Greetings!

As we head into the the Summer Solstice and Father's Day weekend, we have much to celebrate, including that the Park is open! We are seeing more visitation and want to share some tips via two fun videos on how to safely enjoy the park prepared by our staff and the Marin County Department of Public Health. For the latest details on what parts of the Park are accessible, visit the National Park Service's Point Reyes website.

Today PRNSA is honoring Juneteenth , the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. Below PRNSA staffer Isaac Taylor shares what this holiday means to him and his family. Our offices are closed to commemorate and celebrate. In July we will host an online book club with the Marin County Free Library focused on the topic of racism and the outdoors (see details below).

Below I'm also including a shout out to the incredible Ranger Betty Reid Soskin and the park's hard working snowy plover dads. Good role models have never been more important. Have a great weekend wherever you are and however you celebrate!

Warmly,
Heather sig 1
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Heather Clapp
Director of Development and Community Engagement
Welcome! And What to Know Before You Go
Public service information provided by Marin County.
Juneteenth Reflections
by Isaac Taylor (PRNSA Education and Outreach Analyst)
Growing up as a non-Black person in the South, I never learned about Juneteenth in school or through the media. I only became educated about Juneteenth as an adult through Black family and friends. The holiday is an important African American cultural celebration, and an occasion to commemorate the substantial progress Black Americans have made since the end of legalized chattel slavery in the United States, in spite of continual, legalized forms of oppression in every aspect of American society.
An Invitation to Read with Us!
PRNSA staff love to read! We've held informal book clubs for PRNSA and NPS staff over the last year and are excited to invite our broader community to join us as we explore a variety of topics this year. For July we focus on the topic of racism in the United States. We are working with the Marin County Free Library to get more copies of the books below available for borrowing. At the end of July - date to be announced soon - we will gather for a virtual discussion of Carolyn Finney's, Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors . Below we've compiled a list of "staff picks" that include fiction and non-fiction for readers of different ages. We can't think of a better way to dive into the summer than to have meaningful conversations with our children, friends, and family on race, history, role models, characters, and our shared values.
PRNSA Recommended Book List
for Community-Wide Read
For Adults:
Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors, by Carolyn Finney (Non-fiction). Finney’s book explores the social relationship between race and the environment. She is a great storyteller. Here she speaks at a TEDx Middlebury conference earlier this year. 

Kindred , by Octavia Butler (Fantasy/Science fiction). Written to explore how a modern Black woman would experience the time of a slavery society. First published in 1979, it is still widely popular and is frequently chosen as a text for community-wide reading programs as well as for high school and college courses. 
For Teens / Young Adults (12+) :
The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas (Fiction). An important and timely book. Thomas’ book helps readers understand the Black Lives Matter movement. The book was adapted into a film in October 2018.

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood , by Trevor Noah (Autobiography). Noah shares his unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show . It all began with a criminal act: his birth. The stories he shares are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting. 
Children (Age 4 - 10+) :
We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball , by Kadir Nelson . Winner of the Coretta Scott king Book Award in 2009 - Nelson shares the story of Negro League baseball and the unsung heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do the one thing they loved more than anything else in the world: play ball.

Oh, The Things We're For! , by Innosanto Nagara . A poetic celebration of the better world that is not only possible, but here today if we choose it.   

My Rainy Day Rocket Ship , by Markette Sheppard . This little astronaut uses everyday household items - and his super imagination - to build the perfect rocket ship for an indoor space adventure. It showcases a young Black boy being an everyday kid while challenging kids to be curious and creative.
You Won't Want to Miss This!
NO TIME TO WASTE -  
THE URGENT MISSION OF
BETTY REID SOSKIN
Premiere Broadcast on NBC Bay Area
July 4th at 7pm PST

Betty Reid Soskin is an iron-willed American woman who became a national park ranger at age 85. The great granddaughter of a slave, Betty has lived a life filled with painful and often humiliating memories… yet she remains a defiant voice of hope. 
No Time to Waste  examines this 98-year-old park ranger’s mission to restore critical missing chapters of America’s story. Betty is elegant and incisive in conveying hard truths to wide audiences in telling a story about the value of American democracy, the realities of the African American struggle and the importance of continuing progress. 
From a kitchen stool in a tiny theater of 48 seats at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, to media interviews for national and international audiences who now hang on every word she utters, her remarkable sense of humor shines through as she challenges her fellow citizens to move together toward a more perfect union of humanity, and its best and highest interests.
This 50-minute film is a special opportunity to witness how Betty’s work has impacted the way the National Park Service conveys history to audiences across the U.S. No Time to Waste is a must-see for anyone who understands that history is remembered by the people in the room and that this story of Betty Reid Soskin shall not be forgotten.
#ParkInPlace
Photo by Matthew Lau, NPS
Snowy Plover Dads
by Meghan Garfink, PRNSA Science Communication Intern

Despite what you may have heard about wild animal dads, there are quite a few fantastic fathers in Point Reyes National Seashore. Snowy Plover dads are the sole caretakers for their young after hatching. Even though both parents take turns incubating the nest, it’s the dads who bring their chicks to the shoreline for the first time to feed on sand fleas and bugs. These cute, cotton ball sized Plover chicks follow their dad’s lead as soon as they can stand on their tiny toothpick legs, so eventually they can be strong enough to forage on their own. 

Snowy Plovers are in breeding season here in Point Reyes, meaning that little Plover babies are waddling along beaches in the park. Don’t get too eager though! Plovers are very skittish birds, and even just getting close to a nest can cause the mom and dad to flee, abandoning their newborn babies. We have fenced off many protected areas on beaches to help the Plovers reproduce successfully. Plovers have been federally threatened since 1993 due to habitat loss, invasive plants, and human disturbances. In the meantime though, you can watch this cool video of Plover dads in action .
You can also learn a little bit more about protections we’re taking in the park so we can honor these fantastic animal fathers for decades to come. 
We hope you’ll share what you’re up to with us through our #ParkInPlace campaign! 

Stay tuned on social media and don’t forget to tag us in your posts and stories on Facebook and Instagram .
#ParkInPlace and #PointReyes_PRNSA

If you do not use these platforms, please email me your ideas, stories,
and photos at [email protected].
Point Reyes National Seashore | (415) 663-1200 x 310 | [email protected] | www.ptreyes.org