CONSERVANCY COMMONS

Last Wednesday, leaders from the Parks Conservancy, NPS and Presidio Trust joined civic leaders to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the restoration of Crissy Field. Attendees included Amy Meyer, "the mother of the park," as well as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Read our press release about the event here.

Fong Bing Wah, or Wallace B. Fong, was a local Chinese-American engineer with a unique link to the lights of the Golden Gate Bridge. He was also the grandfather of Katherine Toy, our Executive Vice President of Partnerships and Programs.

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month celebrates and honors the past, present, and future contributions of AAPI people and communities. The Bay Area is rich with history, from the Presidio to Angel Island and elsewhere.

Park factoid: Angel Island is considered within the legislated boundary of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area but it is not managed by the National Park Service. 

From Claremont EAP: May 7 was National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, which seeks to raise awareness about the importance of children’s mental health and show that positive mental health is essential to healthy development. The current pandemic elevates this issue even more.

To commemorate the revitalization of Crissy Field, we created a 20th anniversary web page, including virtual backgrounds and virtual tours.

Please see the new organization chart on the Organizational Realignment page on Sharepoint that maps the structural changes and accompanying Q&As. Starting 7/1, we will realign into two major groups that will continuously be working together to implement our mission and support the partners and people we serve.

The restoration of our hours and pay rate to pre-COVID levels was effective as of 4/16. You will see a return back to your previous salary in your 5/10 paycheck. Note, if you accepted a modification to your position that resulted in a reduction of hours, this restoration does not apply. Salary and hour restorations only apply to employees who experienced a reduction of hours and pay last year due to COVID. 

Yammer is a space to share, ask questions, and connect with colleagues across the organization. Get started by joining Yammer "communities" (formerly called "groups"), from Yammer 101, to the Park Knitting Circle, for folks who love to knit or just enjoy seeing other people's work. 

NOTE: To see community posts on your Yammer feed, you need to "follow" them.

As we prepare for organizational changes aligned to strategic sprint results, many of you are interested in the status of Conservancy 2.0. In the link below is “Conservancy 2.0 Focus Areas,” for your review – a road map for our next chapter. The document outlines key focus areas and summarizes how we will deliver on our future work, including what we will keep/amplify, adapt/refine, divest/discontinue and create/test.

Weds., 5/12 from 11 AM-Noon: NPS is hosting "Sharing Untold Stories: Non-dominant narratives and visitor expectations." This session continues the conversation begun in the July 2020 webinar “Sharing Untold Stories: How to Integrate them Into Your Park’s Narratives” by looking at how visitor expectations come into play when park interpretation goes beyond the traditionally dominant narratives.

Thurs., 5/13 from 4-5:30 PM: Ramadan Eid is soon approaching, and Muslims across the world will be celebrating Eid. While we can’t be together in the parks this year, we invite you for a small virtual gathering and celebration with a book reading of Fatima’s Great Outdoors written by Ambreen Tariq, founder of @BrownPeopleCamping on Instagram. This is a family-friendly program and will be interactive, so come prepared to share your fabulous and fun camping stories!

Weds., 5/19 3 - 4 PM: Our partners at San Francisco Public Library hosts NPS park rangers to reflect on their experiences as Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and Park Rangers. 

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic recession have challenged park and recreation staff and city budgets at a time when the need for equitable access to healthy outdoor spaces has never been greater. This year, in lieu of an in-person Greater & Greener conference, City Parks Alliance is pleased to present the Summer Series, two weeks of virtual programming (6/14-6/25) that addresses the most pressing issues faced by urban park and recreation leaders in light of the crises of the past year.

Studies have shown that individuals who feel a sense of connection to others and to their communities are likely to live longer and enjoy happier, healthier lives than those who do not. We'll learn how some very small, sustainable changes can make a huge impact on both physical and emotional well-being.

5/12 2PM, Bystander Intervention 2.0: Conflict De-Escalation Training

5/12 4PM, Gardening for Water, Fire, and Habitat

5/13 12PM, Lunch & Learn: Spring Wildflower Tour

5/21 7PM, Wild & Scenic Film Festival

5/25 1PM, Pumas in the Santa Cruz Mountains

5/26 2PM, Film Screening and Discussion: American Revolutionary (Conservancy DEI Committee event)

6/3 7:30PM, Native Bees are Picky, What you Plant Matters with Sam Droge

(under an hour):

Story Map: Redwood Creek and Muir Beach (30 min) 

Asian Americans Part 1 of 5: BREAKING GROUND (50 min)

What it takes to be racially literate (15 min) 

Having connectivity issues while in a Teams meeting? You can turn off your video as well as the video for everyone in your meeting using the "Turn Off Incoming Video" feature.

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.