School & Group Environmental Science

Morning: Gather in the dining hall for breakfast, pack backpacks and prepare for the day.

Instructional Day on Trail: Spend the day in small learning groups led by a professional NatureBridge educator. Students engage in collaborative, authentic scientific learning experiences in a safe and supportive environment. These experiences are designed to support Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and student’s social and emotional development.

Sample Activities

• Hike along the path of a waterfall and learn about glaciation.
• Study ecological relationships from the perspective of a 2,000-year-old giant sequoia tree.
• Discover winter adaptations of plants and animals while cross-country skiing or snowshoeing in high Sierra meadows.
• Participate in National Park Service research projects such as macroinvertebrate biomonitoring and conifer removal.

Afternoon/Early Evening: Return to campus to reflect, relax and unwind while school chaperones supervise. Dinner in the dining hall gives everyone a chance to share their trail stories.

Evening: NatureBridge educators facilitate evening programs that could include a short night hike, a town-hall style debate about the Hetch Hetchy Dam or see a presentation about black bears. Students then return to the tent cabins or dorms and get ready for bed.

Life Science & Ecology: Practice the skills of an ecologist, discover the organisms that call this landscape home and learn how they interact and adapt to their changing environment.

Watershed Studies: Yosemite Valley offers an incredible laboratory to learn about watersheds as students hike to waterfalls, assess water quality above and below confluences, and learn about how this watershed impacts the health of California’s agriculture.

Earth Science & Geology: Investigate how Yosemite’s picturesque rock formations came to be, how erosion changed them over time and what could happen next.

Cultural History: Explore the rich cultural history of American Indians, settlers and conservationists of the region and their ongoing legacy in Yosemite National Park.

Current Environmental Issues: Natural processes are constantly at work in Yosemite. Learn about climate change, what it is, how it affects Yosemite and how science helps us understand its impact on our environment.  

Fire Ecology: Our Fire Ecology Project offers the background, investigations and NGSS-based curriculum to help students better understand fire’s role in the landscape and the forces that influence it.

NatureBridge environmental science educators bring our programs to life. Our skilled and passionate educators provide inclusive and culturally responsive programming that challenges students to step out of their comfort zones and connect to themselves and one another. Our staff have a Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work and training experience, cleared background checks and are certified to manage risk in the field. 

The energy and passion our educators have for engaging with youth and the natural world is a vital element of our success. 

Connect to SCIENCE + NATURE + SELF AND OTHERS: Students experience personal growth, build interpersonal skills, gain science knowledge, strengthen critical thinking skills and learn to act as environmental stewards. NatureBridge strives to create an impactful and lasting educational program for every student.