The natural resource stewardship program is the principle means through which the national park service (NPS) evaluates and improves the health of watersheds, landscapes, and marine and coastal…

The natural resource stewardship program is the principle means through which the national park service (NPS) evaluates and improves the health of watersheds, landscapes, and marine and coastal resources, sustains biological communities on the lands and waters in parks, and actively endeavors to improve the resiliency of these natural resources and adapt them to the effects of climate change. To carry out and further this stewardship responsibility, NPS implements programs that encompass a broad range of research, operational, and educational activities by utilizing park personnel and contractor support or cooperative agreements. The redwoods rising collaborative, a partnership between the NPS, save the redwoods league, and california department of parks and recreation, has developed watershed scale restoration projects in two different watersheds of redwood national and state parks, mill creek (34,000 acres) and prairie creek (9,200 acres). These projects will implement watershed scale restoration to thin forests, remove failing roads, enhance aquatic ecosystems, and engage youth in restoration activities in a coordinated manner. To scale these projects into manageable parts, coordinate implementation, and improve chances to obtain funding, several implementation phases have been created. This cooperative agreement will implement restoration and engage youth in the greater prairie creek (GPC) ecosystem restoration project area, restoring forests, removing roads, enhancing aquatic ecosystems, and engaging youths. Beneficiaries include the general public.