PROVIDING PATHWAYS
CREATING CONNECTIONS
SUSTAINING PARKLANDS
Because we believe
that active engagment in the care of parklands leads to deeper appreciation of their value, the Park Stewardship Program provides numerous PATHWAYS for youth engagement within the Golden Gate National Parks. By engaging young people with each other and the land around them in concrete and meaningful ways, we help create CONNECTIONS to place while SUSTAINING these amazing national parklands.
Ultimately, we strive to ensure these parks are relevant and accessible to the youth of today, so they will exist for the generations of tomorrow. These pages contain a collection of stories and images from our work in 2012. Thank you for helping to make all these programs possible.
Linking Individuals to their Natural Community Summer High School Program Over the course of six weeks, LINC high-school participants experience a summer filled with outdoor adventure, service, and team building. Through a wide variety of projects, workshops, and fieldtrips, this summer program provides local youth the opportunity to gain career skills, while providing critical support to the Golden Gate National Parks. Last year’s team of 17 assisted with trail work, plant propagation, and habitat and cultural resource restoration, while exploring the parklands in all three counties. Starting with a four-day camping trip to Yosemite to kick-off the program, they created a community of mutual support and trust as they experienced everything from kayaking, to debates around food justice, to conquering the ropes course at Fort Miley. In what has become one of the highlights of the program, each student further built their career development skills through intensive mock-interview, resume-writing, and job-searching workshops. LINC 2012 17
Participants
6
Weeks Duration
$1000 Educational Award per student Ethnicity of Students 12%
African American
35%
Asian
24%
Caucasian
12%
Hispanic
6%
Indian
Field Trips and Special Workshops • Attended special tours to the San Francisco Zoo, the San Francisco Transfer Station, the Muir Beach Restoration Project, Battery Townsley, Presidio Hill restoration site, and Alcatraz Island • Experienced a special kayaking trip in collaboration with the Department of Recreation at San Francisco State University • Participated in a farm-based program where they learned about sustainable farming practices and food system education while touring the facilities and helping to harvest wheat at Pie Ranch • Received specialized training on resume writing, job interview preparation, mapping, orienteering, and geocaching
Service Highlights • Removed invasive French broom from Mission blue butterfly habitat in Oakwood Valley, and poison hemlock (and other invasive species) from a popular trail at Muir Beach • Cleared invasive plants from endangered species habitat at both Milagra Ridge and Mori Point • Tended the flower beds and watered the plants in the historic gardens on Alcatraz • Assisted with pot-washing, transplanting, seed cleaning, and the collection of cuttings at three native plant nurseries • Crafted unique stepping stones for the demonstration garden that will serve as a tangible legacy of their time spent at the Presidio Native Plant Nursery • Painted over the extensive graffiti and preformed general site maintenance at Battery Mendell • Installed 45 pillar posts for a for a new fence line in the Marin Headlands
Student Feedback • 100% of the students indicated they plan to return back to the park on their own • 100% of the participants indicated that they will bring family in friends to the park with them • 93% noted that they are interested in turning some of their summer experiences into a job • 93% are interested in returning to the program next year • Two activities, the Yosemite Trip and the Mock Interviews (and resume preparation), tied for the highest score with 100% of participants rating it excellent! • The trip to Pie Ranch was rated as the third favorite activity, with experience at the three native plant nurseries in a close 4th place
Restoration Youth Crew Now in its third year, the Restoration Youth Crew has grown into a full six-week summer program, offering an even wider array of experiences and learning opportunities in the Golden Gate National Parks. Last summer participants worked alongside field staff from both the National Park Service and the Parks Conservancy on high-priority natural resource restoration projects. Beginning with a three-day backpacking excursion to Big Basin State Park, every student challenged themselves through a range of new experiences including kayaking, hiking, and the Fort Miley ropes course. Through a curriculum designed to grow career and teamleadership skills, students gained a professionally written resume and the experience of having successfully led a team camping trip to Angel Island and a self-organized volunteer day at Alcatraz Island. RYC 2012 13 Participants 6 $1000
Weeks Duration Educational Award per Student
Ethnicity of Students African American 8% Armenian 8% Asian 30% Caucasian 46% Multi-Racial 8%
