BayCityNews

State Parks Visitors Can Collect Digital Badges in New App-Based Passport Program

State park visitors can now track their adventures in California’s 280 parks and earn badges along the way in a digital passport program launched on Wednesday. No longer are the days where state park lovers have to carry around a paper passport to be stamped at the visitor center — now, visitors can check-in at each park and receive a badge on their phones, accessible via the California State Parks Apps.

Published

7 months ago

March 9, 2023

Oakland Post

A waterfall on the Falls Trail Loop in the Mt. Diablo State Park in Clayton, Calif., on January 6, 2021. (Ray Saint Germain/Bay City News)

By Olivia Wynkoop
Bay City News Foundation

State park visitors can now track their adventures in California’s 280 parks and earn badges along the way in a digital passport program launched on Wednesday.

No longer are the days where state park lovers have to carry around a paper passport to be stamped at the visitor center — now, visitors can check-in at each park and receive a badge on their phones, accessible via the California State Parks Apps.

“This new Passport Program adds a layer of play that’ll help entice new visitors – especially digital natives and folks more accustomed to screens and feeds than streams and fields – to find that out for themselves,” said California State Parks Director Armando Quintero.

Each check-in will be added to the user’s profile, where they can also add photos. Users are able to recount their adventures, share with their friends and take note of which parks to visit next.

“With the digital Passport Program and interactive enhancements in the app, everyone will have the opportunity to create personal and meaningful relationships with parks while also developing a deeper experience – both during their park visit and long after they leave through digital community engagement,” said Kindley Walsh Lawlor, president and CEO of Parks California. “These lasting connections will foster the next generation of park stewards who will protect these amazing places.”

The state parks app, built by the technology platform OuterSpatial, also provides information on park closures, directions and wayfinding. OuterSpatial is specifically designed for outdoor organizations hoping to expand their access and engagement to visitors.

“We believe in empowering organizations to deliver the best outdoor experience to visitors. The State of California has done incredible work to provide easy access to the outdoors to people of all ages and abilities, and it’s a huge milestone for OuterSpatial to partner with California State Parks and its new digital Passport Program as part of that progress,” said Ryan Branciforte, CEO of OuterSpatial. “Our collaboration will help accelerate their popular Passport Program and will encourage a diverse audience to enjoy all that California has to offer, from its oceans, mountains, lakes, and deserts, to the rest of what its parks have to offer.”

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Arts and Culture

SF’s Make Music Day Brings Free Concerts Across City

San Francisco was alive with the sound of music on Wednesday, thanks to free pop-up concerts that celebrated international Make Music Day. It was San Francisco’s second summer solstice celebration of the event, which differs from a typical music festival in that anyone is welcome to perform, no matter their age, experience, or musical persuasion. The event took place from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in parks, libraries, community centers and more.

Published

3 months ago

June 25, 2023

Oakland Post

Singer-songwriter Jesse Loren Strickman takes the stage in Golden Gate Park at San Francisco's Make Music Day on June 21, 2023. (Deidre Foley/Bay City News)

By Deidre Foley
Bay City News

San Francisco was alive with the sound of music on Wednesday, thanks to free pop-up concerts that celebrated international Make Music Day.

It was San Francisco’s second summer solstice celebration of the event, which differs from a typical music festival in that anyone is welcome to perform, no matter their age, experience, or musical persuasion. The event took place from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in parks, libraries, community centers and more.

The largest venue was Golden Gate Park, which held more than a dozen performances across four stages. The Golden Gate Bandshell, located in the park’s Music Concourse, drew dozens of people during its first performance by singer-songwriter Jesse Loren Strickman.

Among the crowd was Marty Noll, who said this was his first time out in three years without a mask.

“I just turned 77 and, you know, who knows how much longer you have left?” he said.

Noll found the concert online by chance and decided it would be a great opportunity for him and his wife to have a reunion with friends.

One of those friends, Paul Miller, said the event was fantastic. “These days it’s insanely expensive to go and see live music,” he said. “This is free, it’s great, and you don’t have to deal with thousands and thousands of people.”

