Park Stories

As the chilly summer fog peels off the San Francisco Bay Area, grab your layers and get outside with the Parks Conservancy for these can’t-miss happenings from September through December.

This fall, thanks to our Art in the Parks program in partnership with the National Park Service, the Golden Gate National Parks become an art gallery and performance space with something for everyone to enjoy. 

I have always loved Turkey Vultures. It all started when I met Toulouse, the Turkey Vulture, when I was a volunteer at the Animal Resource Center at the San Francisco Zoo. As a GGRO Intern in 2008, I watched the Turkey Vultures do their wobbly, effortless soaring around Hawk Hill. One day on the Hill, someone said to me, “You will get tired of watching Turkey Vultures when you go to Veracruz.” Well, that person was wrong. My experience in Mexico, watching thousands of vultures on migration, only increased my love for vultures. Incidentally, in Mexico, Turkey Vultures are called “Zopilotes.”

You have seen it, you have likely walked by it countless times, but what really is ice plant and what are its effects on our parks?

Fog is a staple of San Francisco and its surrounding neighborhoods, especially in the summer. How do the natural ecosystems of the area take advantage of this mysterious mist?

The National Parks have a never ending “To-Do” list and a great portion of this list is taken on by our amazing volunteers. This season we are pointing a spotlight to a very special volunteer who has been working with us for almost a year!

Did you know that there are bats in California? Or even in the Bay Area? Not only do we have a large bat population in this region, but bats are an essential part of California’s ecosystems and they may be at risk.

Do you know the wonders of the willow? A native plant of the Bay Area, the willow has cultural and medicinal significance.

Only about 1 percent of original grasslands remain in most of California. Read about what caused the decline of grassland habitat throughout much of the state, as well as efforts by the Parks Conservancy and volunteers to help maintain and restore habitat for our endangered and threatened species.

The indigenous Ohlone people were the first to live, steward, and walk in the coastal hills and scrubland of San Mateo County and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Read about the legacy of their stewardship and the evolving relationship between indigenous people and the parks.

Here is a list of our top accessible trails you can enjoy on your next visit to the Bay Area or if you’re a local, on your next weekend.

The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, a plague-like disease decimating species of hibernating bats in North America, has been found in California.