Service Highlights • Performed habitat restoration projects in San Mateo, Marin, and San Francisco Counties • Removed invasive French broom from Mission blue butterfly habitat in Oakwood Valley • Collected lupine seeds from Milagra Ridge and propagated them in the nursery to help restore Mission blue butterfly habitat • Collected native seed and propagated plants at the park nurseries • Waded into California redlegged frog ponds to removed invasive cattails • Partnered with State and County parks to perform service work at San Bruno Mountain, San Pedro Valley, and Angel Island, including restoring trails, fixing fences, and removing invasive plants
Student Feedback • 100% of the students indicated they plan to return back to the park on their own • 92% of the participants indicated that they will bring family in friends to the park with them • 69% noted that they are interested in turning some of their summer experiences into a job • 92% are interested in returning to the program next year • The top two activities were the Angel Island Camping Trip and pulling of invasive cattails at Mori Point
Field Trips & Special Workshops • Learned “leave no trace” back packing skills and organized camping trips to Angel Island State Park, Big Basin State Park, and San Pedro Valley County Park • Experienced a special kayaking trip in collaboration with the Department of Recreation at San Francisco State University • Explored the park and learn leadership skills through a selforganized park adventure day • Made medicinal salves from native plants and learned about the uses of California native plants • Received specialized training on resume, career development, and job interview preparation
Alijah Hutchinson (LINC)
Cecilia Sweet- Coll (RYC)
Kristen Sinclaire (LINC)
“LINC has made it possible for me to have new experiences. Everything I’ve learned, I’ve passed onto other people, so I could spread my knowledge. During LINC, I was able to push myself to go farther than my comfort zone. I always found myself doubting that I could do it. I had to stop myself and actually try before I officially gave up.”
“I have a stronger sense of place and a deeper connection to nature, especially since I know so much more about the plant/animal communities that exist so close to where I live…The more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is to know and the more awed and humbled I feel. It’s a beautiful feeling.”
“I don’t think I’m going to forget this experience or these people for the rest of my life. Now, I’m even considering a career in habitat restoration.”
REFLECTIONS
Jasmine Lee (RYC)
Charlie Phan (LINC)
Edie Zhang (RYC)
“I am thankful for RYC for reinforcing my ability to overcome the boundaries I self-created. I’m also thankful that RYC is a group of diverse individuals who all think differently, for I learned to respect other people’s differences and my own.”
“LINC has changed my view of the outside world. I walk around SF with a different perspective of nature now.”
“A summer of firsts. Those four words perfectly exemplify what I felt in these short, blissful six weeks. This summer was the most fulfilling in cultivating my open-mindedness. I attempted many new things that I would normally never try on my own and this experience will forever remain as a high point in my short life.”
These summer internships provide the next step for youth who have participated in the LINC, IYEL, or Restoration Youth Crew program. They provide students the opportunity to develop and practice hands-on job skills in a variety of fields with the guidance of a supportive mentor. These internships are developed by matching the student’s interests with a wide array of enthusiastic internal and external partners. This past year, new partnerships were developed with the Park’s Inventory and Monitoring Program and Accounting and Finance Division. Summer Youth Internships 2012 17
Youth alums placed
$1300
Education award per student
Placement partners include: Alcatraz Night Tours Marine Mammal Center Marin Park Stewardship NPS Interpretive Division NPS Accounting and Finance Division NPS Trail Crew NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program National Outdoor Leadership School Park Nursery Program Presidio Park Stewardship San Francisco Park Stewardship
Presidio Park Stewards Mentor: Michael Chassé, National Park Service
Accounting & Finance Mentor: JoAnn Unruh National Park Service
• Anthony Madariaga
• Edmond Chan
Anthony spent his time as an intern working with park volunteers, helping maintain and clean hand tools, identifying subspecies of Manzanita, and pulling invasive weeds such as hemlock, radish, and grasses from sensitive habitat in the Presidio.
“This internship increased my appreciation for public resource management. Before this summer, I was considering a profession in this area...I am more confident that the parks have a niche for me in the future.” - Jackson
This past September, Edmond (LINC 2010) began his college career at U.C. Santa Barbara with a major in Economics and Accounting. To match his interest and direction, Edmond bravely requested a new internship be created within the Park’s Accounting and Finance department, which came to fruition. During his internship, Edmond worked on items such as checking numbers on payroll accounts, and making spreadsheets for the site planning of America’s Cup and for the administration division budget.
