Yosemite

Over the past year, NatureBridge has been thrilled to welcome a group of dynamic new leaders to our National Board of Directors and Regional Boards. These all-volunteer roles are vital to the mission and governance of our organization, and they are filled by people who are inspired by outdoor education. Board members offer invaluable guidance and support across our campuses, helping us expand access to transformative environmental science experiences for young people across the country.

Our East Bay Teacher Night, hosted by NatureBridge and our friends at Lindsay Wildlife Experience in Walnut Creek, was a wonderful opportunity to connect with passionate educators and share the transformative power of outdoor education. We were thrilled to welcome teachers and community members from the East Bay who joined us to learn how a NatureBridge program in Yosemite National Park and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area can spark curiosity, inspire critical thinking, and foster a deep connection to the natural world.

We mourn the passing of Robert Redford—iconic actor, filmmaker, environmentalist, and passionate supporter of outdoor education. From 1984 to 1989, Redford served on the board of Yosemite National Institutes (now NatureBridge), where he championed immersive environmental science programs that continue to inspire generations of students in national parks across the country.

NatureBridge is proud to partner with Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK) in championing the Every Kid Outdoors (EKO) program, which ensures more young people can access nature via our public lands. Through EKO, every fourth grader in the U.S. can receive a free annual pass to public lands and waters—not just for themselves, but for their entire family. NatureBridge is committed to continuing our awareness campaign for all the fourth graders who come through our programs in the upcoming year. We want to get the pass into the hands of as many fourth graders and families as possible because we know how important outdoor learning is for young people.

Somehow, we are back into our day-to-day lives, with traffic and lengthy to-do lists and microwaves. This summer's Armstrong Scholars program, in retrospect, was so short, yet the impact of those twelve days in the backcountry with twelve amazing young women will forever shape our lives. We may have left the magic of the backcountry, but with the simple act of closing our eyes, we are taken to awe-inspiring wilderness, dirt-caked and deeply content.

When high schooler Rebecca Welch boarded a bus at 5 a.m. in a Safeway parking lot, she had no idea that she was about to embark on a journey that would forever transform her worldview, career path, and relationship with the outdoors. A quiet tenth grader from Burney, CA, Rebecca had never gone hiking, never camped, and rarely traveled outside her small rural community. But thanks to a teacher’s encouragement and a winning essay, she found herself en route to Yosemite National Park to take part in a NatureBridge program. Now a teacher herself, Rebecca credits the NatureBridge trip during her sophomore year with unlocking a whole new path for her future.