I checked in with our education staff after the first backpacking trip and what I heard was outdoor experiences are needed more than ever. While there were plenty of teachable moments around fire ecology, climate change, and species identification, the most important takeaway for the kids was the feeling of belonging that grew with the minutes and miles on the trails. Getting together after over a year of pandemic living had a profound impact on minds and bodies that had become accustomed to isolation and less physical activity. Read more in our Voices at the Seashore section below.

This spring, as vaccinations rolled out, overnight programming at our 80-bed education center with strong safety protocols looked more possible. To meet the changing circumstances this summer we’ve partnered with community organizations working with youth who have traditionally had less access to the outdoors. Through our new Youth In Parks program we are supporting parallel summer camps that offer transformative experiences. 

Celebrate and support the return of young people to Point Reyes National Seashore by making a donation to our expanding Youth In Parks program!

Below you’ll read a bit about Project Avary, a partner group focused on supporting children with an incarcerated parent. We’ve worked with Project Avary for several years during the school year and this summer we can offer more funding, space, and collaboration. Project Avary Executive Director Zach Whelan reported days filled with hikes, games, swimming, and even surfing at Stinson. “I very much appreciate your partnership, we wouldn't have been able to hold this year's summer camp without you!” he said.

Like our campers, I’ve been thinking about how new experiences in the outdoors make me feel stronger---both independent and interdependent. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying my solo daily swims in Tomales Bay since Memorial Day. I’m also loving the many opportunities of late to connect in person again in the park...a Full Moon membership hike, anniversary celebration of the Morgan Horse Ranch, and a 'Trees of Limantour Ridge' Field Institute class all in the last two weeks! This week, I explored the Tennessee Valley Trail for the first time with the Golden Gate National Parks Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee to celebrate Pride Month and to explore more ways we can make our adjacent parks more welcoming. 

Donna Faure

This week we feature PRNSA's Summer Backpacking Camp and the 23 campers of the first 2021 session! Zoe Duerksen-Salm, PRNSA Communications & Development Coordinator, had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with campers and staff at the end of their four-day, 15+ mile trek through Point Reyes National Seashore.

PRNSA proudly partners with Project Avary, a national leader in supporting youth with an incarcerated parent. Project Avary remedies the trauma and isolation of such an experience by surrounding youth with a long-term, supportive community of peer and adult mentors and by empowering them with leadership development skills to heal and empower. Within the “Avary Family” they provide a culture where youth feel loved and cared for, where they know they deeply matter, and where they are surrounded by a lasting community of people who see and honor their nobility and their highest potential. PRNSA supports their work by facilitating programming in the park, including overnight camps at the Clem Miller Environmental Center. 

To hear about the experience of having a parent in prison from the perspective of individual children we invite you to join a Project Avary campfire circle on this Ear Hustle podcast "Are you Listening?"

Many areas of Point Reyes National Seashore are open. For current road and trail conditions, visit the park's website and social media. Here is a map of current closures.

The NPS App is available for download in the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. Explore more than 400 national parks nationwide. Find interactive maps, tours of park places, on-the-ground accessibility information, and much more to plan your national park adventures before and during your trip.

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Your monthly donations help sustain our conservation and environmental education programs, and allow us to bring more faces out to the Seashore. Donate this month and sign up to join our rising tide! Become a High Tide Monthly Supporter today. It is the easiest, and greenest way to show your love for the park!