“I now have a greater appreciation for wildlife and our National Parks.” - Anthony
San Francisco Stewardship Team Mentor: Eric Klein, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy • Jackson Van Fleet Brown • Adriana Rizzo In this internship Jackson and Adriana removed invasive weeds, collected seeds, participated in vegetation and photomonitoring, facilitated volunteer workdays, and practiced plant and raptor identification skills. Both interns also wrote short “Did You Know?” articles for the programs weekly newsletters.
“I gained a newfound respect for the resilience of native environments. I am amazed by the native plant community that, after decades of darkness under nonnative trees, sprung up again near the World War II Memorial…Most of all, I realized what a positive and real impact all our restoration work can make.” - Adriana
“After gaining some experience through this internship, I have decided to continue pursuing my degree in economics and accounting. This position provided me with skills and basic knowledge that I know will be beneficial in future internships and jobs.” - Edmond
Marin Stewardship Team Mentors: Tori Bohlen and Patrick Blanchard, Parks Conservancy • Sophia Lemmo • Marcus Chan During their internship, Sophia and Marcus were responsible for the removal of invasive species, restoring native habitat, and leading volunteer groups at Muir Beach. As group leaders they helped teach volunteers the importance proper restoration practices and tool safety during workdays. They also had the opportunity to work at the Redwood Creek Nursery and learn about the unique history of the Redwood Creek watershed.
“It opened my eyes to a whole new world that had been there thousands of years. I developed an even more environmental state of mind and have committed myself to the cause of saving this planet. I have taken interest enough to have declared my major in environmental studies and hope to pursue a career relating to this cause in my future.” - Marcus
“I have learned how to identify invasive plants in the Marin area and gained an understanding of how they impact natural areas differently in various places.” - Annika
Inventory and Monitoring Mentor: Eric Wrubel and Robert Steers, National Park Service • Annika Min • Izzy Miller
“The internships I have had with the park have really impacted my life...they have inspired me to explore careers and studies that are connected to the environment around me. I have become very invested in the outdoors and learned to see it through different and more educated lenses.” - Sophia
Through the Inventory and Monitoring Internship, Annika and Izzy had the opportunity to experience a variety of new tasks. They used a Trimble GPS unit to log the occurrences of invasive plants and then uploaded the data to a computer, monitored invasive plants along park trails, and collected samples of both native and invasive plants. Annika and Izzy learned about plant identification as well as GIS and how this type of technology is useful in the parks.
“It definitely gave me new skills (GIS and general mapping technology skills) and I learned crazy amounts of new plant knowledge, but it was also really helpful in letting me get a feel for a real job. The past internships had been a little easier on that front, but this one felt a little more like a real job.” - Izzy
Alcatraz Interpretation Mentor: Teresa Williams, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Gilberto was stationed at the Pavilion’s information desk as the interpretive docent. In this role he developed strong communication skills as he engaged park visitors while speaking both English and Spanish.
• Allison Kephart • Marrion Cruz As Alcatraz Interpretation Interns, Marrion and Allison were responsible for conducting dock announcements, researching topics for program development, handing out maps, performing cell door operations (for which they had to be specially certified!), narrating 200 years of Alcatraz history, and giving behind the scenes interpretive tours of the prison hospital. These two also had the very important job of interacting with park visitors, providing information and communicating with the many international tourists that visit Alcatraz every year.
“What I liked best about my internship is meeting all these people who came from different places but have one goal: to gather as much information as they can about one specific place--Alcatraz. Also, I really liked the satisfied smiles that I received right after giving a behindthe-scenes to visitors. They say thank you so many times, it’s so heartwarming.” - Marrion
Interpretation and Visitor Services, Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion Mentor: Marcus Combs, National Park Service • Gilberto Mejia
“I learned an amazing amount about Alcatraz itself and the history of the people who lived there, whether they were there during the civil war or the Indian occupation. Knowing and imparting that knowledge to others is what protects and preserves the parks for future generations. I’ve also found inspiration in the story of the Native American Occupation of Alcatraz.” - Allison
During his time as an intern, Gilberto spent his days working at the Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion as an interpretive guide. To familiarize himself with the geography of the Bridge, Gilberto spent mornings hiking through the Presidio trails and calculated the time it took him to walk from one site to another. This information turned out to be invaluable, as he spent a great portion of this internship directing Bridge visitors to different park sites. By the end of his internship,
“There’s no doubt that this summer I developed stronger communication skills and this internship opened up my mind and has made me become more involved with the National Parks Service. I definitely learned a lot through my position because I was able to have some amazing interpretive moments with visitors and the most important part is that I was able to learn different things from them.” - Gilberto
Trail Crew Mentor: Larry Evans, National Park Service • Bram Maier As part of the trail crew, Bram assisted in many different aspects of trail construction, maintenance and tool shop construction. One of the highlights of the trail work was the construction of a new Sutter Wall, for which he learned to use a variety of large power tools, including a Grinder with a cutting wheel, sawzall, Bosche brute hammer, and Dewalt impact driver!
