native American tribes have made their home within the North Coast* region since time immemorial and still maintain their cultural presence today in areas surrounding RNSP. The parks' managers work in consultation with the tribes to ensure that their cultural practices can continue.

Today, large-scale ecosystem restoration projects like Redwoods Rising are only possible with partnerships across agencies, tribes and many organizations.

*Redwood National and State Parks reside in the North Coast of California and Oregon. The North Coast is a loosely defined region from about Ukiah, CA inland and Fort Bragg, CA on the coast, extending to Josephine County in Oregon. When traveling on Highway 101 south to north, you'll notice a distinct change in vegetation from California oak woodlands to the Douglas-fir/coast redwood forests and a very moist climate.