October 2023 | eNewsletter

Dear Friends,

Along with cooler weather and holidays fast approaching, the changing leaves signal YES’s transition from camps to cohorts. 

Our after-school youth programs–Explorers, Rangers, Youth Engagement Team (YET), and Coastal Conservation Corps (C3)–are getting settled into their first few weeks of environmental science and community health curriculum, social and emotional learning, and exciting new outings. Explorers (ages 8-10) and their families started strong by helping clean up our local shorelines on Coastal Cleanup Day; Rangers (ages 11-13) have learned new skills while fishing at Miller/Knox; and the YET and C3 (14-18) are charting new paths for advocating for Richmond communities and natural spaces.

Young adults of TREES are a few steps ahead, nearing the end of their five-month journey of learning and healing. They’ll be sharing their experiences in the program, and calling on the City of Richmond to fund more like it, at the second annual Rich City Kickback on November 4th. Attendees will get hands-on experience with healthy coping mechanisms and wellness practices with YES and other partner organizations. 

The Rich City Kickback is just the start of a season full of opportunities to support YES and our community. Mark your calendars for Giving Tuesday on November 28th to amplify your impact by joining dozens of other YES supporters on the world’s largest day of giving. Your gift will support experiences like Louis’ and hundreds of WCCUSD students, featured below.

I’m so excited to share more about YES’s work and highlights this past year in our upcoming 2022-23 Annual Report. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks to catch up on some of our proudest moments and biggest achievements and, if you’re able, support our year-end fundraising goal.

In community,

Louis joined YES as a summer camper when he was just 8 years old, and two decades later, he is still incorporating elements of camp in his day-to-day life. YES helped him to recognize that he can bring his camp interests home with him and that inspired Louis to find enjoyment and purpose in the outdoors as an adult though travel, archery and climbing, and a career in the outdoors.

”We don’t have to go too far to feel like we can climb a mountain–there are so many things at our backdoor. Once you just take one step, you realize that everything’s so much closer.”

To learn more about Louis and the lasting impact of experiences outdoors, be sure to read YES’s annual report and year-end letter when they drop in your mailbox next month.



This past weekend we closed out another incredible season of Nature Day Outings (NDOs), offering new and fun ways for families to explore the outdoors right here in our own city. Alongside our partners from Trips for Kids Bay Area, the East Bay Regional Park District, Golden Gate Bird Alliance, Inner City Bliss, and Cafe 15, the days were filled with activities that included biking, birding, hiking, meditation, art, and environmental education.

We welcomed many returning families to parks including Point Pinole and Miller/Knox, and also brought in new community members from Verde and Nystrom Elementary schools, kicking off YES’s work with Richmond Outdoors Coalition. Throughout the school year, YES will be working with nine local organizations to expand access to repeat and reinforcing experiences in nature for students in the West Contra Costa County Unified School District.

This fall’s NDOs were a great opportunity for students and their families to get acquainted with the YES staff and programming they’ll get to know throughout the school year, as well as additional opportunities like the Adult Leadership Pathway and family and after-school programming.



Point Molate would be a hard place to end up by accident (unless you got lost on your way to Down by the Bay), but it’s certainly worth a dedicated trip.

Point Molate’s 422 acres span shorelines, bluffs, and the historic Navy Fuel Depot and Winehaven. The space, tucked away off the very last exit of I-580 before crossing the bridge, has been a regular feature in local news over the last two decades because of its often uncertain and polarizing future. 

Previous City of Richmond administrations reached separate deals with developers to turn the space into a casino and high-end housing, but both agreements were struck down in both courts of law and public opinion. Though long-term ownership of the land is still in question, the state budget allocated $36 million in 2022 for Point Molate’s acquisition and cleanup by East Bay Regional Parks District, giving hope to the park’s many advocates.

The fight for Point Molate is motivated in part by the area being a bastion for rare native plants and “the last piece of coastal terrace prairie within the Bay.” Native grasses above and below the water surface support Bay health and species like leopard sharks, Dungeness crab, pipevine swallowtails, and more than 160 species of birds. The 1.5 miles of shoreline at Point Molate are known to osprey enthusiasts as a great lookout spot. 

YES families did their part in protecting this unique environment on Coastal Cleanup Day this year, pulling styrofoam, plastic, and other trash from the beach. Followed by a light lunch on the grass while taking in the Point’s incredible views of the Richmond-San Rafael bridge and Mount Tamalpais, Point Molate made an excellent host for a morning outdoors.

The Changs Next Door to the Díazes; Remapping Race in Suburban California by Wendy Cheng