“Before taking part in this internship, I had no idea there so much work was needed to make a small segment of a trail. I just thought they would dump some dirt and put planks of wood on either side. … But after completing the internship, I have a greater appreciation for trails, I can see all the hard work needed to complete even a small stretch of a trail.” - Bram
Presidio Nursery Mentor: Hector Zaragoza, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy • Sam Jain During his time at the Presidio Nursery, Sam helped with all aspects of plant propagation and nursery operations. Sam also had a chance to practice leading and facilitating groups as he helped to run weekly volunteer and school programs.
“I had opportunities to meet different people and try new things, including working with plants, other youth and constructing my own garden box for the presidio nursery.” - Sam
Marine Mammal Center Mentor: Adam Ratner, The Marine Mammal Center
Outreach and Interpretation Mentor: Fatima Colindres, National Park Service
Interpretation, Sutro Baths Mentor: Marcus Combs, National Park Service
• Vivian Twu
• Dylan Lopez
• Bryeeanna Belmar
As an intern with The Marine Mammal Center, Vivian worked on two different crews; the education crew and the animal care crew. On the days that Vivian worked with the education crew she was stationed at the front desk as a docent and provided the public with lessons on the importance of ocean conservation. On the animal care crew she prepared food for the animals, cleaned pens, and monitored the habits of the Center’s patients.
As Outreach and Interpretation Intern, Dylan was responsible for leading community programs in San Francisco. He also conducted research on park programs and history, led hikes through the Presidio, and taught students the significance of native plants and their medicinal uses. For his final project he developed a lesson plan on watersheds and gave the presentation to a local Filipino youth group.
For her fourth year participating in a Park Conservancy youth program, Bryeeanna spent the summer researching and interpreting the Sutro Baths. She attended an interpretive training and made a self-guided tour booklet of the site. In addition,
“I had the opportunity to see first-hand how nonprofit organizations function and the vital role that they serve in bettering our community. Given my new experiences from this past summer, I have started to and will continue to encourage my friends and coworkers to consider volunteering for organizations that help to make our world a better place.” - Vivian
“We live in an interconnected community that needs to work together in order to provide a healthy world for future generations. Talking to kids individually and instilling my passion for the outdoors toward them had a huge impact on me.” - Dylan
Ranger Marcus challenged her with the task of creating a walking tour consisting of clear and concise stops; each stop had to be delivered within 50-70 words—no more, no less! “It has proved to me that ‘youth are the future’ is not just a saying it is a fact, and with so many adults and support it shows that we do not have to have any limitation, all we have to do is have an idea, an idea can form a lesson, a lesson can form inspiration, inspiration can form a project, a project can bring out a community, and a community can make a change.” - Bryeeanna
Teens on Trails provides youth the opportunity to turn days off from school into days of service with the Golden Gate Trail Crew! In 2012, youth dove into to trail work on Columbus/Indigenous People’s Day, Veteran’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Lunar New Year, Presidents’ Day, and Cesar Chavez Day. On these projects, they tackled difficult projects while making new friends and learning about trail construction, maintenance, and their local national parks. Our great volunteers were undaunted by rain, wind, and cold, accomplishing great work across the parks – highlights below: •
Worked with 71 youth and 101 total volunteers on six workdays
•
Maintained the Fort Funston sandladder, ignoring rain and cold to allow easy access to the beach and protect the dune from erosion
•
Re-capped the Coastal Trail at Lands End to encourage proper runoff
•
Installed box steps and filled them with wet, heavy rock fill at Battery East
•
Removed fence posts in sand dunes along a decommissioned trail at Fort Funston, restoring the land for endangered bank swallows
