Muir Woods

Beginning Date

2012

Completion Date

Ongoing

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Redwood Creek Watershed

The Parks Conservancy supports many aspects of the National Park Service’s work at Muir Woods, but many of our more visible accomplishments happened through an innovative new partnership launched in 2012: the Redwood Creek Watershed Collaborative.

A joint vision for the entire watershed created in 2003 has been used to guide projects in the area ever since. However, this vision was threatened in 2011 when a funding crisis within California State Parks led to a proposal to close four of the six state parks within Marin County, including Muir Woods-adjacent Samuel P. Taylor.

In response, the National Park Service, California State Parks, and the Parks Conservancy created the Redwood Creek Watershed Collaborative. Supported by part of the Muir Woods entrance fee, this partnership enabled the agencies to work across boundaries on critical deferred trail maintenance projects, invasive species management, consistent wayfinding signage, and interpretive programs and materials—and to keep Marin’s State Parks open.

The Redwood Creek Watershed Collaborative became a model of  a successful partnership among federal and state agencies and a nonprofit, and helped lay the foundation for another innovative new partnership, One Tam. The collaborative's key accomplishments at Muir Woods include:

  • Popular trails have been reopened and enhanced including the Bootjack Trail, Deer Park Fire Road, and Dipsea Trail
  • Deferred trail maintenance has been addressed with the help of Conservation Corps North Bay youth crews
  • New “viewing balconies” were built along the Canopy View Trail to give visitors a glimpse into the redwood canopy
  • A collapsed bridge along the Canopy View Trail was replaced
  • The Bootjack Campground was repaired, rehabilitated, and reopened after being closed for decades
Crews on the Bootjack Trail

Also:

  • LiDAR data have been used to create topographic, stream channel, and tree canopy maps to help track changes to the forest over time
  • Priority invasive plants have been mapped and managed across agency boundaries
  • Rare plant and cultural resource surveys have been conducted
  • Monitoring of threatened northern spotted owls has continued
  • A seamless system of wayfinding signs, kiosks, and interpretive exhibits has been installed throughout the watershed
  • The entrance plaza has been transformed through improvements to the layout, surfacing, and new interpretive displays
Bronze model of the Redwood Creek Watershed

See the attached accomplishments reports for more details about the wide range of work that has been done to restore and protect this watershed and improve the experience of all who visit it.

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