Park Stories

Highlighting the people, engaging programs and beautiful places that make the Golden Gate national parks special. Can't get enough? Sign up for our monthly E-ventures newsletter, and become a member today to receive our gorgeous Gateways Magazine. More about our publications here

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Alcatraz staff member Edwin Sera stands in front of the cell house.
Article
Alcatraz Island is one of the most unique places to work in the Bay Area, and many Parks Conservancy team members keep coming back year after year.
Crissy Field Center teaching kitchen
Gateways Article
How the Crissy Field Center Teaching Kitchen is helping young people follow their curiosities—and their senses—to more deeply engage with the world around them.
Jack Carter Fisher at Lands End
Gateways Article
Veteran Jack Carter Fisher has found connection and healing in GGNRA parks, thanks to the W.A.R.I.O.R. Program through the San Francisco VA Health Care System, the National Park Service, and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
Ranger Jace is holding up a a branch with redwood needles and pointing to it in their uniform.
Article
Jace Ritchey never dreamed of becoming a park ranger, but today you'll find Ranger Jace greeting visitors and starring in social media posts from Muir Woods National Monument.
Dennis Mabasa.
Gateways Article
Dennis Mabasa is the dynamic new Vice President of Community and Youth Programs for the Parks Conservancy. We chatted with Dennis about their connection to the outdoors and the importance of community.
A sea lion at the Marine Mammal Center in the Marin Headlands.
Article
OK, so a sea lion "walks" onto Alcatraz Island. It sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it’s actually the start of a wonderful story of partnership and conservation.
Portrait of birder Daniela Sánchez with binoculars on a birding trip.
Gateways Article
Many people flock to birding because they love birds' beautiful plumage, their intricate songs, or their entertaining antics. For Daniela Sánchez, it was serendipity.
A bicyclist rides through water along the Bay Trail near Bothin Marsh.
Gateways Article
As storms raged over the winter, flooding paths and ripping apart beach walkways, the message was clear: Watch out!
A gray fox sits atop a log in the woods of mount tamalpais scratching its ear with its foot.
Gateways Article
On an early morning, a fresh cohort of volunteers for One Tam’s Marin Wildlife Watch community science program sat around a table in a darkened room, ready to see some animals.
A silver lupine brush at the Presidio Tunnel Tops, Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands in the background.
Legacy News article
Judy's legacy has been transformational in ways that she herself probably didn’t even imagine. As a gardens volunteer on Alcatraz, she knew that volunteerism promotes compassion and empathy.
Silver lupine brush at the Presidio Tunnel Tops, Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
Legacy News article
When you make a planned gift to the Conservancy, you become a member of the Silver Lupine Circle -- a community of park lovers who, like you, ensure these national treasures will be protected and nurtured for generations to come.
A silver lupine brush at the Presidio Tunnel Tops, Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands in the background.
Legacy News article
Jean Colvin and Bharat Rawal, residents of San Francisco and members of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy for over 15 years, have long valued the parklands as a respite from the world’s ills.