The Vulture Ecology Study: 2020 Update is part of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO) 2020 Pacific Raptor Report. It was authored by biologist Teresa Ely, GGRO’s Banding Manager and resident vulture expert since 2016.

In January 2016, a record number of Western snowy plovers were spotted at Ocean Beach. What are some possible reasons for this sky-high count? Read the latest on park monitoring of these threatened species—and learn what you can do to help their chances of survival.

One of the things winter visitors in the Marin Headlands might notice is the abundance of waterfowl at Rodeo Lagoon. Most people brush the birds off as just “ducks,” but a closer look reveals a far more complex avian world.

November 20, 1969. That day marked the beginning of the Occupation of Alcatraz by the Indians of All Tribes, a key milestone in the history of the island, our country, and the broader Native American civil rights movement.

Learn the story behind Home Land Security, an exhibition in the Presidio exploring complex themes of safety, national identity, and global security. Fittingly, the idea for this exhibition—open until December 18—was born halfway around the world.

On April 20 and 21, 2013, Bay Area teens will participate in Backyard Bound, the outdoor summit organized by the Center’s I-YEL youth leaders. This year’s theme is “How to Connect Youth to Their Environment.” Watch a video to see what this summit is all about.

What are we really missing from the sunniest winter in California? Mushrooms! Learn about our mush-needed friends and how they can help us tackle global warming.

The Institute’s Food for the Parks program convened food service leaders in New York last week to expand the healthy and sustainable food options in parks and other establishments across the country. Read on to learn how the Institute made an impact.

Join Chris Briggs, research director of our Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, for a tour of the nesting birds on Alcatraz. In this essay, he points out some rookeries on the Rock—and shares the sad history of the turn-of-the-century feather craze.

It was three years ago that the Franciscan manzanita was discovered along the old Doyle Drive. How is that manzanita doing in its new home? And what are the plans to re-establish a sustainable population of the plant and the other species that historically grew with it?