February 2026 | eNewsletter

Dear Friends,

Last week, I attended the “Outdoors for All” convening hosted by the California Natural Resources Agency in Sacramento. The agency, along with its many diverse public and nonprofit partners, including YES, is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to the outdoors and feels safe and welcomed there.

The convening made it clear that parks and outdoor spaces are essential for bringing people together, and that we still have important work to do to ensure everyone truly feels a sense of belonging. At the same time, signs of community in the outdoors are all around us: neighbors gathering in subzero temperatures in Minnesota to protest the lawless actions of our government; the signing of the EXPLORE Act, one of the only bipartisan bills passed this legislative year; and National Park Rangers who remain in their roles because they took an oath to protect our public lands and preserve the true stories of our parks. As SJ Joslin, a park ranger and panelist who was fired for exercising her freedom of speech by flying a pro-trans flag from the top of El Capitan in early 2025, powerfully stated at the convening, “Community is the biggest form of resistance we have.”

Recognizing the power of the outdoors to connect and unite people, I am incredibly proud of the work YES continues to do to build community through nature. In 2025 alone, we reached more than 2,000 youth and family members through our Leadership Pathway programs and our collective work with the Richmond Outdoors Coalition, where YES serves as both a program provider and fiscal sponsor.

In moments when you’re looking for hope, I urge us all to examine the ways in which our care for one another and our presence in community–the love we’re already extending–can be strengthened in the name of resistance. 

In community,

Eric Aaholm, Executive Director

YES FundRacer / Brazen Racing Victory Race

Saturday February 28th

Richmond Marina

Next Saturday February 28th, dozens of YES community members will be gathered at the Victory Race starting line, ready to go the distance for YES programs. And you can help them cross the finish line!

Here’s how you can support YES for this special community wellness event:

• Become a Fund-Racer: Show your support for YES by rallying friends and family to help you reach a personal fundraising goal. You can fundraise individually, create a team, or join a team representing a YES cause like park equity, collective care, or healthy watersheds.
• Register to race and join us on race day: As the official nonprofit partner of Brazen Racing’s Victory Race, YES will be set up near the starting line with snacks, post-race lunch, and good vibes. Come join us! You can register for the race here.
• Support our Fund-Racers: Individuals and teams from across the YES family are fund-racing toward our collective goal of $15,000 and are advocating for the YES causes they hold near. Show your support and tell us about how YES’s work resonates with you by making a donation to one of our team pages:
• Building outdoor equity, mile by mile
• Moving with Power
• YES Volunteers Going the Distance
• Running Walking Rolling for Richmond's Watershed
• Collective Care in Motion

• Spread the word! Share more about the Fund-Racer and YES with your networks.



We're Moving! Temporarily...

The journey to Base Camp is well underway, and after nearly four years of fundraising and planning, we’re finally ready to say goodbye to YES’s current office. 

Since moving into 3029 Macdonald Ave in 2011, thousands of adults and young people have found comfort, community, and confidence in this space. Both as a team and as a community, we’ve grown here, in this old dentist’s office, from a small organization to a leader in outdoor equity. We’re so grateful for all this building has given us and the magic that’s been created within its walls. And we’re ready and excited for the next chapter.

The YES team will be moving down the street to 303 41st Street on March 7th, where we'll continue to work during the construction of Base Camp without interruption. We’re looking forward to keeping you updated on the progress of construction as we near closer to welcoming you into our brand new home.

BioBlitz/City Nature Challenge

Saturday April 25th

Conservation and protection of our local green spaces is built on information and data, and it’s something we all play in part in making possible. On Saturday April 25th, you can be a part of the largest annual census of life on earth!

For our fourth year, YES is joining forces with California Academy of Science to represent Richmond in the City Nature Challenge, a worldwide Bio Blitz–a frenzy of community-led science aimed not only at documenting urban wildlife for scientific research, but also at sparking the curiosity of explorers of all ages. Grab your camera, a buddy, and come join us in Richmond on April 25th, starting at 10AM. Location and details to come soon.

Need a little inspiration? Check out this TED talk by the Executive Director of iNaturalist explaining how these acts of conservation can repair our connection to the natural world.

Richmond is home to a broad diversity of plants and wildlife, one of the rarest being the pipevine swallowtail. With their peak season just around the corner, revisit this YES Instagram post to learn more so you can be the expert in your group the next time you see one out around Point Molate.