CONSERVANCY COMMONS

This is a difficult time most of all for those that are leaving and also the teams that they leave behind. Individuals will have different ways in which they wish to say goodbye, and I hope we can respect those wishes while still finding ways to honor departing colleagues and their contributions.

Links to the Bridge to the Future Fund and job search resources are accessible on the ADP home page as well as Sharepoint. 

After more than a year of being closed, the Warming Hut finally re-opened its doors on Friday, 4/9. Kudos all of you who have worked so hard to renew this space and prepare it to welcome the public once again!

Please stop by and say "hello." It will be open five days a week, Thursdays through Mondays, from 9 am to 5 pm. Parks Conservancy staff receive a 25% discount on all purchases, including drinks and snacks.

The National Park Service App is the brand new official app for all 420+ national parks. Find interactive maps, tours of park places, on-the-ground accessibility information, and more.

We have put together a team of staff from across the organization to work on plans for reopening office spaces. This group will coordinate with the Executive Team to help define what changes we will see over the next few months and how we might more widely open at the end of September.

The Finance and Accounting department and the Policy and Operational Infrastructure Task Force shared updates to the cell phone reimbursement policy as well as a new internet reimbursement policy.

One Tam partners are making a difference for foothill yellow-legged frogs in Marin, but we need the whole community to help this special species. A new StoryMap is now available to help visitors protect them while enjoying parks in Marin, especially now during their breeding season. Please share widely! By Zac Stanley and Lizzy Edson, with additional staff from One Tam partners.

You are never at fault for harassment or violence against you. This is a list of safety tips on staying vigilant in our personal and community safety. Please spend some time with your teams and support networks on taking more steps to increase your vigilance and find ways to increase your personal safety.

The recent rise in anti-Asian violence both locally and nationally has greatly impacted our local community and many of our staff. You can find anti-racism resources on the Parks Conservancy website. And read this flyer from Claremont EAP and the Greater Good Science Center on science-backed ways we can reduce hatred and division.

Claremont EAP is an important resource during difficult times. You and family members in the immediate household can receive free and confidential mental health support for issues such as depression, anxiety, stress, and grief.

Call Claremont EAP at 800-834-3773 to access your benefit.

Find information on the Conservancy's COVID-19 response and resources for staying safe and well during the pandemic.

April is Diversity Makes Us Stronger Month at Golden Gate! NPS is hosting a variety of events and programs for staff.

Weds., 4/21 at 7 PM: Join our partners at Friends of Sausal Creek for a conversation with our very own Yakuta Poonawalla, SF Community Programs Manager. They will be exploring how can we create a deeper understanding of the Sausal Creek Watershed stewardship work we do.

Thurs., 4/22 from 10-11 AM: Join our partners at Together Bay Area will be hosting our very own Yakuta Poonwalla for three community conversations. The first one on 4/22 will be focusing on stewardship and indigenous wisdom.

The City Nature Challenge (4/30-5/9) is a yearly community science event to see which urban area in the world can turn out the greatest number of naturalists, make the most observations of nature, and find the most species. The park lands that we work on are a large part of the SF Bay Area region team!

Thurs., 4/29 from 10-11:30 AM: Our monthly All Staff Meeting. If you have already registered for our monthly webinars, there is no need to re-register. If you haven’t, please register here:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing info about joining the webinar. Please contact Nessa at nramos@parksconservancy.org for questions or if you need further assistance.

Fridays at 3 PM: Join our NPS colleagues for one (or all) community jaunts every Friday at 3 PM, separately but together in spirit! We are encouraging solidarity and safely distanced walks through your communities beginning at the same time and taking as long as you’d like. Snap some photos of your favorite sites while you’re on your Friday stroll! Send pictures to rebecca_au@partner.nps.gov if you'd like to add it to a community art piece/album to be shared at the end of this month.

Bystander Intervention to Stop Anti-Asian/American Harassment. Various dates and times: 4/7, 4/8, 4/13, 4/21, 4/22, 4/28, and 4/29

4/15 11:00 AM, Science Stories from Palomarin, Episode 3: Habitat and Community Change

4/16 12:00 PM, Intro to iNaturalist I with Lisette Arellano

4/21 8:30 AM, In the Field Live: Breeding Birds and Spring Migrants

4/23 12:00 PM, Eggs, Tadpoles, to Frogs: Monitoring Frogs in the Golden Gate National Parks

4/24 12:00 PM, Intro to iNaturalist II with Lisette Arellano

Xenophobia in America: How we got here and what's at stake

What it takes to be racially literate

We all have implicit biases. So what can we do about it?

Building Resilience and Coping with Stress During COVID-19

Did you know in MS Teams that you can pin frequent conversations to the top of your chat list? You can also hide and mute them. 

Have a submission for the Conservancy Commons? Send content and images to commons@parksconservancy.org by Friday at 10am to be included in next week's newsletter.

Share your favorite Park Pics on Yammer by logging in with your work email and password.