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Browse the latest press coverage, press releases and announcements, videos and photo galleries from the Parks Conservancy below.

For more about the Parks Conservancy, visit our About Us page, see our mission and values, meet our executive team, and find out more about our long history of connecting people to parks. Contact the Parks Conservancy media team at media@parksconservancy.org .

Press Releases

A visitor walks along a path amid gardens at Alcatraz.

More than a landmark: Alcatraz is a living reminder of our past and our potential

“Protecting Alcatraz means protecting a global site of reflection, where people come to learn and grow,” said Christine Lehnertz, President & CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. “If we lose that, we lose more than a landmark—we lose an opportunity to do better.”

A group of hikers on a trail at Roy's Redwoods

Parks Conservancy, One Tam Secure $10.9 Million to Boost Wildfire and Forest Resilience

As California faces increasingly severe wildfires, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and its One Tam partners are leading the charge in wildfire resilience and forest health.

Rendering shows people enjoying the Alcatraz Embarkation Plaza

Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy unveils prime restaurant opportunity at Pier 31

Rendering courtesy Heller Manus Architects and Alcatraz City Cruises

San Francisco (September 16, 2024) – The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, in collaboration with Maven Commercial, is seeking a café or restaurant partner for Pier 31 along San Francisco’s waterfront.

Two women carrying bug nets in a grassy field inspect specimen vials

One Tam Community Science Program Finds Rare Bee Lost for Decades

SAN RAFAEL, CA—(August 6, 2024)—The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy working with the National Park Service, California State Parks, Marin Water, and Marin County Parks as the One Tam partnership, announces the finding of the rare San Francisco leaf-cutter bee (Trachusa gummifera) in Marin County.

The Mill Valley-Sausalito multi-use path runs through Bothin Marsh

Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy awarded $1.7 million for sea level rise work

The project presents a nature-based approach to responding to sea level rise and climate change at Bothin Marsh Open Space Preserve and the Mill Valley-Sausalito Pathway, part of the Bay Trail, one of Marin County Parks’ most visited park units and the most vulnerable to sea level rise.

Sunlight shines through canopy at Muir Woods

Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy awarded $4.26 million for forest conservation in Marin with One Tam partnership

SAN FRANCISCO—(February 23, 2024)—The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, working with the National Park Service, California State Parks and Marin Water as the One Tam partnership, was recently awarded $4.26 million in grant funding from the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) to support forest conservation programs in Marin County.

Press Coverage

Topic List - Press Coverage

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).

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.

Marin serves as state model for fire prevention

Marin Independent Journal

The Marin Independent Journal covers the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force and $10.9 million in funding for forest health improvement and wildfire prevention project, awarded to the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and One Tam.

Spend Earth Day—or Every Day—With the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy

Nob Hill Gazette

Christine Lehnertz, President & CEO of the Parks Conservancy, talks about how to give back to parks amid uncertainty about their future: “During this time when we’re seeing so much change for federal agencies, we will have to do more to ensure that these parks are here for future generations."

Parks Conservancy President & CEO Christine Lehnertz at a press event on Crissy Field.

What we can do for national parks right now

CBS News

Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy President & CEO Christine Lehnertz talks with CBS News Bay Area about how nonprofit friends groups are working with the National Park Service to support parks through uncertain times.

Aerial perspective rendering of the China Beach rehabilitation project.

Major renovation project at beloved S.F. beach to start after three-year delay

San Francisco Chronicle

Claire Mooney, Vice President, Park Projects and Conservation at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, gives an update on project to renovate the historic bathhouse at China Beach.

People walking a path in the Presidio Tunnel Tops with the Golden Gate Bridge viewed in the background.

What Trump's Order to 'Dramatically Reduce' Presidio Trust Means for the Beloved Park

KQED Forum

Parks Conservancy President & CEO Christine Lehnertz visits KQED Forum to talk about the recent executive order to direct changes at the Presidio Trust.

Two efforts identify species and habitats most vulnerable to climate change in the Golden Gate region, offering a critical new tool for managers working to save them

Golden Gate Biosphere Network

The Golden Gate Biosphere Network (GGBN), in partnership with the climate-focused organization EcoAdapt, recently completed a climate vulnerability assessment for 21 key species and habitats within its 28,000-mile boundary. The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy is a partner of the GGBN.

Marin park managers complete Roy’s Redwoods revamp

Marin Independent Journal

“The new trails at Roy’s Redwoods offer something for everybody with a variety of ways to explore the preserve,” said Rob LaPorte, a senior project manager at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. “If we have done our restoration work well, all will feel welcome visiting and have a great experience of discovering a thriving redwood forest.