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For media questions or photo and video requests, please contact us at zrqvn@cnexfpbafreinapl.betgro.ycnavresnocskrap@aidem .

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 zrqvn@cnexfpbafreinapl.betgro.ycnavresnocskrap@aidem .

Press Releases

Rendering of a cliff walk at Presidio Tunnel Tops opening July 2022.
OPENING DATE ANNOUNCED! Presidio Tunnel Tops Opens to All Starting Sunday, July 17, 2022

The most anticipated visitor attraction ever planned for the Presidio of San Francisco – Presidio Tunnel Tops – now has an official opening date. The new national park destination welcomes all visitors starting Sunday, July 17, 2022, revealing a spectacular “must see” San Francisco attraction for Bay Area locals and visitors from around the world.

Katherine Toy in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Katherine Toy to Lead California’s Outdoor for All Initiative, Spearheading Efforts to Improve Access to Parks and Public Lands

This month, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Katherine Toy to a newly created role in his administration, Deputy Secretary for Access in the Department of Natural Resources for the state of California. 

Commemorating 40 Years of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the 105th Anniversary of the founding of the National Park Service

The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the National Park Service today commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Parks Conservancy and the 105th anniversary of the founding of the National Park Service with the unveiling of a several year rehabilitation of a previously closed and grown over historic garden on the bluff of historic Fort Mason, Black Point historic gardens.

Equator Coffees set to Re-Open the Historic Round House Cafe at the Golden Gate Bridge

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - June 24, 2021 -- As the Bay Area re-emerges & re-assesses what matters most, Equator’s refresh of the historic Round House Cafe will offer a renewed outlook at one of the most historic crossroads in the world.

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House speaks during the National Park Service-Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the revitalization of Crissy Field on May
Celebrating 20 Years of Crissy Field's Revitalization

Today, the National Park Service - Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy commemorated the 20th anniversary of the revitalization of Crissy Field with Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House.

Katherine Toy
GOVERNOR NEWSOM APPOINTS PARKS CONSERVANCY EXECUTIVE TO STATE PARKS COMMISSION

California Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Katherine Toy, Executive Vice President of Partnerships and Programs at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, to the State Park and Recreation Commission.

Press Coverage

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.

Raise a glass for national parks at Presidio beer festival
San Francisco Examiner

The San Francisco Examiner previews the Parks4All: Brewfest, where people will come together to celebrate, with all proceeds going to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

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).

Photo Galleries