Parks Stewardship Youth Programs 2013

PARK STEWARDSHIP

YOUTH PROGRAMS SUMMARY REPORT | 2013

Thank you for

THE PARK STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM

of the Golden

Gate National Parks Conservancy strives to deliver

meaningful and impactful programs to youth while

providing skills, experiences, and memories that will last a lifetime. Through the students’ work and contributions, the parks—and the lessons learned here—truly are

“forever.”

In words and images, this report summarizes the programs we offered in 2013 and highlights the

reflections and adventures of the youth we served.

I came to the conclusion that I want part of what I do to

be science related and involve working in outdoors.

I want to find a career that allows me to help the

environment, be an agent of change, and do things that line up with my values.

–Hilary Buffum, LINC 2013

supporting us on this journey

LINC CAMPING

LINKING INDIVIDUALS TO THEIR NATURAL COMMUNITIES

16

The LINC summer program is an in-depth, immersive park experience that introduces youth to a wide variety of outdoor experiences and service-learning opportunities in our local national park. During this six-week summer program, youth engage in a diverse array of workshops, projects, and outdoor adventures while building career and leadership skills.

PARTICIPANTS

6

WEEKS

For LINC-Camping, students began their summer experience with a four-day camping trip to Yosemite National Park, followed by a variety of service and learning experiences in the Golden Gate National Parks Service projects included propagation of native plants, repair of park trails and habitat restoration for endangered species. These were complemented by field trips which included kayaking at Lake Merced, a ropes course at Fort Miley and a tour of Alcatraz.

Youth participants play an active role not only in transforming the landscapes around them, but also in transforming their own perspectives as members of an engaged youth community. As they challenge one another to make connections between realworld environmental and social justice issues, they discover their ability to affect change within their own lives and the world around them.

This program has opened my eyes on a new view on nature, earth, our role and impact, and what it takes to build a community and family.

–Bernice Gao

$1000

EDUCATIONAL AWARD PER STUDENT ETHNICITY OF STUDENTS

25% 50% 12% 7% 6%

HISPANIC/LATINO ASIAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER CAUCASIAN MULTI-RACIAL AFRICAN AMERICAN

Because of all the activities and challenges faced in this program, I believe in myself and know that I can achieve anything I work towards.

–Jessica Tung

I have a support group of people now that I know will always help me and that is really comforting.

As corny as it sounds, the right people will love you no matter what, and I think LINC helped me finally realize that.

–Betty Cheong

I’ve become more aware of my Bayview community and how we are suffering the impacts of industrial waste and racism. Environmental justice is the basic right to clean air, non-toxic zones, safe places for play, and the same environmental and educational opportunities.

– Bernice Gao LINC really did link me to my natural community, and I want to stay linked for the rest of my life!

–Michelle Wong

I became more aware of my community and what kind of natural resources I have around me. Trips to local gardens like at Heron’s Head Park were an eye opener for me because I live so close!

–Michelle Chen

Service Highlights

Trips and Workshops

Student Feedback

Restored historic sailing vessels at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Learned about sustainable agriculture at Slide Ranch, a working organic farm

100% of students plan to return to the park on their own

Re-graded and leveled 100 meters of trail at Dias Ridge

Created adobe bricks at the Presidio archeology laboratory

Reduced the fire danger on Angel Island by removing downed woody debris

Experienced a kayak trip on Lake Merced, hosted by the Department of Recreation at San Francisco State University

Polished bone fragments and ceramic artifacts at the Presidio archeology laboratory Applied compost and pruned the historic flower gardens on Alcatraz Island Collected grass seeds for the revegetation of the Muir Beach flood plain Created unique ceramic stepping stones for the Presidio Native Plant Nursery Garden

Engaged in a behind-the-scenes tour of Alcatraz Explored WWII-era underground structures at Battery Townsley Received specialized training on resume writing, career development, the federal job application process, and job interview techniques Organized, planned, and implemented an adventure trip to the Russian River

88 % of the participants indicated that they will bring family and friends to the park with them 94% expressed interest in turning their summer experiences into a job 100% are interested in returning to the program next year The top three activities for LINCCamping included the Yosemite trip, Ropes Course, and Angel Island Overnight and Service Project.

LINC BACKPACKING

LINKING INDIVIDUALS TO THEIR NATURAL COMMUNITIES

This summer, the youth of LINC-Backpacking got a taste of high adventure with a kickoff backpacking trip to the Granite Chief Wilderness. Over the course of the six weeks, the students also had the opportunity to kayak on Lake Merced, hoist the sails on the schooner Alma, and push their limits at the Fort Miley ropes course.

