Sometimes it takes a storm to appreciate the brighter days on the other side. We’ve kicked off the past two years with storms that caused park staff to assess the damage to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), and regroup on the other side. Spring always follows with a bursting array of wonderful wildflowers. But we know there’s work to be done to ensure these critical ecosystems can last through the climate challenges to come.
Climate resilience is a key tenet of the Parks Conservancy’s 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, which we began implementing over the last year. You’ll see updates on the plan throughout this Annual Report and Gateways Magazine, including items about social justice, partnerships that lead to positive outcomes for parks and people, and special initiatives that will make a lasting impact on the parks.
The plan is already in motion. At Muir Woods, you can spot new “woody debris” creating pools and pockets for endangered coho salmon to thrive. In San Mateo County, you’ll find community groups making new connections with their national parks. On Alcatraz, you’ll see visitors nodding as they make new connections between the island’s history and today’s issues.
Thank you for championing these parks, and being dedicated to ensuring more people can benefit from them. We know, with your help, those bright days lie ahead.
Chris Lehnertz
President & CEO
Staci Slaughter
Chair, Board of Trustees
Thanks to your support, here's a sampling of all we accomplished together in 2023 across more than 82,000 acres, from San Mateo County to San Francisco and Marin:
Volunteers who logged more than 80,000 hours in our parks in 2023. That's almost $3M in value to the GGNRA!
People reached through community engagement efforts at Rancho Corral de Tierra. We helped community groups like Puente de la Costa Sur and CoastPride connect to the park.
Presidio Tunnel Tops visitors who got to meet our Adventure Guides. This key pathway to employment helps young people welcome visitors with relevant, inclusive activities.
Access to Parks and Community Engagement
China Beach: With our partners at the National Park Service (NPS), we're helping improve access to a hidden gem of San Francisco. In 2023 we kicked off a project to rehabilitate this site and restore the bathhouse facility, including restrooms and visitor amenities.
Presidio Tunnel Tops: We're delivering on the promise of this park site, hosting events like Access to Adventure Day and community groups including the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality, Brown Girls Surf, and more.
Social Justice and Climate Resilience
Inclusion in Parks: In June, Partnership for the Presidio partners helped put on a Fantastic Field Day and a celebration of inclusive sports. The Parks Conservancy also launched the colorful "Parks For All" collection in our Park Stores.
Planning for Climate Resilience: We've started working on a climate vulnerability assessment framework with our park partners, and in 2023 the partners of One Tam released the Marin Regional Forest Health Strategy to monitor and improve the health of Marin's forests.
Community Science and Stewardship
Community Science Buzzing: The public joined us to monitor pollinators at Tamalpais Bee Lab and Pollinator Week events. Volunteers with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory spent more than 12,000 hours banding and counting raptors in the Marin Headlands.
Special Initiatives
Alcatraz Island: In October 2023 we celebrated 50 years of Alcatraz as a national park site. New programs and efforts like the Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series are helping turn the island into a platform to examine incarceration in the U.S. today.
Effective Partnerships
Recognizing Impact: Our Nicki Phelps was honored with the prestigious James V. Murfin Award for lasting contributions to the national park system, while Yakuta Poonawalla on our Community Stewardship and Engagement team was named one of Bay Nature Institute's Local Heroes.
Reimagining the City: Along with our park partners, San Francisco city agencies, the California Academy of Sciences, and many more, we announced the exciting new "Reimagining San Francisco" initiative to build a city where people and nature thrive together.
Youth Leadership and Career Pathways
Growing at Crissy Field Center: In 2023, we expanded our popular Inspiring Young Emerging Leaders (I-YEL) program into Marin, strengthened partnerships with local middle schools, and brought back programs like Park Hop, which explores Black history and resilience in our parks.
Paid Internships: We continue to expand career pathways in the parks, offering a new paid internship opportunity for high school youth and continuing the successful Adventure Guide program at Presidio Tunnel Tops.
Watch: Helping endangered coho salmon through Redwood Renewal.
