Our Work

A black and yellow Anise Swallotwail butterfly sits on a plant with its wings open
The Bay Area’s smallest and cutest park volunteer

The San Francisco Bay Area is a biodiversity hotspot for flora and fauna—there are around 144 species of butterflies that call the region home! But factors such as urbanization, invasive plants, and climate change have made the lives of our four-winged friends in the Bay Area quite difficult.

Example of nature journal page layout.
Nature Journal Club: How to Build a Journal Page
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Join the Nature Journal Club for a 1.5 hour workshop on an important fundamental skill in building your field sketching skills! May's workshop is taught by guest instructor and nature enthusiast Kristin Meuser and will focus on how to build your ideal journal page. 

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Chris Lehnertz
Q&A: Getting to know Chris Lehnertz, our new President & CEO

Just talk to the new President & CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy for a few minutes. Whether she’s talking about the history embedded in a place like Fort Point or how to inspire park journeys for more people, her passion for parklands shines through.

Nature Journal Club
John Muir Laws: Megafauna!!! How to Draw Large African Animals
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Join the Nature Journal Club for a 1.5 hour workshop to help you learn some tips and tricks for drawing charismatic mega fauna! This session will delve into the inner-musculature and skeletal aspects of large African animals.

Register Now
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Volunteer In Parks (VIP) Internships

Build your workplace skills. Test out a career. Receive a stipend. Get personalized training and mentorship from a park professional.

San Francisco Park Stewardship Intern Jonathan Howell
Meet new San Francisco Park Stewardship intern Jonathan Howell!

For the last few months you’ve been hearing from either Yakuta, Gabriel, or Jainita, but this month our team got bigger! Please welcome Jonathan Howell: A motorcycle-riding, mountain-climbing parks lover you’ll want to meet.

A great horned owl.
Presidio’s resident raptor is owl the rage

By Jainita Patel
San Francisco Park Stewardship Intern

It’s March and you know what that means—bird season! Soon, Lands End will be covered in passing migratory birds of all colors, shapes, and sizes.

Getting to work at Love Your Parks Day at Lands End in February 2019.
Love your parks: A day of loving work to make Lands End better

By Elizabeth Aldenderfer
Park Stewardship Trails Program Intern

Recently, park stewardship teams joined forces to host a day all about appreciation and care for Love Your Parks Day in the Golden Gate National Parks!…

Women's Trail Day volunteers at a past event in the Golden Gate National Parks.
Why do we need a Women’s Trail Day?

What is it about an all-women, volunteer workday that makes us feel important, of value, and special? In the #MeToo movement era, women are committed to making a space for ourselves and to come together as a community.

Yerba buena (Clinopodium douglasii) plants.
To eat or not to eat: Flavors of our San Mateo national parks

Have you ever wondered if the various plant and mushroom species you find when exploring San Mateo park sites are edible? You can’t take these with you, but you can get some ideas for your own garden and your next recipe!

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