With service as a key goal of this program, youth participants worked at high-priority restoration sites—enriching the park and their own understanding of natural resources. Through a hands-on curriculum designed to grow career, teambuilding, and leadership skills, students finished the summer equipped to launch their futures.

LINC has taught me that you have the most fun and rewarding experiences when you step out of your comfort zone and try new things. –Nora Killian

17

PARTICIPANTS

6

WEEKS

$1000

EDUCATIONAL AWARD PER STUDENT ETHNICITY OF STUDENTS

24% 24% 23% 29%

HISPANIC/LATINO ASIAN CAUCASIAN MULTI-RACIAL

The LINC program was a one-of-a-kind experience for me. The time we spent exploring the park made me fall in love with nature all over again.

-Dara Ng

As a result of this program, I have grown an undying respect for nature. I have also learned that even though our modern society is becoming more and more urban, there is and always will be a place for nature. –Sam Zaroff

Usually I stay home during the summer and do nothing outside.

Joining LINC changed everything because I started to help my community and I had a lot of fun.

–Alejandro Portillo

This program inspired me and gave me optimism about the potential of my peers to face new challenged and connect with each other. –Hailey Gavin

[LINC has taught me] to be more accepting of people and myself. We’re all different; we each have our own story and our reasons.

–Stephanie Lee

Service Highlights

Trips and Workshops

Student Feedback

Performed endangered species habitat restoration in San Mateo, Marin, and San Francisco Counties

Learned “leave no trace� backpacking skills in the Granite Chief Wilderness

100% of students plan to return the park on their own

Experienced a special kayaking trip in collaboration with the Department of Recreation at San Francisco State University

100% of the participants indicated that they will bring family and friends to the park with them

Assisted with trail work at Dias Ridge in Marin Donned waders to remove invasive cattails in California red-legged frog ponds

Learned about sustainable agriculture at Slide Ranch, a working organic farm Engaged in a behind-the-scenes tour of Alcatraz

Restored Battery Smith-Guthrie Received specialized training on resume by painting over graffiti and writing, career development, and job weatherizing rusted doors interview preparation Transplanted coyote bush and Learned about the ethnobotany of cared for the chickens at the California native plants and concocted Oceana Nursery medicinal salves using those plants Planned an overnight camping and service trip to Angel Island State Park Planned and organized a day hike to Bass Lake in the Point Reyes National Seashore

88% expressed interest in turning their summer experiences into a job 65% are interested in returning to the program next year The top three activities for LINC-Backpacking included the trip to Granite Chief, Ropes Course, and Angel Island Overnight.

SUMMER YOUTH INTERNSHIPS

This internship helped me realize how challenging physical work is and pushed me to the best of my abilities.

- Carlo Barrueto, Trails Stewardship Intern and LINC graduate

The Summer Internship Program provides an in-depth summer job experience for those youth who have participated in, or graduated from, either the LINC or IYEL programs.

This past year, Park Stewardship teamed up with the Crissy Field Center who took the lead on organizing and placing students in these summer positions.

These internships are designed to provide students with handson job experience in a variety of fields supported by enthusiastic mentors. Whether it be trail construction in San Mateo, environmental education with Aim High, interpretation at Angel Island or Restoration at Muir Beach, these youth were supported by passionate staff who challenged them to try new things, take risks and become leaders.

Many thanks to the Crissy Field Center who helped to organize and run this internship program.

REFLECTIONS My internship this summer really helped me grow as a person.

The people I worked with taught me so much. I enjoyed every day of my internship. My experiences and the people I worked with during my 6 week internship have helped inspire me to pursue a career in environmental studies.

-Nadeen Hanhan, Presidio Park Stewards Intern, LINC graduate It’s crazy to think that I have lived next to such a fantastic park all my life, yet until now I barely knew about its history and restored sites.

This internship has really allowed me to experience and understand these things on a much deeper level.

-Sofia Trogu, Presidio Park Stewards Intern, LINC graduate

42

SUMMER INTERNSHIPS

21

MENTORS

6

HOST AGENCIES BAY AREA WILDERNESS TRAINING CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVANCY MARINE MAMMAL CENTER NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PRESIDIO TRUST

REFLECTIONS Though I was only with Marin Park Stewardship for five weeks, what I learned was awe-inspiring, humbling, and motivated me to pursue a life connected to the environment.

-Cecilia Sweet-Coll, Marin Stewardship Intern, LINC graduate This internship gave me an increased eloquence in expressing my thoughts; hilariously entertaining coworkers with deep insight on world issues; priceless knowledge on plants that might just save my life one day if I get marooned on an island; thicker bonds with eager, open-minded, highly intellectual volunteers; and most importantly, the belief that I CAN make a dent within the greater movement of habitat restoration and that I DO belong amongst a community of likeminded individuals.

