Stories from the Field

NatureBridge alum Kerri McAllister has built a career that spans classrooms, coastlines, and continents. Today, she serves on the faculty at Unity University in southern Maine and works as a naturalist, certified field educator, and undersea specialist with National Geographic–Lindblad Expeditions. Her path was deeply shaped by over a decade of working at NatureBridge.

On May 7, over 350 friends, supporters, and alumni joined us at Fort Mason in San Francisco, CA for An Evening with NatureBridge. This annual gathering was a celebration of the transformative power of nature, the strength of our community, and our shared commitment to inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards.

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 one of our environmental science programs. This year’s honoree will be recognized and will speak at An Evening with NatureBridge, which will be held on Thursday, May 7 in San Francisco, CA. We are thrilled to announce our 2026 Student of the Year: Milin Sekhon.

The "Hard Core" challenge didn’t originate at NatureBridge. Plenty of outdoor education programs have passed around the same challenge. But something about it rooted itself deeply in Yosemite Valley—especially in the years after the pandemic, when rebuilding connection and culture mattered more than ever. And sometimes that’s how stewardship begins—not with a grand gesture, but with an apple eaten to the core.

For Justin Umholtz, environmental education is about more than teaching science. It builds belonging, invites students into stewardship, and helps them see how they fit into something larger. From the Marin Headlands as a student to Hawai‘i as an educator, his journey reflects the lasting power of experiencing the wonder of wild places.

"Stewardship is an integral part of our mission,” says Kaitee Levinson, NatureBridge Yosemite’s Stewardship Education Manager. “It is what connects students physically to the landscape. It deepens their awareness of resource management while giving them the space to practice care.” The partnership between NatureBridge and 5 Gyres is ensuring that stewardship feels relevant, empowering, and actionable. Together, we are helping young people learn to see themselves not just as visitors to national parks and natural spaces, but as lifelong stewards of them.