The Quartermaster Reach project will create seven acres of extraordinary habitat for birds, plants, and other native species. But these culverts will do more than just let the waters flow beneath a busy roadway.

The Institute at the Golden Gate has had the privilege of hosting many fellows and interns throughout the past four years of driving positive environmental change. This month, we’re honoring the many people who have left their mark on the Institute’s work.

We’re restoring mountain trails, creating important connections with our communities, building new bridges, and blazing new trails for National Trails Day 2015. Now the only question is: where will YOU be on Saturday, June 6?

On the 150th anniversary of the formation of the African American Buffalo Soldiers regiments, learn about their vital role in the history of the national parks (and of the Presidio)—and discover why Teddy Roosevelt had a special place in his heart for them.

I’ve been grateful to mentor and supervise two unique interns each year who bring such a diverse array of skills, knowledge, and passions. What I’ve learned is invaluable.

Every week we work to restore native plant habitat, but our work goes beyond just the plant communities in our parks. It’s been fascinating to see the influence our work can have on wildlife and the ecosystem around us.

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.

In 2016, Park Ranger Rebecca Au, a former art teacher with a Master’s degree in museum education, drove from Massachusetts to California. She estimates she visited around 10 national parks along the way, including Badlands, Grand Tetons, and Bryce Canyon.

Need some inspiration for your holiday shopping this year? We’ve got you covered.

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.