Stories from the Field

Venture Academy’s second round of 2024 WildLink students arrived in Yosemite full of wonder, excitement, and on the lookout for bears. With a $10 per person pot, stakes were high to be the first to see the famous furry critters. Their fearless chaperones—Mr. Meza, a seasoned WildLink participant and expert whistler, and Ms. Dustin, a lifetime Yosemite visitor and lover—encouraged the students to bring their best selves. After settling into their cabins, the group met with their educator Katie for dinner and an evening of stargazing by the Merced River. The headlights of climbers spaced out like a constellation on Washington Column’s rock face after dark, far above the valley floor, and was a twinkling inspiration for these soon-to-be adventurers.

On October 25, the Amazon Meeting Center in downtown Seattle buzzed with celebratory energy as over 300 NatureBridge guests and supporters gathered for the 10th anniversary of "Evening on the Lake," our signature Pacific Northwest fundraising event for our Olympic campus.

Laura Lomeli Russert is a NatureBridge alum who grew up in Groveland, CA and now calls Washington, D.C. home. Laura’s journey with NatureBridge began when she attended the Golden Gate campus as a young student with her class from Tenaya Elementary. Laura credits NatureBridge with shaping not only her love for nature but also her passion for education and science. "Science became fun,” she recalls. “You weren’t learning from a textbook anymore, and it became so much more real." Her hands-on, scientific experiences at NatureBridge laid the foundation for her eventual pursuit of a Ph.D. in psychology. “I feel like I owe a lot to NatureBridge."