Stories from the Field

Bob Hansen joined Yosemite Institute in the very early years as assistant program manager. He soon became campus director and spent six years with YI, which would serve as the foundation for a career in nature organizations and park philanthropy. For Bob, the cornerstone of his time with YI was the lifelong friendships and relationships with Yosemite residents, especially the ones built during the season he became the Yosemite Campus Director and was tasked with hiring 12 new educators.

With the rise of anxiety and depression about young people today, social emotional learning (SEL) is also on the rise. SEL a holistic educational framework that focuses on building mental, emotional and interpersonal skills that lead to positive outcomes for students and the community as a whole. We spoke with National Director of Education Meg Jakubowski to learn more about NatureBridge’s unique role in furthering SEL.

Family and employee-owned, Klean Kanteen has grown from sponsoring our Armstrong Scholars program to becoming an even greater partner in environmental stewardship through interorganizational involvement - including generous sponsorship of our 50th anniversary. Their beloved nonprofit outreach manager Caroleigh Pierce tells the story of the “scrappy” company, why she has “the best job in the world” and what special NatureBridge event brought tears to her eyes.