-Edie Zhang, an Francisco Stewardship Intern, LINC graduate The Marin Park Stewardship internship gave me the chance to go beyond doing field work and provided the opportunity to experience what it would be like to work with an conservancy organization after college.

-GG Gunther, Marin Stewardship Intern, LINC graduate This internship has given me skills I will use throughout life, insight into habitat restoration, and lasting connections to the people I worked with.

-Colton Juliano, San Francisco Stewardship Intern, LINC graduate Beyond giving me a new perspective on a period of U.S. history, this internship has also greatly influenced how I view interpretation and how my interests in life can be tied to the parks system. This is really neat, and something that I hadn’t considered before.

-Kristen Sinclair, Angel Island State Park, LINC graduate This internship demonstrated to me that it is possible to pursue a career that both appeals to me and does something good for my community.

-Wilson Loi, NPS Inventory and Monitoring Intern, IYEL graduate I learned a lot over the summer, but one thing that I had to do was be a public speaker. It really helped my self-confidence and self-esteem.

-Yeyetsi Vargas Gonzalez, Alcatraz Night Tour Intern, IYEL graduate

Intern Abby Newbold Alex Odgers Alijah Hutchinson Alondra Segovia Anny Ho Carlo Barrueto Cecilia Sweet-Coll Christopher Norman Colton Juliano D’Quan Stewart Dylan Cai Dylan Tang Edie Zhang Edmond Chan Fernanda Gonzales Gretel (G.G.) Gunther Hovhanes Hovhanessian Jackson Vanfleet Brown Janelle Lin Kung Jane Marie Gunn Jenna Rose Fiorello Joshua Romero Kathleen Wong Ken Leung Kristen Sinclair Laura Alvarez Laurens Kuypers Luis Uriel Salas Luciana Moreano Mauricia Garcia Nadeen Hanhan Nariman Ibragimov Nathaniel Ng Sambhav Jain Sandy Wei Chen Sofia Trogu Tommy Pritchett Wilson Loi Winnie Wong Yeyetsi Vargas Gonzalez

Placement Presidio Trust/NPS, Presidio Park Stewards Camping in the Presidio Program Aim High NPS, Community Programs Crissy Field Center, Urban Trail Blazers NPS, Trail Crew Park Stewardship Program, Marin Bay Area Wilderness Training Park Stewardship Program, San Francisco Crissy Field Center, Urban Trail Blazers Angel Island State Park Crissy Field Center, Urban Trail Blazers Park Stewardship Program, San Francisco Parks Conservancy, Finance Department Fort Funston Native Plant Nursery Park Stewardship Program, Marin Marine Mammal Center NPS Inventory and Monitoring Crissy Field Center, Health & Wellness Crissy Field Center, Urban Trail Blazers Crissy Field Center, Urban Trail Blazers NPS, Cultural Resources Crissy Field Center, Urban Trail Blazers Crissy Field Center, Heath & Wellness Angel Island State Park Crissy Field Center, Urban Trail Blazers NPS, Trail Crew Parks Conservancy, Alcatraz Night Tours Crissy Field Center, Summer Camp Media NPS, Trail Crew Presidio Trust/NPS, Presidio Park Stewards Angel Island State Park Crissy Field Center, Summer Camp Media Park Stewardship Program, San Francisco Presidio Native Plant Nursery Presidio Trust/NPS, Presidio Park Stewards Angel Island Visitor Services NPS, Inventory and Monitoring Crissy Field Center, Summer Camp Art Alcatraz Night Tours

Mentor Jason Lisenvy Grace Malango- Blake Elizabeth Reiff Fatima Colindres Sam Tran Barnaby Fisher Naomi LeBeau Zak Kline Eric Klein and Yakuta Poonawalla Sam Tran Ben Fenkell Sam Tran Eric Klein and Yakuta Poonawalla Scott Flesher Meghan Steinharter Naomi LeBeau, Courtney Lamar Eric Wrubel Rene Tucker Sam Tran Sam Tran Marcus Combs Sam Tran Rene Tucker Ben Fenkell Sam Tran Barnaby Fisher Elana Garfinkle Sambhav Jain Barnaby Fisher Jason Lisenvy Ben Fenkell Charity Maybury Eric Klein and Yakuta Poonawalla Ely Huerta Ortiz Jason Lisenvy Ben Fenkell Eric Wrubel Marijanna Shurtz Elana Garfinkle

Yu Feng Huang

Crissy Field Center, Urban Trail Blazers

Sam Tran

Zach Gelman

Camping in the Presidio Program

Grace Malango-Blake

TEENS ON

TRAILS

The Teens on Trails program offers high school students the chance to step outside their schools and learn in the Golden Gate National Parks’ natural classroom. The program provides teens with opportunities for service, learning, and outdoor adventure in conjunction with the parks’ trails program. We work to create experiences that will inspire students to return to our constellation of programs—and become regular stewards of their local trails and open space.

