Golden Gate

NatureBridge recognizes and is grateful for the land upon which we are privileged to run our programs and the Indigenous peoples who continue to care for and have stewarded these places for thousands of years.

Welcome to the fourth and final feature in our Sense of Place series: Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The national park sits just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, enveloped by the majestic Marin Headlands. Its beaches, wetlands and coastal prairies boast a myriad of ecosystems and habitats to explore and opportunities to build meaningful relationships with the natural world.

Miguel (he/him) joined the NatureBridge team in 2018 and quickly found familiarity in blending his love of food with his love of the outdoors. We recently chatted with Miguel and learned about what it is that makes the food so great. (Hint… it starts with cooking with lots of love.)

Ingrid Apter was a beloved NatureBridge educator who dedicated over 20 years of her life to sharing her love of the outdoors with the kids in our programs. She was an integral part of NatureBridge and her passing in 2021 was a deep loss for our team. Before her passing, Ingrid began to design a mural for our Skins and Skulls lab at Golden Gate. Her vision was to transform the lab so that it reflected the scenery just outside its walls. Ingrid began sketching the mural on canvas in her home during shelter in place and engaged a professional muralist to complete the project when she was unable to. The mural was dedicated in her memory and honors her indelible belief in the power of outdoor education.

Hans Cole is Patagonia’s Head of Environmental Activism, Grants, and Campaigns, leading its strategic environmental partnerships and helping to achieve the for-profit corporation’s most important goal: to save our home planet. It was the three years he spent working as an educator with NatureBridge, honing his teaching skills and expanding his horizons, that opened his eyes to the possibility of having a life devoted to working on environmental issues.

Rachel Davis is a rare story—she has seen and experienced NatureBridge from almost every possible angle. From an enthusiastic student taking part in a NatureBridge program in Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1993 to a teacher leading her students into the national parks to participate in the same NatureBridge programs that once inspired her. Today, her journey expands even further as the newest member of NatureBridge’s Yosemite Board.