| 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, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that operates four residential nature education 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. 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. NatureBridge has been listed on Outside Magazine's list of best employers.[2]
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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.[3]
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.[4]
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.[5]
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.[6]