Stories from the Field
50 Stories for 50 Years: Rachel Davis
Rachel Davis is a rare story—she has seen and experienced NatureBridge from almost every possible angle. From an enthusiastic student taking part in a NatureBridge program in Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1993 to a teacher leading her students into the national parks to participate in the same NatureBridge programs that once inspired her. Today, her journey expands even further as the newest member of NatureBridge’s Yosemite Board.
Fieldwork, adventure and good, hard work: The Bishop-Marcus story
The Bishop-Marcus Award, named for Barry Bishop and Melvin Marcus, funds one NatureBridge staff member each year to complete an environmental research project that incorporates challenge, fieldwork and giving back to the organization’s broader community.
Always Meet Your Heroes: Meeting President Obama in Yosemite
On a bus parked inside Yosemite National Park, Chemnui sat with her classmates as two Secret Service agents in black suits and sunglasses explained the rules: no hats, no hoods; exit the bus in an orderly fashion.
The students, teacher and chaperones filed out. The group had traveled to Yosemite to take part in NatureBridge’s environmental science program. Now, they murmured to each other with excitement as the Secret Service began their briefing.
“That’s when I got nervous,” says Chemnui, who was a fourth grade student at a nearby public school in San Francisco.
“When they said ‘you’re going to meet the Obamas.’”