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Our Work

Crissy Field views
Fielding Suggestions: Share Your Feedback on Refreshing Crissy

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.

Jute fabric stabilizes soil
Did Jute Know? Fun Facts about a Formidable Fabric

As you stand in the new parking lot at Muir Beach, you may notice the expanse of tan fabric covering the restored floodplain. What is this strange, straw-looking material? The simple answer is jute fabric—but what exactly is it?

MLK Day of Service at Stinson beach
MLK: A Day of Volunteerism to Honor a Lifetime of Service

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” On MLK Day of Service in 2014, we hope you’ll be volunteering in our Golden Gate National Parks.

Rodeo Beach, Rodeo Lagoon
Wave of Change at Rodeo Beach

Once a dairy farm, later an Army parade ground, and now an overflow parking area, the “surfer’s lot” at Rodeo Beach is being transformed. Learn more about the project, and some of the plants—grown by the Marin Headlands Nursery—that will help restore wildlife habitat.

Crissy Field sunrise
2013: A Key Year to Unlocking the Power of Parks

We’re thrilled to report that 2013 may have been the most successful year yet for the Institute at the Golden Gate. Look back on a remarkable year of influential reports, national convenings, and impactful pilot programs tackling some of society’s most pressing challenges.

American Coot
Coot Boon on Rodeo Lagoon!

One of the things winter visitors in the Marin Headlands might notice is the abundance of waterfowl at Rodeo Lagoon. Most people brush the birds off as just “ducks,” but a closer look reveals a far more complex avian world.

Mission blue butterfly (Icaricia icariodes missionensis)
Five Lessons I Learned from the Mission Blue Butterfly

This winter the Golden Gate National Parks will be planting over a thousand lupines, the host plant of the endangered mission blue butterfly. As we prepare for this restoration work, a Park Stewardship manager reflects on the big lessons he’s learned from this little butterfly.

Dragonfly
The Smaller Winged Creatures Flying Through the Headlands

At the GGRO, we specialize in migrations. Generally we’re talking about the raptor migration through the Marin Headlands each fall, the largest in the Pacific states. But over the past few weeks, we have noticed another sizable migration—of dragonflies.

Getting Trained Up to Camp Out

Rob Hill in the Presidio is the only overnight campground in San Francisco—and it takes a special leader to bring groups camping there. In this new video, learn about Camping at the Presidio (CAP) Trained Leaders—and their two-day training course.

Muir Woods hikers
Institute Hosts “Groundbreaking” Event on Parks and Education

On November 6–9, 2013, the Institute at the Golden Gate hosted over 140 educators, rangers, experts, and innovators at Fort Baker to brainstorm ideas on leveraging parks as places for climate-change education. Read on to learn what they discussed.