#8: Park Postcards Podcast | Episode 8 – Lands End

Find healing and comfort while exploring the magical world at Lands End. Hear from Jainita Patel, a former Park Stewardship intern, and from Community Outreach Manager from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, Yakuta Poonawalla who have both shared what keeps Lands End close to their hearts.

Find healing and comfort while exploring the magical world at Lands End. Hear from Jainita Patel, a former Park Stewardship intern, and from Community Outreach Manager from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, Yakuta Poonawalla who have both shared what keeps Lands End close to their hearts.

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TRANSCRIPT:

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PODCAST DESCRIPTION: Find healing and comfort while exploring the magical world at Lands End. Hear from Jainita Patel, a former Park Stewardship intern, and from Community Outreach Manager from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, Yakuta Poonawalla who have both shared what keeps Lands End close to their hearts.

General description: Ranger Fatima This is Golden Gate National Recreation Area’s Park Postcards Podcast, where each episode introduces you to what makes each park site unique, through the voice of community members who have visited, and our park rangers and staff partners who work there. We aim to highlight the work we do to connect our local community groups to the special places in our park, and share what these places and experiences mean to them. The beauty of our outreach work is collaborating with diverse community members and newcomers to introduce them and welcome them to their National Parks. We hope that through listening to these “audio postcards”, you get excited to visit Golden Gate National Recreation Area in a healthy and safe future! Transition to Community Speakers: Ranger Fatima Hello friends, this is Ranger Fatima. You’re tuned in to Episode 8 featuring Lands End, which is actually located at the end of the City - the end of the Geary Boulevard next to the ruins of the Sutro Baths and the historic Cliff House. Feel the cool breeze touch your face, enjoy an amazing stroll along the Coastal Trail, explore the wildflowers and Monterey Cypress trees, and lookout for wildlife of all kinds; in the sky, in the water, and on the land! See birds, porpoises, or coyotes! You never know what you’ll see, hear, or find just around the trail’s bend at Lands End! Let’s welcome Jainita Patel, a former intern and Land’s End Volunteer who will share their experience of finding a sense belonging with the community that welcomed them to their national park, by celebrating cultural diversity with memorable events, and connecting with the park and the people they met along the way. Community Speaker’s Postcard – Jainita Patel: Interning with the parks and working with the parks Conservancy was an incredible experience for me. Though I believe that most people often remember that nature is important to sustaining the planet, they forget that nature is also a place of healing and that that place of healing can have invisible barriers. Growing up I didn't feel welcome in natural spaces, I felt like people like me – people of South Asian descent, didn't belong in nature or that somehow, we were unwelcome. Through my internship I learned that many other people felt this way as well. However, by holding programs that revolve around cultural festivals and focus on celebrations in these minority communities, we can welcome these groups to connect with nature in a way that's not intimidating. During my time as an intern the programs we held up plans and involved a variety of organizations, but more important to me where the theme programs that we held for the whole community that celebrated Diwali, Eid, Pride and a whole set of other celebrations, that allow communities like mine to connect with nature, through an easy access trail at Land's End. Even when we didn't hold theme programs and just sort of hung out with the local community there, I felt a deep sense of belonging, not just to the parks but all to all of the amazing people I met there, that we would see on a weekly basis. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried when I held my last program at Land's End, not just because I was leaving the parks but because I was leaving all the incredible people that I had met there. I grew to deeply care for them both as individuals and as a part of a larger community. No matter where I go, I believe that Land's End will always feel like a second home to me and the people I met there I will always consider my friends

Transition to Yakuta Poonawalla: Ranger Fatima It’s so wonderful to hear that Lands End, your local national park site, has become a place of belonging and has welcomed so many diverse communities. Inclusion and belonging starts with the people who are there to share it with you. We are honored to have Yakuta Poonawalla, a passionate leader and storyteller. Yakuta is the Community Programs Manager at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the San Francisco Park Stewardship Program. She alongside many volunteers helped both the natural habitat and humans thrive in the Lands End community. Through volunteer events that are welcoming and inclusive to all ages, the program created a safe space for engagement, encouraging authentic dialogue, provided positive healing, and inspired people to find their connection with nature.

