CONSERVANCY COMMONS

The annual All Staff Meeting and Benefits Open Enrollment presentation is scheduled for Thursday, 5/27, from 1pm – 2:30pm.The meeting will be recorded.

IMPORTANT: All staff must register for the All Staff Meeting via the link below. You will also need to log in to the training portal in order to access the Blue Shield, Kaiser, and Delta Dental presentations.

REGISTRATION LINK

The annual open enrollment period begins Tues., 6/1, and ends Tues., 6/15. This year, we are hosting an active benefits election, which requires all benefited eligible employees to enroll in ADP to make benefit choices. If you do not make benefit elections in ADP, you will not be automatically enrolled in benefits. Therefore, please be sure to make your elections by 6/15.

Thurs., 6/3 at 10 AM-Noon: We will be meeting together with our NPS partners.

Check your Outlook calendar for more details.

Parks Conservancy staff get exclusive access the Columbia Sportswear Employee Store in Richmond, CA from 5/28 to 6/20 only. Items are marked with employee pricing 40-50% below the retail price. Staff can bring up to 4 guests during their one-time visit.

Must bring a copy of this flyer to enter the store. We suggest saving the flyer to your phone.

The CDC updated guidance allowing for vaccinated people to resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state or local rules and regulations. Keeping in line with California State and San Francisco County local public health guidance, our workplace face mask policies remain unchanged for the time being. Face masks are still required indoors and outside when you cannot maintain physical distance.

John Cantwell, a legendary Ranger on Alcatraz, retires after 30 years.

In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, we’re highlighting the legacy of Japanese Americans who fought for their country during World War II. The unassuming building on Crissy Field that housed the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center was a top-secret school intended to train its students in Japanese translation and interpretation for military purposes.

They did this work while their families were incarcerated by their government in some of the most desolate places across the U.S., due to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066.

Community engagement for Aquatic Park and Fort Mason planning is launching this month! We are connecting with community partners and local residents to understand how folks spend time here, and how we can make these parks more enjoyable, welcoming, and useful.

We want to hear from staff too! Many of you know Fort Mason well and we’d love to hear your ideas.

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.

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., 5/26, from 2-4 PM: In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, come join the Conservancy DEI Committee for a film screening and discussion of the 2013 90-minute film "American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs"! If you're unable to join the screening, you can also stream the film using the link below through 6/7. Please do not share the link publicly as the streaming link is only for Conservancy and park partner agency staff use.

Wed., 5/26, from 4-5 PM: Come hear more about the Crissy Field Center, which is currently being renovated at Presidio Tunnel Tops. You’ll have a chance to meet with Center staff and youth leaders in an engaging panel discussion. Learn about the range of learning opportunities for centering Black, Indigenous, and People of Color youth participants’ voices and experiences through co-designing programs that are relevant to their lived experiences and grounded in social and environmental justice.

Thurs., 5/27, from 4-5 PM: If you enjoy exploring nature in Marin, you’ll want to know all about this special species of frogs that need our help.

5/27 & 6/3: Should employees continue to work from home or head back into the office? For managers, leaders, and HR professionals considering a hybrid work environment, register now for this 4-week webinar series.

Watch the first session here

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 address 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.

Log in to the training portal in order to register for the upcoming Blue Shield, Kaiser, and Delta Dental presentations.

6/2,12-1PM, Blue Shield Presentation

6/3,12-1PM, Kaiser Presentation

6/4,12-1PM, Delta Dental Presentation

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

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) 

Did you know you can take notes in meeting threads on Teams? The notes will automatically be saved to your meeting's chat thread for reference later. You can also add an MS OneNote notebook to Teams.

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.