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Press Coverage

The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy is in the news! Read the latest coverage about the Parks Conservancy and our work below. Check out our Press Room for press releases and more about the Parks Conservancy, or contact us directly at media@parksconservancy.org .

Topic List - Press Coverage
San Francisco’s Fort Point Will Partially Reopen Amid National Parks Shutdown
KQED

KQED reports on the final weekend for Black Gold: Stories Untold at Fort Point Oct. 10-13, 2025. The Parks Conservancy teamed up with FOR-SITE and the National Park Service to keep this vital exhibition open for one last weekend amid the federal government shutdown.

Alcatraz to remain open despite government shutdown, thanks to nonprofit and private support
KTVU

Parks Conservancy President & CEO Christine Lehnertz talks with KTVU on the importance of Alcatraz Island remaining open to visitors to reflect on the island's layered history.

Marin Headlands' scenic Hawk Hill to reopen
NBC Bay Area

NBC Bay Area reports from Hawk Hill, where we're wrapping up a yearslong project to increase accessibility and improve...

Op-Ed: Urban Gateways, Woven Into Daily Life
National Parks Traveler

Gateway communities are the front doors of our National Park System, and the Bay Area is fortunate to have many. Read the Op-Ed by Parks Conservancy President & CEO Christine Lehnertz to see how we're delivering on the promise of these unique national park sites to build welcoming and belonging in local communities.

California history at stake amid signage orders
KQED

"The United States does not put its history into secret boxes." "History aims to improve the nation by learning the lessons of the past."— Christine Lehnertz, President & CEO of the Parks Conservancy, talks to KQED for a piece on the importance of preserving history in the national parks. The Parks Conservancy works to tell the full story of the GGNRA through signage, programs, and youth education, so we can learn from our shared past and build welcoming national parks for the future.

A San Francisco garter snake
This Bay Area snake is one of the nation’s most beautiful — and rare. Can scientists save it?
San Francisco Chronicle

A coalition of conservation partners is joining forces to protect one of the Bay Area’s most colorful and endangered residents, the San Francisco garter snake. At the heart of this effort is an ambitious habitat restoration project in San Mateo County’s national parklands, led by the Parks Conservancy and the National Park Service, as we work to build national parks where people and nature can thrive.

Parks Conservancy Deputy CEO Michele Gee appears on KQED Forum to talk about the importance of Alcatraz Island as a national park site and a global site of reflection and conversation.
Alcatraz’s Cultural Legacy Extends Beyond Its Prison Past
KQED Forum

Parks Conservancy Deputy CEO Michele Gee appears on KQED Forum to talk about the importance of Alcatraz Island as a national park site and a global site of reflection and conversation.

Students walk amid the San Francisco skyline on their way to Alcatraz Historic Gardens to volunteer.
Trump wants to reopen Alcatraz as a prison - could it happen?
BBC

"Alcatraz challenges us to listen, to learn, and to carry forward the stories that still shape our world today," Christine Lehnertz, president and CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, said in a statement sent to the BBC.

A park visitor looks toward Alcatraz Island from the ferry. An American flag waves in the breeze as they cruise over bay waters.
Trump’s call to reopen Alcatraz falls flat with tourists, who ask: Why and how?
Los Angeles Times

"This is where history speaks — and where we learn from the past to shape a better future."

Flowers in bloom at Alcatraz Historic Gardens
Celebrate Earth Day at Alcatraz
Axios

Axios covers Earth Day on Alcatraz, with events from the Alcatraz Historic Gardens to crabbing off the island.

Plants in the sunshine on Alcatraz Island.
Op-Ed: National Parks Need More Than Love Right Now—They Need Lasting Investment
National Parks Traveler

In this opinion piece, Chris Lehnertz and Cassius Cash, leaders of the Parks Conservancy and Yosemite Conservancy, come together to urge bipartisan reauthorization of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA).

Biking at Crissy Field
Experts have candid advice for national park visitors
The Hill

"Go with an expectation that when you visit this year, you are like an honorary park ranger. You are a steward of that park." Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy President & CEO Christine Lehnertz offers advice on visiting parks responsibly this summer.