On an early morning, a fresh cohort of volunteers for One Tam’s Marin Wildlife Watch community science program sat around a table in a darkened room, ready to see some animals.

Through storytelling and inspirational programs like the Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series, the Parks Conservancy and National Park Service are helping 1.4 million annual Alcatraz visitors reflect on justice, mass incarceration, and the human experience at this vital national park site. 

We collected a list of the most Instagram-able, “double tap”-worthy vistas in your coastal parklands for your posting pleasure. While you’re out exploring and documenting, tag us in your post (@parksconservancy) for a chance to be featured on our website!

Here’s an insider’s guide to some of our favorite hidden gems of the GGNRA. From secret beaches to undiscovered redwood groves, these spots provide a chance to get into nature and steer clear of the crowds.

It’s time to grab your reusable gloves, buckets, bags, and litter-picking tools! Gear up for California Coastal Cleanup Day, Saturday, September 21, 2013, and head to your local shorelines and parklands to provide some much-needed TLC and fall cleaning.

Have you ever looked up at the twilight sky to see an erratic flutter of wings? Maybe you tried to convince yourself that it was just a sparrow, but chances are what you actually saw was a little brown bat. Although bats carry a loathsome reputation, humans derive a great benefit from these tiny creatures.