Coastal Camp is Back!
Coastal Camp, our summer day camp in the Marin Headlands, was back in full swing this summer, welcoming 1,300 participants—more than ever before! Highlights included seeing our old friends from Wildcare and the Marine Science Institute, increasing access to more Marin kids and launching our new teen programs.
Bringing the Magic of Camp to Young People #
We've been enjoying welcoming back old friends from WildCare and the Marine Science Institute who bring creatures for our campers to see and sometimes touch. Campers have also had a blast sailing aboard the Matthew Turner during our marine science-themed weeks and spending the rest of the day splashing around at Schoonmaker Beach.
One of our main goals this summer was to improve access to Coastal Camp for young people in Marin who don’t traditionally have the resources to attend camp. We developed partnerships with local programs and schools like Bridge the Gap, Performing Stars, San Pedro Elementary and many more so that we could bring the magic of camp to more young people. To cap it all off, we celebrated the launch of our teen programs, Leaders-in-Training for middle schoolers and Counselors-in-Training for high schoolers. Both of these programs are currently funded through a grant from the American Camp Association and are designed to continue engaging campers through their teens and give them the skills to work for Coastal Camp.
Stories
Fall Reflections from NatureBridge Yosemite
As an environmental science educator, I spend a lot of time teaching about nature, but this season I’ve been finding that as it turns out, nature has a lot to teach us, too. Sometimes I can let the trees, the meadow, and the lichen teach for me. They show us how to respect each other’s boundaries, how to celebrate differences, how to work together, and how to lean on each other’s strengths in order to exist in a new place. These lessons felt incredibly relevant to me heading into the first week of November, a notoriously busy time at NatureBridge Yosemite. I wanted to focus on messages of kindness and inclusivity with my students, I wanted them to feel a sense of belonging in this new space, and I also hoped that they would share those messages with others.
An Incredible 10th Anniversary of Evening on the Lake
On October 25, the Amazon Meeting Center in downtown Seattle buzzed with celebratory energy as over 300 NatureBridge guests and supporters gathered for the 10th anniversary of "Evening on the Lake," our signature Pacific Northwest fundraising event for our Olympic campus.
"Science became fun" at NatureBridge for Alum Laura Lomeli Russert
Laura Lomeli Russert is a NatureBridge alum who grew up in Groveland, CA and now calls Washington, D.C. home. Laura’s journey with NatureBridge began when she attended the Golden Gate campus as a young student with her class from Tenaya Elementary. Laura credits NatureBridge with shaping not only her love for nature but also her passion for education and science. "Science became fun,” she recalls. “You weren’t learning from a textbook anymore, and it became so much more real." Her hands-on, scientific experiences at NatureBridge laid the foundation for her eventual pursuit of a Ph.D. in psychology. “I feel like I owe a lot to NatureBridge."