SAN FRANCISCO — October 18, 2011 —NatureBridge, the largest non-profit residential environmental education partner of the
National Park Service, is pleased to name Kristina Rylands as the new NatureBridge director in Yosemite National Park. Additionally, after more than 20 years as a member of the NatureBridge family, the former Director, Leigh Westerlund, branches into a new role as vice president of operations.
“Leigh and Kristina have a genuine passion for NatureBridge that is invaluable during this exciting time of growth for us,” said Susan Smartt, president and CEO at NatureBridge. “It’s humbling to also see one of our own inspired alumni return after an amazing career with the National Park Service, with a strong desire to inspire a new generation among educators, staff, students, teachers, parents, and partners.”
Inspired by her high school experiences with NatureBridge programs, Kristina Rylands fulfills a life-long dream and returns to the organization as director for the Yosemite National Park campus. Previously, Rylands served as the Interdisciplinary Project Manager and Outdoor Recreation Planner for the National Park Service in Yosemite National Park. She shepherded the Tulolume River Plan and provided high level leadership with the National Park Service and Interagency Wild and Scenic Rivers Coordinating Council. In her new role at NatureBridge, she will strive to maintain and expand the high quality education programs and foster community and partner relationships. She will also work closely with the Yosemite-based Board of Directors and the NatureBridge national office to build on the organization’s 40 year history of success in Yosemite and increase the diversity of the student populations served, educators and staff.
"Kristina has been a tremendous asset to Yosemite National Park, providing significant management and oversight on numerous park planning efforts," stated Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher. " We look forward to working with her in her new capacity at NatureBridge, one of our environmental education partners, where she'll certainly utilize her talents and enthusiasm to educate and inspire children here in the park."
Westerlund's new position as Vice President of Operations will allow her to take her 20 years of experience and implement best practices and insure continued program quality across all the NatureBridge National Park locations in Yosemite National Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Olympic National Park, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and Channel Islands National Park.”
Celebrating its 40th year, NatureBridge believes that environmental education should be a part of every child’s experience. The organization is dedicated to providing education programs that inspire environmental literacy and stewardship, as well as build personal connections to the natural world. Each year NatureBridge brings approximately 30,000 students from 600 schools to participate in its three- to five-day field science programs in Yosemite National Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Olympic National Park, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and Channel Islands National Park. Please visit
NatureBridge for more information and find out how to
support its mission.
About NatureBridge
Founded in 1971 as Yosemite Institute and based in San Francisco, NatureBridge is the leader in residential field science and environmental education for America’s youth. Its mission is to inspire personal connections to the natural world and responsible actions to sustain it. A signature partner of the National Park Service, NatureBridge currently operates campuses in Yosemite National Park; Golden Gate National Recreation Area; Olympic National Park in Washington State; Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area; and Channel Islands National Park. It collectively serves more than 40,000 participants annually through field science, youth leadership, and teacher training programs. NatureBridge partners with a diverse mix of corporate, environmental, education, federal, and state organizations also focused on nurturing environmental stewardship, including Clif Bar, Google, Klean Kanteen, National Geographic Education Foundation, National Parks Conservation Association, Oracle and REI. NatureBridge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, log on to www.naturebridge.org.
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