Oceana High School Garden and Nursery Program, Pacifica Our partnership at Oceana High School Program continues to grow and flourish! Over the past 16 years, students have contributed more than 25,500 hours of support to the park through an on-campus service-learning and educational program at the Oceana Native Plant Nursery and Garden. The program includes weekly drop-in work days, field trips, and classroom lessons. Through this partnership, students are provided hands-on learning experiences and a sense of community as they work together to improve and maintain the nursery, garden, and parklands that surround their school. Three years ago, a group of forward-thinking Oceana students set out to improve the school grounds and expand programming offered at the nursery through the installation of a school garden. This year, the partnership was strengthened through a new collaboration with Pie Ranch—an educational organic farm in Pescadero—in which student interns are trained in food systems, culinary arts, sustainable farming, food justice, and more. Students then bring this knowledge back to the campus, and inspire and train their peers. Oceana Nursery 2012 40
Oceana High School Programs
835
Oceana youth served
7
Oceana High School interns
5
Oceana High School interns summer interns, with Pie Ranch: 5 (192.5 hours)
Additional Community Programs 80
Volunteers Served (29 youth, 51 adults)
6
Volunteer Programs
5
Chickens who call the garden home
4,512
Native plants grown for park projects
$1000
Money raised through school fundraiser for nursery and garden
“Being in the garden and nursery has been so wonderful and such a great learning experience! I have made friends that I would have never made without this program.” -Hilary Ocaba “Amazing people to work with and a really fun program. I do it not only to make a difference, but to meet new people.” -Conner Turmon
During the school year, the Park Stewardship Program organizes between two and four service-learning programs per week for local schools and youth organizations. With experiences ranging from working on highpriority restoration projects, to hands-on environmental science lessons, to first-time camping outdoors, the Park Stewardship Program constantly seeks meaningful ways to engage youth and help them make a simple, yet lasting connection with their local national parks. To deepen the students’ experiences, many of the programs are organized with long-term partners who make multiple visits over the course of the year. Some of these partners include Women Helping All People, Oceana High School, Beacon Center, Home Away from Homelessness, and City College of San Francisco. Reaching over three thousand young people in the Bay Area this year alone, these programs not only transform the landscape, but also engage future generations in the care of their local park lands. Number of Youth
Youth Volunteer Hours
San Mateo Marin San Francisco Trails Stewardship
1,251 1,058 943 142
3,505 2,003 2,524 860
TOTAL
3,394
8,892
19
Elementary & Middle Schools Served
13
High Schools Served
21
Colleges Served
18
Other Youth Organizations Served
At the end of the day, it is the inspiration and
encouragement of the students themselves that keeps us motivated to improve these programs and expand their reach. This, combined with support from both our funders and programmatic partners, has enabled the Park Stewardship Program to reach more students and offer an expanding array of opportunities and experiences.
A special thank you to all the individuals and organizations who provided funding and support for these youth programs. Philanthropic Partners Brian O’Neill Youth Leaders Fund FedEx GAP Foundation National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Oracle Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation Stewardship Council The David B. Gold Foundation The Ryan Jones Program Fund
Programmatic Partners Alcatraz Night Tours Bay Area Wilderness Training City College of San Francisco Oceana High School Marine Mammal Center Marin Park Stewardship National Outdoor Leadership School Park Nursery Program Pie Ranch Presidio Park Stewardship San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park San Francisco Park Stewardship The National Park Service The NPS Accounting and Finance Division at Golden Gate The NPS Interpretive Division at Golden Gate The NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program at Golden Gate The NPS Trail Crew at Golden Gate The Presidio Trust
Who is Park Stewardship? We are stewards of the Golden Gate National Parks, working in partnership with the National Park Service to restore and sustain priority parklands. We are field ecologists, studying park resources, and reporting on amazing scientific findings from right here in our park. We are environmental educators, providing hands-on learning while sharing the park's wonders with people of all ages. We are youth leaders, providing pathways and support for continued involvement and development in the park. We are community builders, connecting people to nature and to each other. Together, we are park transformers and sustainers, committed to making our park the best it can be, for all, forever.