Projects & Conservation

3 people on a path looking at trees in a forest.

A One Tam Forest Health project site tour at Lake Lagunitas in Marin County.

Monica Stafford / Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy

The Parks Conservancy works to protect and improve our parks through science-based programs and projects. This work aims to help our parks thrive in the face of climate change and other challenges, and includes:

Restoring key park sites to health, including growing our own native plants
Conducting community science to track the health of wildlife and ecosystems
Coordinating regional conservation initiatives
And more!

There are multiple opportunities to get involved in protecting parks. Through our community science programs, team with our staff to study wildlife such as birds of prey and pollinators, or join a bioblitz, to help build our collective knowledge. Volunteers can help grow native plants that will make their homes in our parks. There are also opportunities for community members to share input on park improvement projects. View the pages below to learn more.

Through partnerships such as One Tam, we are also engaged in several long-term, regional conservation initiatives. This collaborative work keeps a pulse on how park ecosystems are doing, brings resources to forest health and wildfire resilience projects, and helps make our parks more resilient to climate change.

The Golden Gate Bridge as viewed from Crissy Field. The bay waters can be seen with sailboats about, as well as Crissy Marsh and the Marin Headlands.

Park Projects

Yes, the national parks are pretty great. But they could always be better! That's why our award-winning Projects team continues to improve on the parklands and visitor experiences.

Two women carrying bug nets in a grassy field inspect specimen vials

Community Science

The Parks Conservancy community science program blends landscape-scale science with community engagement and education.

Volunteers prune plants at a native plant nursery

Native Plant Nurseries

Restoring for generations to come, the nurseries provide a living link between local communities and the restoration of native plant habitat throughout the Golden Gate National Parks.

Shorebirds observed during perigean spring tide in January 2024

Sea Level Rise in the Parks

There’s no place like the California coast. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) is home to 91 miles of precious shoreline used for recreation, learning, and general enjoyment by people and the many living things which populate our varied coastal ecosystems.

Self-Guided Forest Hikes around Mt. Tamalpais

These self-guided walks offer a glimpse into what forests need to be healthy, and how our One Tam partnership is working to address these threats on our public lands, improve forest health, and evolve our understanding of caring for forests.

Endangered Species

There are 35 endangered, rare, and threatened species in the Golden Gate National Parks. That’s more federally protected species than any other national park unit in the continental United States—more than Yosemite, Yellowstone, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks combined.