Lagoon Center Comment

On a recent road trip through Redwoods National Park, we stopped at the Prairie Creek Visitor Center to obtain a hiking permit for a particularly spectacular trail through the mountains. The actual park is strung out over many miles of coast to the west, highway to the north & south, and fingers of mountains and canyons interspersed with farms, towns and secondary roads to the east. While at the Center, I noticed all their outdoor displays, but the most memorable one was a (roughly) 10 ft. X 5 ft. raised relief map of the park. Studying that display helped me put all the various pieces together in my mind, much like a large map would do, but with the added benefit that the raised relief provided a 3-dimensional view. I could see just how diverse the land features were within the park, from ocean to mountaintops, and could identify exactly where our hike would take us in the mountains.

Nearly everyone who saw the display took time to study it.

I have noted Jim's comments in the blog where he recommends having a model of the watershed. If that's what I've described above, I certainly agree with him. The San Dieguito River Park enjoys a similarly varied landscape as Redwoods National Park and it is interrupted in many spots by various types of development. Visitors to the Nature Center would easily be able to visualize the full extent of the river as it winds its way west from the mountains down through the woodlands and meadows to agricultural lands, then into the lagoon and finally the ocean. I strongly urge that consideration should be given to including a raised relief map to the Nature Center's displays. People of all ages will benefit.

Liz