 | This articlecontainspromotional content. Please helpimprove it by removingpromotional language and inappropriateexternal links, and by adding encyclopedic text written from aneutral point of view.(December 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |
| Established | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Environmental education |
| Headquarters | Sausalito,California, United States |
Area served | |
President and CEO | Phillip Kilbridge[1] |
| Website | https://www.naturebridge.org/ |
NatureBridge, formerlyYosemite Institute and laterYosemite National Institutes, is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1971 that providesenvironmental education throughfield studies. It has programs for elementary, middle, and high school students in four national park locations:Yosemite National Park,Golden Gate National Recreation Area,Olympic National Park, andPrince William Forest Park.[2]
The organization is estimated to serve 30,000 students each year.[3][4] Its lessons include hiking, laboratory-style experiments, and excursions in thebackcountry.[5]
The organization was founded in Yosemite National Park in 1971, under the name Yosemite Institute.[6] Its founding was inspired by a student trip to Yosemite led by high school teacher Don Rees in the same year. He consequently became the organization's first Executive Director.[2] Its first board chair was Jack H. Walston,[6][2] who also served as vice president and director of theLos Angeles-based company Walston and Co. Initial funding was provided by Curry Co. and Yosemite Park itself.[6]
In 1973 Yosemite Institute acquired a special use permit for a blister rust facility inCrane Flat, which it used for longer than was envisioned.[7]: 264 This aging facility was replaced with a new building inHenness Ridge in 2002.[7]: 41 To reflect its growth beyond Yosemite, the organization changed its name to Yosemite National Institutes in 1984.[2]
NatureBridge partnered withStanford University, theS.D. Betchel Jr. Foundation, and thePisces Foundation in 2010 to form the ChangeScale initiative, intended to improve environmental education.[3] In 2012, it merged with the Headlands and Olympic Park Institutes.[4] In August 2020, the organization was forced to terminate 21 already-furloughed employees and shut down its Seattle office due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. In an attempt to counter these losses, it subsequently established an online learning program and has since resumed normal programs.[8]
OnOutside magazine's list of best employers for 2011, NatureBridge was ranked at #30.[9]
In this episode, [Lynn Riddick] talks with Phillip Kilbridge, president and CEO of NatureBridge.