Yosemite

Harold Galvez of Vine Street Elementary School has been working toward making a NatureBridge trip a reality for his students for nearly 10 years. And on February 18, he’ll accompany 34 sixth grade students to Yosemite National Park—a first-time trip for almost the entire group. 

Discover the impact of Project Pluton—a free program that NatureBridge has provided to the El Portal, Yosemite Valley, and Wawona schools—through the stories of alums Savanna Deger and Laura Shenk.

NatureBridge Educator Mara Dale shares three Alumni Impact Stories from our campus in Yosemite National Park. Discover how the impact of NatureBridge lasts for years and even comes full circle.

Middle school teacher Mary Patterson still has her field journal from the 1978 trip she took to NatureBridge (formerly Yosemite Institute) with her Cupertino classmates for a week-long environmental science program. Today, Mary ensures that all eighth grade students from Longfellow Middle School in Berkeley, California have the same transformative opportunity.

Melissa Gayle, one of two NatureBridge leaders on the 2019 Armstrong Scholars program, reflects on the journey and the contributions of the Scholars during their time in Yosemite's backcountry.

For board member Kimberly McMorrow, her journey with NatureBridge has truly come full circle. A NatureBridge participant in the early days of the organization, Kimberly went on to accompany her own children on NatureBridge programs and today, she's bringing her insight and leadership to the board.

This summer, NatureBridge welcomed 63 Alcoa Scholars to national park campuses. For two weeks, students immersed themselves in the natural world to discover, collaborate, investigate and backpack in these two national parks rich with history, unique biodiversity and beautiful, remote wilderness.

At the close of last week's Yosemite Alcoa Scholars program, our Scholars greeted Yosemite Visitors, National Park Service Staff and NatureBridge guests as they showcased their Fire Ecology modules at a Science Symposium held in the Yosemite Valley.

On Tuesday afternoon, our 33 Yosemite Alcoa Scholars and their six NatureBridge educators returned to Crane Flat campus after six exciting days in the backcountry. Though their routes were all different, each trail group hiked through beautiful areas of the Yosemite Wilderness.