- Point Reyes Trails Challenge
Dust off your hiking boots and register for the 2013 Point Reyes Trails Challenge, a self-paced hike-a-thon and fundraiser for Point Reyes National Seashore's trails and wildlife that promotes Healthy Parks, Healthy People: Bay Area. Individuals or teams can register during National Park Week starting April 24. Challengers will choose to ride, walk, hike, or run 25, 50, 75, or 150 miles of park trails between June 1 and October 1, 2013. The event provides an opportunity to improve the health and well-being of all Bay Area residents and encourages regular use and enjoyment of our seaside park. The event helps support a Point Reyes Trails Trust, and is sponsored by Point Reyes National Seashore Association.
The public is also invited to attend a free Trails Festival on National Trails Day Saturday, June 1, 2013, from 10 am to 4 pm in celebration of park trails at the Bear Valley Picnic Area. Enjoy music, food, and variety of information booths to help you get to know the park better. You can register or start the Challenge, volunteer for a trail service project, participate in mini-classes and more. Hikers, equestrians, and explorers of all fitness levels are welcome. Learn more by visiting our Point Reyes Trails Challenge page.
- Dinner on the Pacific Plate, September 21, 2013
Save the date for Dinner on the Pacific Plate, our annual fundraising dinner. This year we will celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Giacomini Wetlands restoration. The day includes pre-dinner hikes, music, and cocktails under the trees at Bear Valley, and a gourmet trail dinner under an elegant tent. Tickets go on sale in July. For information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Donna Faure at (415) 663-1200 x 303 or by email.
Point Reyes National Seashore Association (PRNSA) received the Heart of Marin Award for "Achievement in Nonprofit Excellence" from the Center of Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership of Marin. The award honors our work in the areas of conservation and environmental education, including our efforts to increase access for underserved youth to environmental education opportunities and the natural world.
This year we will provide scholarships, fee waivers, transportation and equipment so that over 780 youth can attend our summer camp and school year environmental education programs that are run out of the Clem Miller Environmental Education Center. Scholarships allow underserved youth the opportunity explore, study, enjoy, and gain a sense of ownership of public land. Over one third of all participants who attend our youth programs are provided a scholarship, more than twice as many as three years ago. Youth who spend time in nature perform better academically, have better social relationships, and experience less stress. For many young people who attend our youth programs the experience is life-changing, offering a window to new experiences and career paths. For some, it is also their very first visit to the ocean or sleeping under the stars.
"There is a certain passion that comes with love of the environment and a certain bond with people that comes from this passion that excludes no one. There is nothing in my life more important than this, and I know that it was born in the foggy hills of Point Reyes."
~ Megan B., Counselor-In-Training 2008, Counselor/Intern Naturalist 2010-11
We would also like to thank the many people who provide community grants to support our Summer Camp and School Program.
Point Reyes National Seashore Association is pleased to report that the the National Park Service (NPS) signed agreements this week with the California State Parks to keep open two popular West Marin parks slated for closure next year due to the State's budget shortfall. Tomales Bay State Park and Samuel P. Taylor State Park will remain open, but on reduced schedules.
"Point Reyes National Seashore and Tomales Bay State Park share geography, history, ecosystem and visitors. We are committed to working with our State Park colleagues and the community to keep this vital community resource open," said Cicely Muldoon, Superintendent at Point Reyes National Seashore.
Tomales Bay State Park
Beginning July 1, 2012, Point Reyes National Seashore will assume visitor and resource protection responsibilities and routine maintenance operations at Tomales Bay State Park. Through this agreement, the NPS will preserve the existing State Park maintenance position and will provide additional maintenance support with existing NPS staff. The NPS will collect the regular State Park visitor use fees for the park on behalf of the State; the State will provide those funds back to the NPS to help offset the cost of operating the state park on a reduced schedule.
Samuel P. Taylor State Park/Mt. Tamalpais State Park
An agreement between Golden Gate National Recreation Area and California State Parks calls for extended cooperative management in the operation of Mt. Tamalpais State Park and Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Beginning January 1, 2012, the NPS will collect a $2.00 State Park day use fee at Muir Woods, with the funds going to a special account, the Redwood Creek Watershed Collaboration Fund. This fund will be used to support operations at Mt. Tamalpais State Park, and will enable the state to continue operation of Samuel P. Taylor State Park at least 5 days per week, and also complete projects to enhance park visitor experiences and protect resources in the watershed of Redwood Creek. Annually, the state and national park partners will select the projects to be supported by the Watershed Collaboration Fund.
The agreements will maintain operations at the parks during the proposed closures from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013. The pilot program will then be evaluated, and may extend beyond 2013.
While the agreements will provide basic operations to continue at Tomales Bay and Samuel P. Taylor, it does not provide any support for capital improvements or repairs.
National Park Service Press Release: National Park Service and California State Parks Sign Agreements to Keep State Parks Within National Park Boundaries in Marin County Open - October 6, 2011
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