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In Washington State, a groundbreaking initiative is taking root, aiming to transform education by connecting students with the wonders of the natural world and increasing access to outdoor spaces in places like NatureBridge in Olympic National Park.

“I didn’t remember that I remembered this much until I got here and then I was like, wait, I know I did this!” For current Environmental Science Educator Amelia Otto Cutting, leading student groups at NatureBridge Yosemite is a dream come true—as well as a bit of déjà vu. Although she’d been visiting Yosemite National Park with her family for her “whole life,” Amelia's first visit to NatureBridge came via Girl Scouts, which organized a summer camp that included five days at Yosemite Institute (now known as NatureBridge Yosemite) in 2009. Eleven-year-old Amelia explored the Spider Caves, climbed Lembert Dome, marveled at the Tuolumne Grove and hiked up to the Crane Flat fire lookout (“They even let us in the helicopter!” she recalls with excitement). Amelia’s favorite part of returning to Yosemite as an educator—after having experienced NatureBridge programming as a student—is “taking kids out into the field…and sharing my love of nature with them.”

"It’s pretty impressive to say that I’ve been obsessed with a place since I was 13—thanks to the NatureBridge program!” For alum Anya Gupta, that place is Yosemite National Park. Starting with her eighth grade trip to NatureBridge Yosemite in 2014—a trip that Anya declares “changed my life”—Anya has been pursuing paths that would allow her to return to Yosemite to explore, discover and serve. Even when she is physically distant from the park (as she is right now while completing dual bachelor’s degrees in Earth Climate Science and Environmental Science at Duke University), Anya keeps Yosemite close to her heart.

Olympic board member Kim Sager-Fradkin has been leading evening programs at NatureBridge Olympic for over 25 years, sharing her expertise as a local wildlife ecologist with multiple generations of students. Today, she continues to support NatureBridge’s programs and students with dedication and excitement, noting that the ripples of NatureBridge’s impact stretch far beyond the Olympic Peninsula.

On October 6 at the Amazon Meeting Center in Seattle, over 200 guests and supporters gathered for our annual Pacific Northwest event, Evening on the Lake, benefiting our beautiful Olympic campus.

We were fortunate to reconnect recently with NatureBridge Golden Gate (formerly The Headlands Institute) alum Ryan Hunt at our Olympic campus. During his visit to Olympic, Ryan and his fellow team members met with NatureBridge CEO and President Phil Kilbridge, Olympic Campus Director Jen Kidder, National Park Service staff and members of our Olympic staff. They toured the campus and learned how NatureBridge has evolved since Ryan’s time as a student at The Headlands Institute in 1991. Ryan shared about his NatureBridge program where he learned about marine life and ecosystems in Golden Gate National Recreation Area, an experience he termed “seminal” to who he is today. Currently, Ryan serves as a senior staff member on the US Senate Appropriations Committee where he recommends to the Senate how funds should be spent, particularly in relation to the preservation of outdoor spaces.