The newly established People and Parks Forever Fund will deliver the multi-faceted benefits of the GGNRA to our entire Bay Area community. We acknowledge parks have often not been welcoming to or inclusive of Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Our goal is for everyone to feel welcomed and have a sense of belonging in the parks. The People and Parks Forever Fund supports park programs centered on pathways for youth, engagement in community science and stewardship, designing for climate resilience, and increased access to the parks for all. These efforts are grounded in racial and social justice principles and co-designed with communities. For more info, contact Sarah Lincoln at (415) 561-3561 or slincoln@parksconservancy.org.
We're proud to present a new format for Gateways Magazine, our longstanding member publication. Our new, large magazine format will allow for more space for photos, in-depth storytelling, and news from across the GGNRA. Join today to get this special member benefit!
Stretching across more than 82,000 acres, the Golden Gate national parks include the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods National Monument, and Fort Point National Historic Site. They were among the most-visited national park units in the country in 2023.
Established by the Spanish in 1776, this post continues to evolve as a national park with new trails, overlooks, bikeways, and a recently opened visitor center.
The Presidio
Saved by William Kent and Elizabeth Thacher Kent and named for John Muir, this National Monument is beloved by all for its tall redwoods and serenity.
Muir Woods
Home to an environmental education center, a vast meadow, and a marsh teeming with bird life, the transformed Crissy Field is one of the most spectacular parks in America.
Crissy Field
Picturesque Victorian farmhouses and idyllic trails grace this valley adjacent to Point Reyes National Seashore.
Olema Valley
Picturesque Victorian farmhouses and idyllic trails grace this valley adjacent to Point Reyes National Seashore.
Olema Valley
The Point Bonita Lighthouse — moved to its current spot in 1877 — stands sentinel at the edge of the continent.
Point Bonita
Former Army buildings have taken on new life as a LEED Gold-certified national park lodge featuring restored landscapes.
Fort Baker
Tucked under the Golden Gate Bridge, this Civil War-era fortress is admired for its magnificent masonry — best appreciated on a candlelight tour.
Fort Point
A key port of embarkation during World War II, this site now hosts the nonprofit Fort Mason Center, a popular hostel, Golden Gate National Recreation Area headquarters, and Parks Conservancy offices.
Fort Mason
The former lands of San Francisco mayor Adolph Sutro showcase a charming garden and the nearby ruins of his gargantuan Sutro Baths.
Sutro Heights
A 3.5-mile stretch of white beach with few tourists and no highrises. Great for strolling and flying kites, but the water is frigid and the currents hazardous for all but the most experienced surfers.
Ocean Beach
The Rock, famous for its notorious federal prison, is also known for its seabird colonies and restored gardens once tended by residents.
Alcatraz
These majestic hills are dotted with historic batteries and old military installations — and lofty perches from which to spy migrating raptors.
Marin Headlands
One of northern California’s most popular beaches, this vast stretch of white sand is a delight for swimmers, surfers, and picnickers.
Stinson Beach
Visitors enjoy beach walks and the spectacle of hang gliders taking to the sky over windsculpted dunes.
Fort Funston
This park has been revitalized in recent years with enhanced trails, gorgeous overlooks, native plants, and an acclaimed visitor center.
Lands End
No beach in the world has a view like this. From its sandy shore just west of the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge, look east to a stunning panorama of the city.
Kirby Cove
Ridges and ravines mark this hiking area 25 min. south of S.F. Wildlife, including hawks, deer, and wildflowers, abound on the slopes which drop to the Bay on one side and Thornton Beach on the other.
Sweeney Ridge
Offering more of a stroll than a hike, the two-mile trail that meanders through the meadows of this serene valley leads you to bluffs overlooking the Pacific.
Tennessee Valley
Find more parks at parksconservancy.org
Stewarding our parklands wouldn‘t be possible without our dedicated community of volunteers. Our thanks to the thousands of you who care for the parks’ natural and cultural resources and connect visitors to these treasured places. Our volunteer programs are a collaborative effort of the NPS, the Presidio Trust, and the Parks Conservancy.
Total support, 2023* $39,013,736
Total support to the parks 1982-2023 $784 million
Financial statements of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy are audited on an annual basis.
Copies of the complete audited financial statements are available at parksconservancy.org.
* Support to the parks includes all program service expenses, excluding cost of goods sold and donated services.
For the first time ever, we'll be hosting our Trails Forever Dinner on Alcatraz Island! Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime evening to benefit parks on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. Check our website or email Director of Special Events Dennise Abad for more information.
