The former federal prison at Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay marks 50 years as part of the National Park System on Thursday, October 26, 2023.

To mark 50 years of Alcatraz Island being opened to the public, the National Park Service with the Parks Conservancy and Alcatraz City Cruises hosted a celebration on the island.

Alcatraz has so many layers of history: military base, federal prison, site of Native resistance, bird sanctuary. The 22-acre island in the San Francisco Bay continues to generate speculation and ink, creativity and reflection.

For nearly 40 years, the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory at the Parks Conservancy has collaborated with the National Parks Service to track the migratory patterns of these birds – collectively known as raptors – with the mission of inspiring their preservation throughout California.

Sutro Lands End Partners, LLC has been awarded a 20-year lease for the former Cliff House restaurant space, which is inside Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The partners will revive the space as well as the café inside the Lands End Visitors Center operated by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.