Slide’s Season of Renewal
Just over a year ago, I stepped into the role of Executive Director at Slide Ranch. Like so many first years in leadership, 2025 was about listening carefully, understanding place-based rhythms, and tending to what needed immediate care. My primary focus was stabilization - working with the staff and board to ensure Slide Ranch had the financial footing to continue welcoming children, families, and the community to this inspiring stretch of the West Marin coast.
At times, stabilization felt out of reach. Slide has been operating in the red for several years, drawing down reserves severely in 2024, and my early work centered on strengthening revenue, building trust, and making sure the Ranch could keep doing what it does best: connecting people to land, food, animals, and wonder. Thanks to the dedication of our staff, board, donors, partners, and community, we closed the year on much steadier ground!
As we move into 2026, I’m grateful to shift focus.
2026 is a year to refresh, shed, renew, and grow, not in a frantic or shiny way, but in the way healthy natural systems do when given time, care, and the right conditions - a renewal I so wish to see reflected more broadly in our world right now.
I’m learning from the resilience of the local kelp forest. Kelp forests are dynamic ecosystems. They grow when conditions are right, and they shed constantly - old fronds make room for new growth, nutrients cycle back into the system, habitats reshape season by season. When kelp forests are healthy, they support extraordinary biodiversity. When they are stressed, recovery requires patience, balance, and protection of the whole system. In 2026, we are intentionally refreshing what serves us, shedding what no longer does, renewing our energy and systems, and growing experiences that deepen connection and awe.
At the heart of this work is our community’s experience at Slide Ranch.
This year, you may notice new gems that invite curiosity and presence. We are installing staff-crafted lookout benches across the Ranch to pause, rest, and take in views - a bend in the trail where the ocean appears, a pasture where fog lifts to reveal rolling hills, a corner alive with birdsong. They are invitations to slow down.
We are also expanding Slide into Awe, a program series we piloted in 2025. These events are designed for wonder - through taste, music, and movement. In 2026, Slide into Awe will be woven into the rhythms of the year and grounded in the land. Awe is not extra - it’s essential.
Behind the scenes, some of the most important renewal work will be less visible but deeply impactful. We are focussing on sustainable animal care timed with natural cycles, both at the center of Slide Ranch. We are investing in back-end systems that support our small but mighty team to work more effectively and communicate more clearly as we deliver meaningful, mission-driven experiences.
What excites me most about 2026 is not what we are doing, but how it will feel to be at Slide Ranch. Our team hopes visitors feel welcomed, grounded, and inspired. I want staff to feel supported and energized. Our aim is that the broader community feels connected to Slide, not as observers, but as participants in its living landscape.
Slide Ranch has always been about cycles: seasons of planting and harvest, fog and sun, birth and death, learning and reflection. After a year of stabilizing, we are stepping into a season of renewal, rooted in respect, guided by nature, and open to what grows next.
Come visit, sit on a bench, join an event, or walk the Ranch and feel this next season unfolding.
With appreciation,
Myla Marks, Executive Director, Slide Ranch
