September 16, 2024

Dear Point Reyes National Seashore ,                

In our fourth year since launching Youth in Parks (YIP), we’ve taken some time to reflect on our progress in mapping a park for all. YIP is the initiative we started mid-pandemic to soothe anxiety and build the physical and emotional strength of youth from communities historically excluded from public land. We do this through partnering with 29 youth-serving organizations across the Bay Area who share our love of the Seashore. 

Nurturing Belonging

With the help of the Sembrando Lab, this year we surveyed partners and participants to assess our progress and consider additional steps to make Point Reyes welcoming. What we learned from the feedback was that our greatest strength is how we are nurturing a sense of belonging and building deep relationships with staff, participants, families, community partners, and the land itself. 

Program with Canal Alliance at our

Clem Miller Environmental Education Center.

Thanks to our generous supporters, we’ve grown from the six partner organizations in the first year to 29. Overnight and day visits are customized to meet each group's needs and include transportation, delicious meals, and naturalist-led programs. Some visits focus more on science, others on self-discovery, and others on play and recreation. All have that element of wonder as the youth, many for the first time, see whales and elk, climb a peak in a national park, and learn about conservation successes. We know these experiences are good for the youth. They are also good for our park and our planet as they help us reach our goal of expanding the community of people who love and care for places like Point Reyes National Seashore.

Join Us & Take Home a Bit of the Seashore

I invite you to support our $100,000 fundraising goal for Youth in Parks, with all gifts up to $50,000 matched by the program's founding donor. Everyone who makes a gift will be entered in a drawing for a Point Reyes adventure. Those who make a gift of $100 or more online or at our annual Party on the Pacific Plate will receive a signed poster of artist Favianna Rodriguez's sea otter or monarch butterfly image. See below for details.

Win a Point Reyes Adventure

Until September 30th, everyone who donates to Youth in Parks will be entered into a drawing to win an experience for two at Point Reyes: a one night stay and dinner at the Lodge at Marconi, breakfast at Side Street Kitchen, dinner at the Station House Cafe, and a kayak tour to learn about the Seashore’s ecosystems and seasonal species with our partners at Point Reyes Adventures.  

Your "Restoring Relationships" Poster!

Everyone who donates $100 or more to our Youth in Parks fund (either online or at our annual Party on the Pacific Plate event) will receive a signed poster from artist Favianna Rodriguez! You'll have the choice between a sea otter and monarch butterfly poster (below). These designs are part of a six-image collection curated around our Party on the Pacific Plate theme—"Restoring Relationships." We hope to see monarch and sea otter populations—both of which have experienced significant declines—rebound in Point Reyes. Party on the Pacific Plate attendees can pick up their poster at the event, and posters will be mailed to all other Youth in Parks supporters who give $100 or more.

Thank You to our YIP Partners: