Park Stories

In early June 2012, the Institute at the Golden Gate and the East Bay Regional Parks District, with the support of the National Park Service, hosted a convening of Bay Area park and health professionals to discuss the current state and potential future of the Park Prescriptions initiative and the Healthy Parks Healthy People (HPHP) movement in the region. How will this movement affect parks and people locally?

Some have asked: Why don’t we just buy plants from our local nurseries to restore the park? In short, the Parks Conservancy grows native plants from seed because such a practice increases the chances of the plants’ survival.

A bright flash passes by, triggering someone to yell “BLUE!” Team members nimbly make their way through a mosaic of summer lupines at Oakwood Valley. Quickly but carefully, one person follows the butterfly until it lands. “It’s a mission blue, male, resting on a lupine.” Read on to learn more.

Trail Mix. Scroggin. Gorp. Studentenfutter. Schmogle. Great names for a great snack! Try one of our specially formulated blends on your next park outing. Read on for some of our favorite recipes.

We’ve all hosted parties. But what happens when the party spans a weekend, your guest list includes 250,000 people, and it takes an army to get ready? You enlist volunteers! Find out from one Parks volunteer what it was like to be part of San Francisco’s biggest party of the quarter-century: the Golden Gate Festival.

To build excitement for National Trails Day on June 2, 2012, we are putting you to the (trail) test. Flex your brain muscles to identify the park and the trail in the photos below and discover what type of trail aficionado (or not!) you are.

In the 21st century, Bald Eagles have become a more common than rare sighting in the Bay Area, mostly seen in the wintertime near a supply of ducks or fish.

As you are out enjoying the parks this summer, be sure to take a closer look and appreciate the many ways that plants have adapted to ecological conditions to disperse their seeds.

New Institute at the Golden Gate Director Chris Spence tells us about his vision for the Institute—and his formative childhood experiences in the “spectacular countryside” of Bingley, England.

1. Can you give us a short highlight tour of your history?
I was born in England and spent most of my…

Invasive species cause an imbalance to native communities and upset the food web that has long been established. 

Summer Camp at the Crissy Field Center offers an experience full of fun and adventure—imbued with environmentalism and excitement for our national parks.

The Golden Gate Festival is coming up and Crissy Field Center’s Inspiring Young Emerging Leaders (I-YEL) will debut their YEL project—Unmasking Media—at the community celebration on Sunday, May 27, 2012. Come experience their activity booths and explore how the media influence today’s youth.