CONSERVANCY COMMONS

NPS and Conservancy staff, interns, volunteers, and their spouses/partners are invited to be in the SF Pride Parade on June 25! Expect a time commitment of 4 hours, with start/end time TBD. If you are interested in representing the parks at this event, please contact Lucien Sonder at lucien_sonder@nps.gov by May 5.

The Warming Hut will be closed Mon., May 1 – Fri., May 5, for interior and exterior accessibility improvements. Fences will go up Monday morning to contain the construction area - parking will not be impacted, and signs will direct visitors though the area. Staff will be on site to answer questions and guide visitors. Maps and FAQs at the NPS info page below.

Every year in May, the Conservancy and NPS form a bike team to compete against Bay Area companies. For the past five years, we’ve finished within the top 10 Bay Area company teams and placed FIRST among San Francisco companies. Please consider joining this team of AWESOME COMMUTERS, whether you’re a seasoned cyclist, or plan to try it out for the first time. Everyone is welcome. Every mile counts.

On April 6, our Battery East Vista project won a 2017 Merit Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects, Northern California Chapter. The week before, Langan Engineering accepted the project’s award for Outstanding Trail and Bikeway project (California), from the American Society of Civil Engineers. Nice that it appeals to both the architects and the engineers! Congratulations to everyone involved!

Are you fluent in a language other than English? Would you like to help the Conservancy reach diverse audiences across the Bay Area? We are looking for occasional volunteer translation help for public outreach campaigns. If you would like to be put on a short-list of employees who can translate written communications, please email Ryan at rwhite@parksconservancy or Mike at mhsu@parksconservancy.org. Thank you!

6 - 8 pm. Stretch your stress away with an easy yoga lesson from REI at this oasis. Or if yoga isn't your thing, relax with a drink from the Fort Point Beer Co. and snacks from Whole Foods. This 21-and-older event is ticketed and space is limited. Follow the link to purchase tickets below, and bring your ID!

9 am - noon, USS San Francisco Memorial Overlook at Land's End. Come show off your muscles with an all-women’s trail volunteer event led by the lady trail builders of the NPS Trail Crew and Conservancy. All self-identifying women, gender expansive, and non-binary folks ages 12 & up are welcome to join in an exciting and challenging day of tool wielding, getting our hands dirty, improving trails, and making our parks an even more awesome place to be! Bring a water bottle, long pants, and some tough shoes to kick around and get empowered! If you haven't volunteered already, please bring a completed Volunteer Services Agreement form, which you can find here.

noon - 1 pm, 201 Fort Mason, 3rd Fl Conference Rm. Stressed? Ease your eyes and your mind by getting away from your work and screens to come to the Wellness Committee's new Coloring Club, where we will take advantage of the calming effects of adult coloring books and the often overlooked joy of eating with friends and colleagues. Bring your lunch and join us! Coloring books and pencils will be provided, though feel free to bring your own. If interested, shoot a quick RSVP email to Esther Gonzalez at egonzalez@parksconservancy.org, as we are trying to gauge interest level. (Though feel free to come over even if you haven't RSVP'd.)

Need a bike tune up? Velofix, a full-service Mobile Bike Shop and one of the sponsors of Bike to Work Day, will be at Fort Mason on Tues., May 23 from 10 am - 5 pm for a day of FREE employee bike services. If you are interested in having your bike serviced, register at the link below. Sponsored by the Wellness Committee.

3 - 4 pm, outside the front of 201 Fort Mason. Do YOU know how to use a fire extinguisher? It might seem obvious, but unless you have practiced a few times, you will probably be anxious, confused and ineffective in the case of a real fire. Taking an hour out of your week to learn how to properly use a fire extinguisher is a great asset to yourself, your coworkers, and the building you work in. Please dress casually. Brought to you by the Safety Committee and Facilities department.

8 am - 12:30 pm. Stretch your legs and get out your hand lens! Explore 32 acres of Mori Point on a botany-oriented hike examining several plant families and genera.

Noon. Research supports that happy people feel better, do better, and live better. While this is great news, it still begs the question: Why? And, more importantly, how? During this session, we will explore the history and research behind the concept of happiness, how it relates to the various facets of your life, and what intentional activities you can do to increase your life satisfaction and fulfillment. There are many pathways to happiness, so let's get your journey started! To register, create a login at the Claremont website below, and go to the Webinar tab to sign up.