Yakuta Poonawalla Postcard and Lands End Interp: Dear all, Have you had a chance to meet Land's End in San Francisco yet? If I could use one word to describe what Land's End is to me I would use the word ‘jannat’ (جنت) an Urdu word for ‘heaven’ or ‘paradise.’ You will meet Land's End on the northwestern edge of San Francisco where the vast Pacific Ocean first meets the rocky shores and coastal sand dune habitats. Where local wildflowers wait to surprise you. Where hundreds of migratory birds come to nest and rest and where every nook and corner has a story to offer you. Stories of our Ohlone people and their deep wisdom of the natural world. Stories of land use for recreation, and stories of how many stewards of the earth come together in service of this land and create park site that one cannot help but fall deeply in love with. My name is Yakuta Poonawalla and I first met Land's End through the work I do at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and now I get to wake up every day and think about how I can get everyone to experience this place in a way that feels most comfortable to them and take them on what I believe is a spiritual journey here. It is here that I get to host weekly habitat restoration community stewardship programs, where volunteers from our local communities come to help with planting local and indigenous plants weeding, helping with community signs initiatives, building trails, and of course enjoying the little gifts of nature. People often ask me, “what should we look for when we come to Land's End?” or “when is the best time to visit Land's End?” and my response to them always is come anytime and come often. And you can start your journey at the Lands End Lookout visitor center where interpretive panels and maps introduce you to natural and cultural history of the area, and take you back in time through black and white historic photos. When there talk to our park staff who can share current offerings with you, and don't forget to ask them if they've seen a whale, a dolphin, or a coyote recently. Close to the Lands End Coastal Trailhead are lots of benches where you can rest and lose yourself into the horizon wondering what ocean treasures the waves will bring with them. When you start your walk along the Coastal Trail, take a few deep breaths and open up all your senses keep your eyes wide open for wildflowers like the Indian Paintbrush, the Yellow Bush and Silver Lupines, the Seaside Daisies, and don't forget to kneel for a closer look at the smaller ones like the Coastal Strawberry and the Live Forevers. Look up at the canopies formed by the Monterey Cypress and pine trees to see if there's a Red-tailed Hawk or owl hiding in there, or try and hear the bird songs and calls of the White Crowned Sparrows, hummingbirds and the California Scrub Jays. There are two overlooks along the trail where you can pause for a moment take in the views of Marin Headlands and the classic Golden Gate Bridge, and as you make your way towards the East End, continue to communicate with the natural world through your senses and allow yourself to reflect to find joy connection and healing. Ask yourself during your walk, do you see some new shapes and colors in nature? Do you hear some new sounds? What are they? How do they make you feel? and if you have the time and are feeling a bit adventurous and just want to make your way to the labyrinth, a hidden gem on the way to Mile Rock Beach, I would highly recommend it. I go there often to indulge in some quiet time and some nature journaling. All lands and waits to mesmerize you and I hope you get to meet this park site soon. Come here to find some rest. Come here to hug a tree. Come here to talk to a plant. Come here to celebrate something special or something that is meaningful to you and your community. Come here for the sunrises and sunsets. I welcome you, I invite you and I hope you get to meet Lands End soon.

Conclusion and looking ahead: Ranger Mariajose Thank you Yakuta and Jainita for transporting me to such a magical, beautiful, healing place. I can’t wait to go hiking and exploring with my family at Lands End in the near future. If you’d like to visit Lands End, remember to bring and wear you face covering, wash your hands, dress in layers, bring some water and a healthy snack, and maybe a journal to sketch the wildlife and gorgeous vistas along the way.

Stay tuned for episode Nine! We’ll head down from Lands End to Ocean Beach and we’ll hear from our park ranger Marcus Combs, who has worked in the GGNRA for over 30 years! We can’t wait for you to hear it! Until then, recreate responsibly in your National Parks! Listen to all our episodes online at www.nps.gov/podcasts/parkpostcardspodcast.htm or find them on Apple Podcasts.

Credits: Voices: - Fatima Colindres - Yakuta Poonawalla - Jainita Patel