Reflections
As we come to the close of the tour, we invite you to stop and use your senses.
Take a deep breath.
You are inhaling some of the cleanest air in California, even the world! The lichen growing in the canopies above you are environmental indicators of your air quality.
Listen.
You might hear an owl, a jay, or a thrush. You might hear the water. You might even hear the trees “speak," as they creak in the wind. Or you might enjoy complete silence. Nature’s healing music can be soundless.
See.
All around you! Above! Below! Biodiversity thrives in all directions. There is richness. Species large and small, interacting in ways never thought imaginable!
Perceive.
You have not missed the forest for the tree! You have experienced a bigger picture, one that invites people from all walks of life to appreciate this grove as a layered landscape with limitless value… Where geological time, redwood time, human time, and slug time all occur at a different pace on the same clock! We are all time travelers.
We hope you enjoyed time-traveling through this World Heritage Site. The preservation of this area’s natural and cultural history would not be possible were it not for the forward-thinking individuals who set the establishment of these parks into motion. Redwood National and State Parks continues to find strength in partnerships with local tribes, non-profits, universities, and other organizations to further the goals of its mission statement. Please know, however, that YOU, the visitor, are our most important partner of all. Your patronage and continued support of environmental stewardship and preservation helps ensure these majestic landscapes will remain for the enjoyment of future generations.
Redwood National and State Parks
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service