Yosemite

At NatureBridge, our goal is to inspire every student to become an environmental steward—and there are as many different expressions of that commitment as there are NatureBridge alumni. For some students, their NatureBridge experience even inspires their career trajectory and crystallizes their sense of identity as champions of our wildlife and wild spaces. One such student alum is Julie Byerly.

Originally hailing from North Carolina and New Orleans, Sarah Sugarman has lived in Yosemite for the past five years, working as an educator for NatureBridge and the National Park Service (NPS). Sarah currently works at the NatureBridge Yosemite campus as an Educator, Crane Flat Site Manager and the WildLink Program Coordinator. “I love teaching, playing outside, and creating art in many forms,” Sarah says. Working with both NatureBridge and NPS affords Sarah many opportunities to engage in all three of those passions!

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.

Mary visited us as a student back in 1977 when NatureBridge was known as the Yosemite Institute. Nearly 20 years later, Mary completed the cycle when she returned as a teacher, bringing her first group of eighth graders to our Yosemite campus.

For Environmental Science Educator Linnea Joy Pierson, the moments she cherishes most are the times when she can see the joy, curiosity and community developing in her students while exploring the Yosemite wilderness.

This year, NatureBridge is proud to welcome Armstrong educators Amanda Adams and Kaitee Levinson. Their love of the program, strong backcountry experience, social emotional learning skills and commitment to equity and inclusion will serve them and the Scholars well as they explore the High Sierra and so much more together this summer.

In July 2021, a group of young women set out on a trek through the High Sierra as part of NatureBridge’s Armstrong Scholars program. In this blog, Lesley and Sarah share their reflections and the lasting impact the adventure made on them and their fellow Scholars.

Welcome to the third park featured in our Sense of Place series: Yosemite National Park, where NatureBridge began 50 years ago. As the birthplace of the national park idea, Yosemite National Park has inspired generations of people from around the world to become stewards of the natural world. With gushing waterfalls, towering mountain peaks, alpine lakes, and giant sequoia groves and massive glacially carved granite domes, Yosemite is one of the most beautiful and unique parks in the country - as well as an epic living classroom!

"There's a transformational piece that happens with almost every single person who receives the Baxter Award. You know, it’s not just people testing their physical limits and climbing incredible peaks or something. It’s also spiritual, emotional and psychological,” says Kristina Rylands. The award has become much like Matt Baxter himself: larger than life. The power of the individual transcendent experiences that happen each year as part of the Baxter Award have coalesced over 25 years to create an unbreakable spirit of community and adventure. It has become integral to NatureBridge and also represents the best, unique qualities of the organization.