An international model for environmental education, Crissy Field Center brings outdoors experiences and ecological awareness to underserved youth. Through innovative Parks Conservancy programs, young people overcome "nature deficit disorder" by reconnecting with the environment.

Thanks to a generous bequest from the late Chuck Wofford and the efforts of volunteers and staff, the Parks Conservancy and National Park Service unveiled the newly refurbished Battery Townsley. The top-secret facility in the Marin Headlands, an anchor of American coastal defenses during World War II, was restored after years of neglect and is now open for tours.

The lead story in a special "giving guide" showcases the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. Their 21-year partnership is a model of public-private collaboration, built on a shared vision that has "raised the bar of what these National Parks can be."

Experience the sights, sounds, and science of hawk-watching with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO) in the Marin Headlands. The GGRO, a volunteer-driven program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, monitors and bands raptors during their fall migration to assess the health of bird populations.

The San Francisco Chronicle profiles Mark and JoAnn Zlatunich, who have transformed their backyard into native habitat for flora and fauna. Parks Conservancy volunteers learn about and participate in habitat restoration and native-plant propagation.

Celebrating its 10-year anniversary this month, the Marin Headlands Nursery has grown almost 300,000 plants in the last decade. Volunteers at this facility, one of five Parks Conservancy native plant nurseries, help bring native green back to the Rodeo Valley and Fort Baker, and even the historic gardens of Alcatraz.

In this in-depth profile about the sustained and active philanthropy of the Haas family, San Francisco Chronicle Magazine highlights a legacy of giving that includes major contributions to the Parks Conservancy that transformed, and continue to transform, Crissy Field and the Presidio.

The land north of the Cliff House near the old Sutro Baths is getting a multi-million-dollar facelift by the National Park Service and local philanthropists. This historic area in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge will get new trails, catwalks and other features, making it more accessible to millions of visitors.

Officially, Alcatraz is a national park. The non-profit Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy has renovated the site and opened new areas to the public for the first time.

It is springtime on Alcatraz, and for the first time in years the flowers are blooming in a garden once tended by some of the most dangerous prisoners in the country.

The Haas, Jr. Fund's donation will go to scenic overlooks, 24 miles of trails and the city's only campground to help turn former Army base into recreation destination

At a time when many national parks are eliminating programs and delaying maintenance, our own Golden Gate National Recreation Area is flourishing. Part of the reason is a non-profit group now celebrating its 25th anniversary. A look at one of the Park Service's most successful partnerships.