Experience the sights, sounds, and science of hawk-watching with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO) in the Marin Headlands. The GGRO, a volunteer-driven program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, monitors and bands raptors during their fall migration to assess the health of bird populations.

The San Francisco Chronicle profiles Mark and JoAnn Zlatunich, who have transformed their backyard into native habitat for flora and fauna. Parks Conservancy volunteers learn about and participate in habitat restoration and native-plant propagation.

Celebrating its 10-year anniversary this month, the Marin Headlands Nursery has grown almost 300,000 plants in the last decade. Volunteers at this facility, one of five Parks Conservancy native plant nurseries, help bring native green back to the Rodeo Valley and Fort Baker, and even the historic gardens of Alcatraz.

In this in-depth profile about the sustained and active philanthropy of the Haas family, San Francisco Chronicle Magazine highlights a legacy of giving that includes major contributions to the Parks Conservancy that transformed, and continue to transform, Crissy Field and the Presidio.

The land north of the Cliff House near the old Sutro Baths is getting a multi-million-dollar facelift by the National Park Service and local philanthropists. This historic area in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge will get new trails, catwalks and other features, making it more accessible to millions of visitors.