After years of anticipation, a brand-new visitor center is opening at Lands End! Coming in late April, the Lookout features exciting exhibits on nature and history, a café, and park store. Read on for details about this beautiful visitor center—and how you can attend the grand opening.

Allen Fish, director of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO), recently celebrated his 30th year at the helm of the GGRO (founded one year before his start, in 1984).

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.

As 2012 draws to a close, we want to give an enormous and heartfelt THANK YOU to all park volunteers! We are incredibly grateful that you choose to give the gift of your time and energy to these parklands. Read on to see your amazing year of accomplishments.

As part of celebrations nationwide, the Golden Gate Trail Crew will lead five projects across our parks. Find out how you can give back to our amazing trails on June 7, 2014—and help build a brand-new trail connecting some picturesque San Francisco landmarks.

As the National Park Service celebrates its Centennial in 2016, a major goal is to bring more diverse and younger visitors to the parks. Here in the Bay Area, Kieron Slaughter is developing programs to do just that—with a little help from the Institute at the Golden Gate.

Crissy Field—San Francisco’s beloved front yard and one of the Conservancy’s signature projects—continues to evolve as a visitor destination. As we assess its uses and evaluate maintenance needs, we’d love to hear your ideas on improving this shoreline park.

Our six native plant nurseries, spanning from Marin to San Mateo, have the amazing role and privilege of growing natives for the many restoration projects in the Golden Gate National Parks. As we celebrate the Golden Gate Bridge in May, learn how native plants “bridge” the myriad habitats of these national parklands.

As we enter 2013, the Institute at the Golden Gate is lining up a series of ground-breaking pilot programs, cutting-edge reports, and innovative partnerships in their core focus areas: public health, food, and climate change. See what we’ve got cooking!