In 2013, the Trail Stewardship Team and the Golden Gate Trail Crew worked with 138 volunteers during the Teens on Trails events and 119 of these volunteers (or 90%) were young adults.

The tasks given to these teenage volunteers were challenging, but they accomplished each one with enthusiasm and determination!

It seemed that everyone had a great time. The youth were amazing and I was blown away by their efforts!

- Ryan Branciforte, Transit to Trails

119

YOUTH VOLUNTEERS

4

WORKDAYS MLK DAY | PRESIDENTS DAY CEASAR CHAVEZ DAY | VETERANS DAY

100,000

SQ. FT. OF SAND AND TRASH CLEARED PROVIDING EASY ACCESS FOR ADA USERS, BICYCLISTS AND STROLLERS OCEAN BEACH PROMENADE

25,000

POUNDS OF DIRT HAULED TO MITIGATE MUD POOLS AND DRAINAGE ISSUES COASTAL TRAIL - LANDS END

1

BOARDWALK MAINTAINED IMPROVING ACCESSIBILITY AND PREVENTING DETERIORATION SUNSET TRAIL - FORT FUNSTON

48

YOUTH PARTICIPANTS IN ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM IN COLLABORATION WITH TRANSIT TO TRAILS

SCHOOL

YEAR PROGRAMS

The Park Stewardship Program provides two to four service learning projects per week for local schools and youth organizations during the school year. These hands-on programs include hiking local trails, restoring park habitat, learning basic ecological concepts, and camping outdoors (often for the first time).

The goal of these introductory programs is to provide opportunities for ongoing involvement to those students who connect with their experience and want to take it to the next level. At the same time, these programs seek to improve the parkland while working to connect the next generation of stewards to their local national park and adjacent open space.

Community and educational partnerships, maintained and enhanced throughout the school year, are instrumental in connecting youth with Park Stewardship programs and activities.

Youth Participation -2013-

3,141

TOTAL YOUTH VOLUNTEERS

10,329

TOTAL VOLUNTEER HOURS

OCEANA HIGH SCHOOL NURSERY & GARDEN PROGRAM

It’s been a vibrant year of partnerships and programming at the Oceana High School Nursery and Garden!

This past year the summer partnership with Pie Ranch (through its Homeslice Program) was extended into the school year. Through this program, youth leaders participated in activities within the nursery and garden such as chicken care, transplanting, and weeding. This year the team worked with five students from Oceana High School each week, teaching them about the general process of small-scale farming, habitat restoration, and native plant nursery work. The youth also spent a significant amount of time on independent projects that resulted in them leading workshops on topics that interested them, like nutrition and GMOs. The combined nursery and garden program offers a weekly dropin program each Wednesday afternoon. This past year, an average of 20 students turned up each week to lend a hand (the peak was 50). For the park, students helped to grow plants for Mori Point and restore endangered species habitat atop Milagra Ridge. In addition, the Stewardship Team took a group of 20 students on a week-long backpacking trip to Los Padres Dam during their “interim” period.

For most of them, this was the first time they had ever been backpacking!

468

HIGH SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS

1,326

VOLUNTEER HOURS

28

STUDENT PROGRAMS

400

GRAMS OF SEED COLLECTED

6,668 PLANTS GROWN

2

HILLSIDES PLANTED AND WEEDED MORI POINT & MILAGRA RIDGE

Programmatic Partners

Philanthropic Partners

Aim High

Ryan Jones Program Fund

Alcatraz Night Tours

Brian O’Neill Youth Leaders Fund

Angel Island State Park

Anonymous

Bay Area Wilderness Training

S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation

Build-On

FedEx

Camping in the Presidio

Gap Foundation

City College of San Francisco

National Fish & Wildlife Foundation

College of Marin Finance Department, Parks Conservancy Home Away from Homelessness Marine Mammal Center Martin Luther King Academy, Marin City National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) Oceana High School Pacific Leadership Institute (PLI) Park Nursery Program Pie Ranch Richmond Beacon Center at Washington High School San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park San Rafael High School The National Park Service The Crissy Field Center The Presidio Trust The NPS Cultural Resource Program at Golden Gate The NPS Interpretive Division at Golden Gate The NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program at Golden Gate The NPS Trails Crew at Golden Gate Women Helping All People, Marin City

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