Gratitude for Land and Peoples
NatureBridge recognizes and is grateful for the land upon which we are privileged to run our programs and the Indigenous peoples who continue to care for and have stewarded these places for thousands of years.
Yosemite National Park is on the ancestral and present-day homelands of the Mono Lake Kutzadikaa Tribe, Bishop Paiute Tribe, Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation, Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, Bridgeport Indian Colony, North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California and the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians. They have been living on this land for as long as 8,000 years.
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is on the ancestral and present-day homelands of the Coast Miwok, Graton Rancheria and Ohlone people, whose presence on the land dates back over 10,000 years.
Olympic National Park is on the ancestral and present-day homelands of the Lower Elwha Klallam, Jamestown S'Klallam, Makah, Quinault, Quileute, Skokomish, Hoh and the Queets tribes. They are the original caretakers of this land and have lived here for over 8,000 years.
Prince William National Forest is on the ancestral and present-day homelands of the Doeg, Monacan, Patawomeck and Piscataway Indian Tribes. They are the original caretakers of the land and have lived here for the last 10,000+ years.
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."