- NatureBridge
-
Motto Connecting Youth to the Natural World Established 1971 President and CEO Susan Smartt Board Chair Stephen Lockhart, M.D, Ph.D. Headquarters San Francisco, CA, USA Campuses Yosemite Institute, Headlands Institute, Olympic Park Institute, Santa Monica Mountains Institute Homepage www.naturebridge.org NatureBridge, formerly Yosemite National Institutes, was formed in 1971 as Yosemite Institute, and has since grown to include four campuses: Headlands Institute in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Olympic Park Institute in Olympic National Park, Santa Monica Mountains Institute in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and Yosemite Institute in Yosemite National Park.[1]
Naturebridge campuses provide residential field science and environmental education programs for elementary, middle, and high school students in the National Parks. Serving over 40,000 participants annually, NatureBridge is the largest nonprofit residential environmental education partner of the National Park Service. Since 1971 it has introduced almost one million students to national parks through field science education programs for schools and youth leadership organizations. In 2010 Naturebridge was listed as number 20 on Outside Magazine's "Best Places to Work" list.[2]
Contents
Mission
NatureBridge is dedicated to teaching science and environmental education in nature's classroom to inspire a personal connection to the natural world and responsible actions to sustain it.[3]
Four campuses of NatureBridge
Yosemite Institute
Yosemite Institute has operated within Yosemite National Park since 1971. Programs are offered in Yosemite Valley as well as Tuolumne Meadows and surrounding parts of the park. Yosemite Institute offers year-round residential field trips for grades K-12 as well as specialized summer backpacking programs for high school students. Instruction focuses on personal growth, stewardship, and inquiry based academic concepts.[4]
Headlands Institute
Headlands Institute is located in the Marin Headlands, which is itself located within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It offers residential field trips for school groups grades K-12 as well as summer camp programs for children in grades 1-6 and family-oriented hikes and nature programs. Headlands Institute also operates an on-site conference center with meeting spaces, lodging, and dining facilities. Headlands Institute programming is designed to inspire passion for nature and the desire to care for the environment.[5]
Olympic Park Institute
Established in 1987, Olympic Park Institute operates within Olympic National Park and offers residential outdoor education programs to school groups grades 4–12. Olympic Park Institute also offers professional development and training programs for teachers and other educators as well as conference and retreat facilities. Programming at Olympic Park Institute aims to educate the next generation of environmental stewards.[6]
Santa Monica Mountains Institute
Established in 2010, Santa Monica Mountains Institute is the newest campus of Naturebridge. It is located within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and operates in the Santa Monica Mountains as well as the Channel Islands of California. Santa Monica Mountains Institute offers residential outdoor education programs to school groups grades 4-12. Instruction at Santa Monica Mountains Institute intends to demonstrate that science is the key to unlocking nature's treasures and to translate passion for the environment into lifelong stewardship and conservation.[7]
National Office
Naturebridge's national office is located on Geary Street in San Francisco, California. National staff support programming at all four campuses and work to develop partnerships with corporations, non-profit organizations, schools, teachers and community members. Current strategic partners include Clif Bar, intel, Klean Kanteen, National Geographic Education Foundation, National Parks Conservation Association, Oracle Corporation and REI.[8]
References
- ^ www.naturebridge.org
- ^ http://bestplacestoworkoutside.com/
- ^ http://www.naturebridge.org/
- ^ http://www.naturebridge.org/yosemite
- ^ http://www.naturebridge.org/headlands
- ^ http://www.naturebridge.org/olympic-park
- ^ http://www.naturebridge.org/santa-monica
- ^ http://www.naturebridge.org/strategic-partners
External links
Categories:- Organizations based in San Francisco, California
- Educational organizations based in the United States
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