Connecting Children, Adults & Families
To The Natural Wonders Of Golden Gate Park
San Francisco Nature Education provides interactive environmental education programs that develop leadership and stewardship in youth and adults. Our school programs, Science and Nature for Underserved Youth, focus on providing educational enrichment to students from underserved communities. We use local parks as natural classrooms to observe local and migratory birds and to provide inspiring and engaging natural experiences.
Learn more about our programs below
Latest News
• This is an exciting time of year for the great blue herons in Golden Gate Park, with the newest generation of chicks just getting a feel for their wings! Eight chicks in three different nests are vigorously hopping from branch to branch high in the treetops, and taking their first short flights.
Our free Heron Watch program for 2008 ended in May, but the chicks now are four feet tall and very active, so they still may be seen from the path near the Stow Lake Boathouse.
We encourage everyone to join us in the spring of 2009 to once again observe these magnificent birds and participate in a family nature walk. For more information, including an informative video, please visit our Heron Watch page.
• San Francisco Nature Education's acclaimed Birding for Everyone program continues on the first Saturday of the month throughout the year. Take a leisurely naturalist-led walk through the micro-habitats of the San Francisco Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park. Meet at 10 a.m. at the San Francisco Botanical Garden Bookstore, near the main gate (Martin Luther King Drive near Ninth Avenue and Lincoln Way).
This free program is suitable for experienced birders and beginners alike, and for children as young as 5, accompanied by an adult. Upcoming Birding for Everyone dates are July 5, August 2 and September 6. Rain cancels.
• San Francisco Nature Education's Seventh Annual Bird Calling Contest was held Friday, May 23 at Mercy High School. About 300 children and adults attended, and students performed in nine teams: Steller's Jays, American Coots, Dark-eyed Juncos, Red-winged blackbirds, American Robins, Red-tailed hawks, Black Phoebes, Anna's Hummingbirds and Red-shouldered hawks. View photos from the contest.
• Thursday, October 9, 7:30PM
Wildlife of Golden Gate Park - Why We Need a Management Plan with Nancy DeStefanis
Lecture/Slideshow on the various mammals that inhabit our parks and open spaces, and discussion with special guests.