NatureBridge Featured in USA Today
When Satvika Iyer came to NatureBridge at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 2018 with her middle school class, she expected that her visit would consist of cursory lessons about local wildlife, an easy hike and perhaps an evening campfire with her peers. Satvika had no idea that her actual experience would challenge her and permanently change her outlook on the world. “It was hard to believe that the rolling green hills, lush mountains, churning waves and the colorful wildflowers that peppered the hiking trails were so close to a world-renowned city," she reflected. “The drastic differences in the two places with such close proximity made me realize that it was how we treat the land around us that really shapes it.” Satvika returned home after her four-day, three-night program with a new enthusiasm for environmental stewardship and advocacy, passions she developed during her time with NatureBridge and has continued to champion since.
NatureBridge is the largest education partner of the National Park Service, hosting approximately 30,000 students each year and has welcomed over 1.6 million students since its founding in 1971. Through NatureBridge, students and young people are able experience the grandeur of Yosemite National Park’s towering natural granite structures, Golden Gate National Recreation Area’s stunning vistas overlooking an endless horizon across the Pacific Ocean, Olympic National Park’s ethereal temperate rainforest and Prince William Forest’s undulating Piedmont forest and valleys for a holistic outdoor experience that is rooted in foundational environmental science education. During their multi-day, overnight programs, NatureBridge educators tailor lesson plans based on school curriculum alignment and facilitate powerful team-building and personal development activities for students ranging from fourth through 12th grade. Students also have access to NatureBridge facilities that include historic dorm-style cabins, communal dining areas and carefully designed labs for hands-on learning spaces that foster curiosity and imagination about the natural world.
Read the full USA Today article about NatureBridge
