Park E-ventures Newsletter Archive

Five Family-Friendly Hikes for Thanksgiving Weekend

Typically, the weekend after Thanksgiving is spent shopping for holiday gifts and making leftover turkey (or tofurkey) sandwiches.

But instead of being cooped up in a mall all weekend, you and the family could help digest that stomach-stretching feast while enjoying spectacular views, exploring newly restored habitats, and maybe even spotting... more >>

The Smaller Winged Creatures Flying Through the Headlands

Odonates are dragonflies and damselflies that are associated with water. As flying adults, they are carnivorous that prey on other insects. Their name comes from the Greek word odṓn meaning “tooth”—even though it is now known that their strong mandibles (jaws) do not have teeth but rather serrations.

Dragonflies are fairly... more >>

Institute Hosts “Groundbreaking” Event on Parks and Education

The team at the Institute at the Golden Gate is still buzzing from an event we hosted at Fort Baker on November 6–9: “Parks: The New Climate Classroom.” More than 140 people from as far afield as Australia gathered to brainstorm about the role parks can play in educating and... more >>

2013 Holiday Gift Guide

Why get up at darkness-o’clock to battle mall zombies during the holidays? At www.parksconservancy.org/store, you can shop in comfort and joy from your cozy couch. Get started with our 2013 Gift Guide—featuring a hand-picked selection of this season’s must-haves—and find something for all the park lovers on your list!

Don’t... more >>

The Future is Planted at Muir Beach

Muir Beach has been going through a major phase of a National Park Service/Parks Conservancy restoration project for the past few months and will soon be open to the public once again (slated for mid-December). Soon, visitors and locals alike will have their chance to enjoy all that the beach... more >>

Five Lessons I Learned from the Mission Blue Butterfly

By Price Sheppy
Community Program Manager, Park Stewardship

This winter the Golden Gate National Parks will be planting over a thousand lupines, the host plant of the mission blue butterfly. As we begin this restoration work to help this endangered species, I can’t help but reflect on all that I have learned... more >>

Getting Trained Up to Camp Out

This video is an introduction to the Camping at the Presidio Leadership Training (CAPLT). During this 30-hour, overnight leadership training course, participants learn about gear, transportation, educational programming, guided hikes, and more—knowledge they’ll use when they bring their groups for a full camping experience in the Presidio of San Francisco.

Since... more >>

The Story Behind the Newly Named Founders Grove

The importance of Muir Woods in the early conservation movement is best understood by considering those who made the decision to protect the area from destruction. There were many hands and voices that shaped Muir Woods at its inception, but three men were particularly influential—and they continue to be honored... more >>

My Day Carrying a Google Trekker Backpack

“You do know the pack weighs 40 pounds, right?” my manager asked, when I told him I wanted to spend a work day hiking around the Golden Gate National Parks with a Google Trekker on my back.

I said that I did know. Forty pounds should be no sweat for an... more >>

Park Quiz: Bones of Contention

In honor of Halloween and the Day of the Dead, we’ve got a bone to pick with you. Put on your thinking (skull)cap and see how many of these skeletal remains you can identify—of animals found in the Golden Gate... more >>