Alcatraz Island is famous mainly for one thing: its prison. But it’s also a good place to lay eggs.

At a time when many national parks are eliminating programs and delaying maintenance, our own Golden Gate National Recreation Area is flourishing. Part of the reason is a non-profit group now celebrating its 25th anniversary. A look at one of the Park Service's most successful partnerships.

ABC 7, covering Bay Area service projects on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, reports from beautiful Crissy Field, where 70 community members helped grow their national park by weeding invasive species. The project was one of many volunteer opportunities throughout the Golden Gate National Parks on Obama's special Day of Service.

ABC 7 reports from Muir Woods National Monument on the Centennial festivities. The segment captures the sights and sounds of a memorable celebration honoring William Kent's gift and the timeless redwood giants.

Workers will begin assembling @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz in buildings that are part of the old military and federal prison in late August. It’s a perfect venue for an artist who has riled government officials in Beijing to the point of his own imprisonment.

On September 27, @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz, a series of site-specific commissions within the historic former Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary will debut. Don’t expect to see the artist; he remains unable to travel, though his ideas will be everywhere.

The title of international art star Ai Weiwei’s installation on Alcatraz, @Large, is a contradiction, since the artist himself is anything but. The unusual exhibition on the site of the famous penitentiary opens this weekend and explores themes of freedom and imprisonment.

After being jailed by the Chinese government in 2011, and his work censored in the country, the dissident artist Ai Weiwei received his passport back this week.

Michael Krasny of KQED Forum chats with filmmaker Ken Burns and other featured speakers at "Parks For All," a conference that looked at diversity issues in the national parks, in conjunction with outreach related to Burns's upcoming documentary "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."