After a few minutes of listing bird qualities, Kirsti Carr stops herself and laughs. “I love everything about birds,” she admits. “They’re just weird!” 

How can we help make the world a healthier, happier place? The Institute at the Golden Gate believes the answer is: “One piece at a time.” Institute Director Chris Spence shares how his team is pulling the pieces together—and building on strengths—to make a difference.

Mark Lundgren moved to San Francisco from the East Coast 35 years ago. While he loved living in the city, he also felt a deep attachment to the natural world, and the Presidio was his respite.

On the heels of a productive 2013, the Institute at the Golden Gate has released Change Makers, a report summarizing the Institute’s five years of leveraging parks as places to address some of society’s most pressing challenges.

Repeated over time, warm and dry winters alter the timing of natural events such as flower blooms, and those changes can produce a ripple effect throughout the food web. Learn more about phenology—the study of seasonal phenomena and how they’re affected by climate change.

If you’ve got free time, come volunteer in the parks! Not only is it free, but it’s a fun, rewarding, and healthy way to spend a summer day. And it’s easy to get involved. Give volunteering a try—you’ll be glad you did!

In April 2012, the Institute at the Golden Gate and Golden Gate National Parks will welcome the third National Parks Institute (NPI) Executive Leadership Seminar to Cavallo Point Lodge at Fort Baker. Park leaders from across the globe will come together to learn and share business management best practices to bring home to their parks.

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, and see how the Golden Gate Trail Crew—alongside teams of dedicated youth volunteers—restored a portion of the Tennessee Valley Trail. Learn about the wonderful properties of a favorite trail feature: the box step.

For the first time, the Center is organizing a campout that connects current I-YEL interns with alumni of I-YEL, a groundbreaking youth leadership program in its 13th year. By inviting the extended I-YEL family (and the families of I-YELers), this event builds community across generations.

While the East is still buried under 3 feet of snow, harbingers of spring have begun to bloom all across the Golden Gate National Parks. What can you expect to see in March, as you explore one of our many park trails?