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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Warming Hut
Park E-Ventures Article
Find fantastic gifts for the park lovers on your list while helping to support park programs.
Jerusalem cricket (Stenopelmatus fuscus)
Park E-Ventures Article
Life is not all river otters and coyote pups. Some organisms in these national parks simply give us the heebie-jeebies—justifiably or not. With Halloween a few days away, here’s our list of the scariest and grossest creatures. For the squeamish, turn away. For the stout-hearted, read on—if you dare.
bats
Park E-Ventures Article
Have you ever looked up at the twilight sky to see an erratic flutter of wings? Maybe you tried to convince yourself that it was just a sparrow, but chances are what you actually saw was a little brown bat. Although bats carry a loathsome reputation, humans derive a great...
wind turbines
Park E-Ventures Article
If you’ve been by the Crissy Field Center recently, you’ve probably seen the wind turbines spinning with the wind. Have you ever wondered how much energy they are producing? Well, now you can find out!
Franciscan Manzanita
Park E-Ventures Article
It was three years ago that the Franciscan manzanita was discovered along the old Doyle Drive. How is that manzanita doing in its new home? And what are the plans to re-establish a sustainable population of the plant and the other species that historically grew with it?
hawks flying over the Golden Gate Bridge in the fog
Park E-Ventures Article
On September 27, 2012, on Hawk Hill, we counted 295 Broad-winged Hawk sightings, 10 times our previous one-day count for that species. We even exceeded our season-total record—248 sightings—in just that one day. Aside from these impressive numbers, why is this exciting?
Park E-Ventures Article
October 5–7 was one very busy weekend in San Francisco, with Fleet Week and America’s Cup headlining two of the many, many events going on in the City. Even so, folks involved with both spectacular events still found time to give some TLC to the Golden Gate National Parks.
Healthy Parks Healthy People
Park E-Ventures Article
From Anaheim to Baltimore, the Institute at the Golden Gate is sharing knowledge and establishing itself as a leading voice on Food for the Parks and Healthy Parks Healthy People. Read how the Institute is taking its place in a movement to position parks as catalysts for healthful change.
View of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands from the Presidio batteries
Park E-Ventures Article
On October 27 of 2012, it will be 40 years since President Richard Nixon signed the legislation to create the 34,000-acre Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Since then, the Golden Gate National Parks—as these parklands are popularly called—have grown to more than 80,000 breathtaking acres. So there’s a lot to...
Park E-Ventures Article
Are you ENTJ or INFP? What about FOFU or MUWO? Take this short quiz and discover your “park personality!” Learn if you’re adventurous and rugged like Fort Funston—or strong and silent like Muir Woods. Through our completely unscientific (but totally fun!) system of 16 park-sonality types, you’ll find a whole...
Red-tailed Hawk monitoring
Park E-Ventures Article
This season, in 2012, the GGRO is able to use brand-new technology to help us track bird movements. On Friday, August 23 we put out a GSM (cell phone) transmitter on a female juvenile Red-tailed Hawk, nicknamed Augusta. This device utilizes a GPS device, similar to a hand-held or car...
LINC program participants explore Alcatraz Island
Park E-Ventures Article
How can a Park Stewardship summer program for high school students clear invasive plants along trails—and reveal pathways to careers in conservation? Hear the inside story from two alums who discovered that jobs working in nature go far beyond Animal Planet.