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Luckily for NatureBridge, our mission — to connect young people to the wonder and science of the natural world, igniting self-discovery and inspiring stewardship of our planet — was already close to board chair Ian Yolles' heart. Before overseeing marketing and brand building for companies like Patagonia and Nike, Ian began his career as a wilderness instructor for Outward Bound in Canada, eventually becoming Executive Director of the outdoor education nonprofit. He had intimate knowledge of the transformative power of nature, and he could see that NatureBridge was expertly tapping into that power to further environmental science and inspire awe.

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!

In his capacity as a coastal hazards specialist at University of Washington’s Washington Sea Grant, Ian Miller spends his time communicating the dangers of climate change to the people who are directly affected by them. A former NatureBridge educator and director of education at our Olympic campus, Ian understands that scientists get a bad rap when it comes to communicating to non-scientists. Read this entry in our 50 Stories series to see how he uses educational strategies he learned at NatureBridge to remove those barriers and translate science in a way that creates understanding and spurs action.

"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.

Jerry Edelbrock is a builder: a builder of partnerships, a builder of people and a builder of visions. In 1983, long before the notion of a Yosemite Institute (YI) in Olympic National Park at the Rosemary Inn had come to fruition, Jerry was building the foundation for what was to come. Throughout his time building connections, infrastructure, and programming in Olympic, Jerry always went back to one question: “Is it in the best interest of the park?”

Welcome to the second park featured in our Sense of Place series: Prince William Forest Park. In 2012, NatureBridge opened its first east coast campus at Prince William Forest Park, the largest green space in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Located just 35 miles from the city, this 16,000 acres of woodlands are where nature and history unite. Here, students explore a Piedmont forest ecosystem while challenging themselves physically, building meaningful relationships and discovering a caring relationship with the natural world.