NatureBridge in Yosemite

North State Together (NST) and The McConnell Foundation are pleased to announce that, effective June 1, 2025, NST is administering the NatureBridge in Yosemite Program for North State students.  The McConnell Foundation is excited to hand over the reins of its long-standing Yosemite Program to NST, and NST is excited to receive it.  Ana Bachman, Program Coordinator for The McConnell Foundation, has managed the Yosemite Program in-house for the past 21 years.  She plans to retire in 2026.

NST’s administration and supervision of the NatureBridge in Yosemite Program align seamlessly with its cradle-to-career mission.  By connecting students to their natural surroundings and offering a real-world on-ramp to environmental education, the Program fosters a lifelong sense of stewardship and opens doors to future academic and career pathways in the environmental sciences.  NST has strong relationships in the five counties that the NatureBridge in Yosemite Program serves.  They are honored to continue this legacy and support the next generation of changemakers.

For more information, contact Onica Mello at omello@shastacollege.edu or visit  https://northstatetogether.org/programs/naturebridge/.

L-R:  McConnell Foundation Program Coordinator Ana Bachman
North State Together Executive Director Kevin O’Rorke
North State Together Program Director Onica Mello

NatureBridge in Yosemite is a five-day outdoor environmental education program that is administered by North State Together and funded by The McConnell Foundation for North State students.  NatureBridge is a nonprofit organization that has provided environmental education  in partnership with the National Park Service since 1971.  In addition to Yosemite, NatureBridge offers programs in Olympic Park, Washington; Headlands Institute at Marin Headlands in the Bay Area; and Santa Monica Mountains Institute in Southern California.

In 1989, The McConnell Foundation began funding the Yosemite Program for students in the North State.  Each spring, high school sophomores and juniors from public  schools in Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity counties, as well as Big Valley High School in Lassen County and Hoopa Valley High School in Humboldt County spend a transformative week in Yosemite. Groups of students, led by NatureBridge educators, explore the park and participate in discussions and activities designed to heighten awareness of the importance of our natural world.  Keeping this goal in mind, curriculum taught during the week aligns with state and federal standards.

Full funding is provided by The McConnell Foundation for student tuition, transportation, and administration.  Adult chaperones from the schools served accompany students on the trip.  Students who participate in the program are selected by Yosemite Advisors at each high school. Once selected, participants must complete 8 hours of community service related to the environment in order to secure their spot. In past years students have volunteered at organizations such as the Shasta County Wildlife Refuge, Whiskeytown Environmental School, the Upper Sacramento River Exchange, Turtle Bay Exploration Park, and the Department of Fish & Game.  They have also cleaned up roadways and started recycling programs in their schools.  The goal of the community service requirement is to connect students their community and the earth.

The goal of the program is to inspire students to develop a connection to the natural world and empower them to act as responsible stewards of natural resources.