NatureBridge in the News
NatureBridge was featured in an Op-Ed that was picked up by The Hill about the importance and impact of exposure to nature on mental health for young people. In the article, NatureBridge CEO Phil Kilbridge and associate professor in the Doerr School of Sustainability and a senior fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University Nicole Ardoin lay out the case for using outdoor education as a solution to things such as increased screen use, creating a relationship and sense of meaning with nature, effective social and emotional learning, and so much more.
This is an excerpt from the article "Is this the only bipartisan solution to the youth mental health crisis?", The Hill.
Prior to 2020, a mental health crisis was already underway among young people. That crisis has been exacerbated by the pandemic, and the aftershocks will reverberate through this generation unless we create a multipronged approach based on whole-child restoration.
That approach must include one of the only scientifically backed, equitable initiatives we’ve found with broad bipartisan appeal: immersive outdoor education.
The idea of getting outside to improve one’s state of mind is nothing new; “forest schools” have existed in the United States since 1927, and 75 percent of Americans count being outdoors among their more enjoyable pleasures in life. What is new is the growing mountain of evidence proving the efficacy of outdoor education programming.
The cost of these outdoor education programs would be far outweighed by the benefits. Creating, expanding and funding immersive outdoor education may be one of the only bipartisan solutions to the youth mental health crisis.Phil Kilbridge, NatureBridge CEO and Nicole Ardoin, associate professor at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Stories
In Memory of Ty Cobb: A Visionary Leader of Resilience and Impact
Ty Cobb, former CEO of Yosemite National Institutes (now NatureBridge), passed away on Saturday, December 7, 2024 in Reno at the age of 84. Known for his visionary leadership, resilience, and ability to inspire collaboration, Ty guided YNI through some of its most difficult moments while building a foundation for its future growth and success.
WildLink November 2024: Woodlake High School
This November, Woodlake High School students and chaperones arrived in Yosemite for their first year as a WildLink school, and we are so excited to have them on the team! That means that the brave students who signed up for this expedition had virtually no idea what to expect before signing up for the trip, because none of their peers had experienced it before them! The week, although quite frigid, was full of lovely views, learning about Wilderness, spending lots of time by the river, and enjoying the beauty of Yosemite Valley and Wilderness. Their educators Sarah and Amelia were excited to help this group feel a sense of belonging in this place. They were also lucky enough to be joined by Ranger Lissie on their first day in the Wilderness!
Fall Reflections from NatureBridge Yosemite
As an environmental science educator, I spend a lot of time teaching about nature, but this season I’ve been finding that as it turns out, nature has a lot to teach us, too. Sometimes I can let the trees, the meadow, and the lichen teach for me. They show us how to respect each other’s boundaries, how to celebrate differences, how to work together, and how to lean on each other’s strengths in order to exist in a new place. These lessons felt incredibly relevant to me heading into the first week of November, a notoriously busy time at NatureBridge Yosemite. I wanted to focus on messages of kindness and inclusivity with my students, I wanted them to feel a sense of belonging in this new space, and I also hoped that they would share those messages with others.