Every Saturday morning through the end of the month, volunteers from SF Nature set up spotting scopes at Blue Heron Lake in Golden Gate Park so anyone can watch great blue heron juveniles in their nests. It's led by Nancy, the self-appointed heron ambassador, who rolls around with a plastic heron poking through her sunroof like some kind of avian Bat-Signal. If that doesn't make you smile, you might be dead inside.

Here's what we love about this: it's a community effort that costs taxpayers exactly zero dollars. No grants, no six-figure nonprofit executive salaries (that we know of), no bureaucratic oversight committee — just a lady with a heron on her car and some volunteers who want to share something cool with their neighbors. This is what civic life is supposed to look like.

Golden Gate Park remains one of the strongest arguments for public space done right. As one local put it, "car-free JFK Drive in the park is great for a weekend morning stroll" — and pairing that stroll with a stop at the heron scopes is about as good as a Saturday gets.

The broader point: San Francisco spends astronomical sums trying to manufacture community engagement through programs, task forces, and consultants. Meanwhile, Nancy just shows up with binoculars and a sense of purpose. Sometimes the best things in a city aren't the ones with a budget line item.

If you've never walked the park on a Saturday morning, this is your sign. Bring layers, bring the kids, skip the $7 latte on the way if you're feeling disciplined. The herons don't charge admission, and neither does Nancy.