Yosemite

At NatureBridge, we celebrate the stewards of today and foster the development of the stewards of tomorrow, working to inspire environmental stewardship in all our participants. Our goal is to motivate our students to make waves and be changemakers in their communities and for our planet.

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 a NatureBridge program. This year’s honoree will be recognized and will speak at An Evening Outside with NatureBridge on Thursday, May 16 at our Golden Gate campus.

We are thrilled to announce our 2024 Student of the Year: Kai Diaz.

Miho Aida (she/they) has held multiple roles at NatureBridge over the past twenty-four years, including Environmental Science Educator, Community Connection Coordinator, Field Staff Scientist, Marine Project Coordinator, Pacific Rim Environmental Education Specialist, Armstrong Scholars Educator, Diversity Coordinator, Equity and Inclusion Manager, and Director of Equity and Inclusion. Now, on the eve of Miho's departure, we asked them to reflect on their time at NatureBridge and share a bit about their upcoming adventures.

For former NatureBridge (previously Yosemite Institute) educator Shirley Spencer, her career journey began with a powerful sense of place and a deep love for Yosemite National Park. Beginning with her work at Camp Wawona in the early 1980s and extending to her long tenure as a Yosemite Institute (YI) instructor and her later service as an interpretive ranger for the National Park Service (NPS), Shirley has poured her passion into introducing others to the wonders of the Sierra Nevada for over four decades. “I always felt like I wasn’t ‘the thing,’” Shirley reflects, “but I stood there and opened the window for my students” to make amazing discoveries.

Join us in celebrating the start of another fantastic year of Armstrong Scholars! In December we selected the educators who will be leading the charge this summer, and we are psyched to have representatives from THREE NatureBridge campuses helping to bring the magic alive: Mia Perez (Golden Gate), Felicity Holmes (Olympic), and Ivy Moore (Yosemite).

Deepak "Deeps" Dathari is a veteran of the environmental education field, having served for over 20 years as a naturalist, outdoor educator, and, most recently, as a program director for YMCA Camp Campbell. He previously worked for NatureBridge as an environmental science educator and mentor, and he has helped thousands of students connect with nature through a careful emphasis on self-confidence, storytelling and a genuine enthusiasm for the outdoors. This Q&A post was originally published by our partner California Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education, who recently honored Deeps as their 2023 Northern California Environmental Educator of the Year.

On a recent autumn afternoon in Yosemite Valley, Seth Gurgel and Jen Leung looked on in delight as their two-year-old son Auggie marveled at the texture of fallen leaves and explored with his fingers the tiny seeds hidden within alder cones. Ada Meyer, a NatureBridge Environmental Science Educator, guided Auggie in these tactile experiences, watching his face light up with each new discovery. Although NatureBridge programming is geared toward school-age children, Ada’s background in early childhood development came shining through as she and Auggie excitedly engaged with their environment. Ada had volunteered to shepherd the young children of a few very special visitors this week, because the NatureBridge national and regional boards were on campus for the annual board retreat. “That was our first glimpse of the power of NatureBridge with our own kid,” Seth remarks.