Aside from the concerts at the park, many small businesses and community spaces hosted musicians. The Far Out Gallery, an art space in the Outer Sunset, participated in Make Music Day for the second time.

Gallery co-owner Peter Munks said he and his partner had a “magical experience” at Paris’ music day a few years ago, so when he saw that San Francisco was having its own iteration he signed up.

Munks, also a folk singer, opened the gallery with an acoustic set with songs from Bob Dylan, Phil Oaks, Joni Mitchell and more.

The city’s Make Music Day was orchestrated by the city’s Office of Small Business in collaboration with San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, the San Francisco Public Library, the Consulate General of France in San Francisco, the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation and more.

Make Music Day began more than 40 years ago as the Fete de la Musique in France as an effort to bring music everywhere, to everyone. It’s since spread to over 1,000 cities in 120 countries around the world.

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

Bay Area

Firefighters Rescue Man Who Fell Down Fort Funston Cliff with 2 Dogs

The San Francisco Fire Department said Wednesday afternoon that they have rescued a man who fell off a cliff in the Fort Funston area. The initial call came in at 11:39 a.m. Fort Funston is on Skyline Boulevard at John Muir Drive, west of Lake Merced. The high wind area has steep cliffs overlooking the ocean in the city’s southwest corner.

Published

3 months ago

June 25, 2023

Oakland Post

The San Francisco Fire Department logo, serving San Francisco, California. (San Francisco Fire Department via Bay City News)

By Bay City News

The San Francisco Fire Department said Wednesday afternoon that they have rescued a man who fell off a cliff in the Fort Funston area.

The initial call came in at 11:39 a.m. Fort Funston is on Skyline Boulevard at John Muir Drive, west of Lake Merced. The high wind area has steep cliffs overlooking the ocean in the city’s southwest corner.

The man rescued was uninjured. Fire officials said on Twitter at 12:24 p.m. that firefighters were on their way back down to rescue the two dogs.

Bay Area

President Joe Biden Concludes Bay Area Visit

President Joe Biden has concluded his three-day trip to the Bay Area after departing Wednesday morning from San Francisco International Airport on Air Force One. On Monday, Biden visited Palo Alto to announce a $600 million investment toward climate adaptation strategies across the country.

Published

3 months ago

June 25, 2023

Oakland Post

On Tuesday, Biden discussed the future of artificial intelligence technology with Newsom and a collective of tech leaders at the Fairmont San Francisco hotel. The discussion comes as AI tools like ChatGPT emerge into the public sector. The technology is both promising and risky -- Biden noted that while it may boost productivity, AI can also make spotting misinformation harder and put human jobs at risk.

By Olivia Wynkoop
Bay City News

President Joe Biden has concluded his three-day trip to the Bay Area after departing Wednesday morning from San Francisco International Airport on Air Force One.

On Monday, Biden visited Palo Alto to announce a $600 million investment toward climate adaptation strategies across the country.

He announced the investment at Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center and Preserve, a marshland estimated to protect nearly 1,600 homes from flooding and sea level rise. Biden noted the preserve as a “success story” in the efforts to better prepare for climate-induced natural disasters and mitigate carbon pollution.

He also announced an additional $67 million in federal funds for California to build power lines. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who also attended the announcement, said the assistance will support the state’s push for 100 percent clean energy by 2045.

A White House representative said Biden then went on to attend two re-election campaign fundraising events, one hosted in Los Gatos and another hosted in Atherton.

On Tuesday, Biden discussed the future of artificial intelligence technology with Newsom and a collective of tech leaders at the Fairmont San Francisco hotel.

The discussion comes as AI tools like ChatGPT emerge into the public sector. The technology is both promising and risky — Biden noted that while it may boost productivity, AI can also make spotting misinformation harder and put human jobs at risk.

The president said he is committed to implementing safeguards to ensure there are no threats to national security or the economy before these tools become public.

The discussion included input from Dr. Arati Prabhakar, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Tristan Harris of the Center for Human Technology and Jim Steyer of Common Sense Media, among other Silicon Valley stakeholders.

Later Tuesday, Biden attended two more fundraisers in Marin County and San Francisco before heading back Wednesday morning to Washington, D.C., according to White House officials.