The Redwood National Park Act as amended in 1978 gave the Secretary of the Interior the authority to reduce the impacts of upstream sedimentation and to rehabilitate areas that have been subject to timber harvesting in the past. Due to the nature of Franciscan rocks, the steepness of many slopes, the amount of precipitation, and the exposure of soil and bedrock from intensive logging, stream erosion and sedimentation have had and continue to have a profound impact on Redwoods lotic resources. The lower 40% of Redwood Creek is within the park and the upper 60% is on private land that has been logged. As a result of past land use and flood events, Redwood Creek is currently 303(d) listed under the Clean Water Act due to excessive sediment and warm water temperatures.
Long-term geomorphic and hydrologic monitoring continues to be a priority on Redwood Creek and other creeks within Redwoods. Monitoring parameters include stream discharge, sediment transport, turbidity, temperature, channel stability, changes in pool and riffle distribution, pebble count and facies changes in streambed deposits. It may be difficult to determine the exact source of turbidity and sedimentation, but the primary sources appear to be the various impacts of logging roads inside and outside of the park. In cooperation with private landowners, park staff assists in surveying roads on private lands. Park staff also provides input to proposed Timber Harvest Plans in an attempt to minimize erosion. A project funded by the Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate the differences in the duration of turbidity for small streams with different disturbance levels was recently completed.
Road restoration has been a major undertaking at the park. This effort has restored many of the old logging roads and reduced landslide activity in those areas. However, most roads open to visitor traffic are gravel and subject to erosion. Adequate maintenance and upgrading of road drainage structures, culverts and other road features are concerns. Redwoods coastal resources are largely unexamined and their condition is presently unknown. Redwoods and Humboldt State University are cooperatively conducting an inventory of coastline resources. The goal of the project is to assess the marine resources, including habitat type, vegetation types, and algal, invertebrate, and fish diversity along the park’s 36 miles of accessible coastline.
Horizon Report
No report is presently available.
Fisheries Studies
1) Redwood Creek:
a. Invertebrate drift and juvenile salmonid habitat of the Redwood Creek watershed: 1981
b. Downstream migration, growth and condition of juvenile fall chinook salmon in Redwood Creek, Humboldt County, California: 1985
c. Juvenile salmonid habitat of the Redwood Creek basin, Humboldt County, California: 1988
d. Fish food habits and their interrelationships in lower Redwood Creek, Humboldt County, California: 1987
e. Fish food habits in the Redwood Creek estuary: 1990
f. Redwood Creek basin coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) summary reports: 1994
g. Redwood Creek basin fisheries summary: 1980-1994
h. Redwood Creek basin spawning and carcass surveys and annual reports: 1991-1992, 1993-1994, 1996-1997, 1997-1998, 2000-2001, 2002-2003
i. Redwood Creek estuary flood history, sedimentation and implications for aquatic habitat: 1983
j. Redwood Creek estuary monitoring and management: 1990, 1993, 1997-1999, 2002, 2003
k. Redwood Creek fish and amphibian distribution data [collection]
l. Redwood Creek summer steelhead trout survey: 1991, 1992, 1998, 1999, 2002
2) Prairie Creek
a. Effects of fine sediment on salmonid redds in Prairie Creek, a tributary of Redwood Creek, Humboldt County, California: 1991
b. Smolt production from Prairie Creek Hatchery juvenile coho reared in an Arcata wastewater-seawater pond: October 1992-May 1993
c. Prairie Creek salmon restoration: 1992-1993
