Students to Stewards: Siara & Molly
In 2015, a classroom full of excited sixth graders from Saint Mark's School left their homes in Altadena, CA and traveled north to visit one of America’s beautiful public lands: Olympic National Park.
With no expectations or picture in their minds, two of these sixth grade students from the dry, arid Southern California climate were particularly impacted by the lush, magical forest they discovered.
Growing up in downtown LA and Pasadena, Siara Edwards didn’t experience much diversity in the outdoor environments she visited. Spending time in nature meant hanging at the beach in Santa Monica and hiking in the Los Angeles National Forest or Sierra Nevadas. The nature she discovered in Olympic—forested, green and dewey—was unlike anything she had ever seen.
Molly Hill, on the other hand, had been to other parks and forests, but regional and on a much smaller scale. There were mountains near her childhood home, but no wilderness spaces as disconnected from city life as what she found in Olympic National Park.
Olympic offered a unique experience. With NatureBridge, Molly and Siara studied the Elwha River during a time when scientists were collecting data to determine the river’s health before the Elwha dams were fully removed. For Molly and Siara, seeing the Elwha Watershed Restoration Project in action changed their idea of what science really looked like.
Olympic was a learning haven outside of the traditional classroom. NatureBridge created a shared bonding experience for the entire class, and it created a lasting memory in the minds of Molly and Siara.
Fast forward three years to high school. When Molly and Siara heard their school was offering an opportunity for students to design a community-service based outdoor education trip, they jumped at the chance to contribute to the initiative. Starting a program that could be similar to NatureBridge fueled them to help make it happen.
The long-term goal with the program is to incorporate more partnerships with scientists in an effort to add legitimacy to the data we are collecting, like what we experienced with NatureBridge and the Elwha Watershed Restoration Project in Olympic National Park.Molly
In collaboration with Positive Adventures and Polytechnic School’s community outreach coordinator, the freshmen helped design a week-long trip to Muir Woods National Monument and Point Reyes National Seashore that will include service projects such as trail maintenance and invasive plant removal. Best of all, the trip aims to be zero-waste, meaning that no landfill trash will be produced. The inaugural trip will take place this September.
The two sophomores have also had other environmental pursuits: Siara is starting a composting and Terra Cycle deposit at her school. Molly is part of the leadership team for the Sustainability Council and Environmental Club. Both girls hope to pursue careers in environmental activism.
Siara now attends high school in Denver, CO, but she doesn’t intend on letting that stop her from making an impact in her community.
The two friends, who have gone to school together since kindergarten, will be parting ways as they enter their sophomore year; but their combined efforts to help make this trip come to life will serve as their legacy.
Stories
Staff Spotlight: Dylan Meek
“I don’t know if I’d have such a keen interest in what I do now” without experiencing NatureBridge programs as a middle schooler, says current NatureBridge staff member Dylan Meek. As a seventh grader, Dylan and her classmates from Southern California attended an environmental science program at Yosemite Institute (known today as NatureBridge Yosemite). That trip represented Dylan’s first visit to a national park and her first exposure to the field of outdoor education. Now on staff as the Lab Steward at NatureBridge Golden Gate, Dylan ensures that the environmental science educators have everything they need “to get the most out of the lab spaces” on campus.
2024 Student of the Year: Kai Diaz
At NatureBridge, we celebrate the stewards of today and foster the development of the stewards of tomorrow, working to inspire environmental stewardship in all our participants. Our goal is to motivate our students to make waves and be changemakers in their communities and for our planet.
Each year, NatureBridge honors a student who has demonstrated leadership, growth and a commitment to protecting our natural world as a result of their participation in a NatureBridge program. This year’s honoree will be recognized and will speak at An Evening Outside with NatureBridge on Thursday, May 16 at our Golden Gate campus.
We are thrilled to announce our 2024 Student of the Year: Kai Diaz.
An Interview with Evening Outside Keynote Speaker Dr. Britt Wray
The minute we found out about the work of Dr. Britt Wray, we knew we wanted to learn more about her. A well-respected author and scientist, Dr. Wray possesses expertise in an area of research we talk about a lot at NatureBridge—specifically how we can be resilient, hopeful, and actionable amid a changing world, including the climate crisis. We’re thrilled that Dr. Wray will be joining us on May 16 for An Evening Outside with NatureBridge as our Featured Speaker. Ahead of the event, we had the chance to ask her a few questions relating to her work and her connection to the mission of NatureBridge.