Yosemite

Melissa Gayle, one of two NatureBridge leaders on the 2019 Armstrong Scholars program, reflects on the journey and the contributions of the Scholars during their time in Yosemite's backcountry.

For board member Kimberly McMorrow, her journey with NatureBridge has truly come full circle. A NatureBridge participant in the early days of the organization, Kimberly went on to accompany her own children on NatureBridge programs and today, she's bringing her insight and leadership to the board.

This summer, NatureBridge welcomed 63 Alcoa Scholars to national park campuses. For two weeks, students immersed themselves in the natural world to discover, collaborate, investigate and backpack in these two national parks rich with history, unique biodiversity and beautiful, remote wilderness.

At the close of last week's Yosemite Alcoa Scholars program, our Scholars greeted Yosemite Visitors, National Park Service Staff and NatureBridge guests as they showcased their Fire Ecology modules at a Science Symposium held in the Yosemite Valley.

On Tuesday afternoon, our 33 Yosemite Alcoa Scholars and their six NatureBridge educators returned to Crane Flat campus after six exciting days in the backcountry. Though their routes were all different, each trail group hiked through beautiful areas of the Yosemite Wilderness.

This week we welcomed 33 Alcoa Scholars to our Crane Flat Campus in Yosemite National Park. Read about what they've been up to as they prepare for backpacking and science investigations in the backcountry!