#50StoriesFor50Years

The Armstrong Scholars program began in 2000 with a clear, heartfelt idea: to honor Joie Armstrong, a NatureBridge (then Yosemite Institute) educator who was tragically killed at age 26, with an annual adventure in the national park where she’d once taught. For Kim Laizer and Heather Sullivan, both friends of Joie, it became something transcendent: a way for their friend to live on in spirit that would impact them and hundreds of other women for years to come.

My connection with NatureBridge goes back decades. In late October 1973, as a senior in high school, I joined 27 of my classmates for a week at Yosemite Institute. It wasn’t my first time exploring the great outdoors, or Yosemite for that matter, but it was magical. What made Yosemite Institute so special? Lots of things — learning lessons that wouldn’t have made any sense if we hadn’t actually experienced them, forming bonds with classmates (and teachers!) that never would have happened at school, the unique environment of the Crane Flat campus and the educators, those wonderful people who taught us so much while we just thought we were having fun. And oh my gosh, we had so much fun!

In December 2019, Ivy Archer Winters called NatureBridge CEO Phil Kilbridge with a two-part piece of news: her mother Doris Archer Winters had died at the age of 98, and the organization’s capital campaign for the Golden Gate National Recreation campus (GOGA) was finished.

“I was overwhelmed by this news,” says Phil. “Ivy had shared slowly over the course of four years that NatureBridge was in Doris’s estate plans, but we didn’t know any other details.”

Thanks to Ivy — a GOGA Board member and former National Board member — Doris had left $489,000 to NatureBridge via her charitable trust.

“The wildest part? I never met Doris.” says Phil.

How did this gift come to be?

Kim Gesicki-Robinson retired from Merryhill Elementary School in 2019 after spending 30+ years as a teacher, and nearly as many years bringing her students to NatureBridge. After speaking with her for a short time, it’s no surprise that she’d find a way to bring kids into the outdoors even after retirement. It was some of the most meaningful work she did as a teacher, and it was some of the most meaningful time the students spent with her.

“I have former students of mine, some of them in their 30s and 40s, who came to visit me after I retired and all they talked about was our time at NatureBridge.”

"I used to ice climb quite a bit and often without a rope. In 1998, I took a 100 foot fall...and I was in a wheelchair for months. I also shattered my femur and broke my shoulder a year ago in a really bad paragliding accident in Mexico. So...yeah, I’ve banged up a few things.”

Listening to these injuries listed off one after another, it’s easy to believe you’re hearing from an X-Games athlete or a professional adrenaline junkie; a thrill-seeker and risk-taker of the highest order. Who you’re actually hearing from is Jeff Crow, NatureBridge’s Director of Risk Management.

At a scenic dock in Golden Gate National Recreation Area’s Crissy Field, a tall, metallic pole stands out against the beautiful coastal view—it represents best estimates of sea level rise. The high end marker towers more than five feet above the heads of curious visitors, a startling, tangible reminder of the potential devastation climate change. The Golden Gate wayside installation was the first of its kind created by the National Park Service, so it comes as little surprise that the park is the future home to another inspiring focal point of climate change education: NatureBridge’s Climate Science Lab.

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.