NatureBridge in Yosemite

The McConnell Foundation is pleased to be planning the 2025 NatureBridge in Yosemite Program scheduled for Sunday, April 13-Friday, April 18, 2025.  This outdoor environmental education adventure in Yosemite National Park is funded and coordinated by The McConnell Foundation in partnership with North State public and charter high schools.  The program is offered to sophomores and juniors who attend public high schools and public charter schools in Shasta, Siskiyou, Trinity, Tehama and Modoc Counties, and Big Valley High School in Lassen County.   The cost to selected students is 8 hours of community service related to the environment to be performed after being selected to participate.  There is no cost to school chaperones.  To learn more about the program, visit https://naturebridge.org/programs/yosemite-school-environmental-science.

Student and chaperone applications will be accepted November 1-20, 2024.  Selected participants will be notified via email in December.

Student Application  Space is limited.  Do not apply if you are not serious about completing 8 hours of community service and going on the trip.  NOTE:  We communicate through email and the US Postal Service.  In your application, provide a mailing address where the US Postal Service can deliver paperwork AND email an address that allows replies  (many school email addresses do not allow replies).

Student Criteria:

• First-time participant in the Yosemite Program
• Enjoys the outdoors
• Likes making new friends and meeting new people
• Is adventurous and open to learning outside the classroom
• Mature and respectful of authority, can take direction and comply with rules
• Conducts him/her/themselves responsibly and cooperatively when not in the presence of an adult
• Is physically able to participate in daily activities that vary in difficulty, from strenuous hikes to leisurely walks

Chaperone Application  Applications are accepted from administrators, faculty, and staff who work at public high schools, public continuation schools, and public charter schools in Shasta, Siskiyou, Trinity, Tehama, and Modoc Counties and Big Valley High School in Lassen County

Chaperone Criteria:

• High level of interest in high school students
• Able to hike 5-7 miles daily with elevation changes of up to 2,000 ft. and can keep up with students
• Experience supervising groups of teenagers
• Willing to take an appropriate, engaged role in field activities, group challenges, and discussions during daily hikes
• Respectful of diversity, able to connect with and support students from a variety of backgrounds
• Willing to provide supervision and spend time with students outside the hiking day
• To learn more, visit NatureBridge Chaperone Responsibilities & Expectations

NatureBridge in Yosemite is a five-day outdoor environmental education program that The McConnell Foundation offers to 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 high schools and public charter schools in Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity counties, and Big Valley High School in Lassen 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.

The Foundation provides full funding 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.