Stories from the Field
The Passing of a Giant: Matthew A. Baxter, Jr.
Andy Baxter, prince among men and one of the last true gentlemen, passed away in February 2022. Andy committed himself passionately to several organizations he held close to his heart—lucky for our mission and the students we serve, one of those organizations was NatureBridge.
5% Jack and the Coming-Together of NatureBridge
In the early 1970s, Jack Walston was approached by his friend Bob Maynard to help him with an idea – Bob, who was Vice President of Operations at Yosemite Park Curry Company, along with its president, Dr. Alan Coleman and then-Director of the National Park Service George B. Hartzog Jr., wanted to fill their less attractive, often-empty cabins with area students by providing them with educational programming. Why approach Jack Walston, a senior executive at a large brokerage firm at the time?
“I knew I could help make it succeed.”
In the months to come, Jack helped construct a potent board of conservationists, Yosemite enthusiasts and experts, thought leaders in the field and other successful people that would help found and guide Yosemite Institute (now NatureBridge) for years to come. Read the story of how NatureBridge was born and learn what it took to get Ansel Adams, a U.S Secretary of Defense and a famous astronaut to join the very first board of directors.
Student to Steward: Marisa Granados’s Unstoppable Trajectory
We last spoke with 2018 NatureBridge Student of the Year Marisa Granados six months prior to the onset of COVID-19 in the U.S. At the time, a day in the life of Marisa sounded as wildly busy as it did impressive: she was the resident assistant of a dorm, honors student, weekend snowboarder, NOLS Wilderness First Responder, blog writer, an involved fellow with Our Climate Voices and she even logged hours in pursuit of her private pilot license.
In the subsequent years, Marisa has drawn closer to obtaining her degree in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, and has faced the same challenges that many students have due to the pandemic — isolation, a virtual learning environment, increased academic pressure.
Her experience and insights about self-care and trying to conduct science fieldwork in a virtual setting only serve to highlight why she won Student of the Year in the first place.