When you join an Outdoor Adventure program, you will have quality time in the field with some of the most knowledgeable and talented naturalists, historians and artists in Yosemite. Collectively they’ve hiked tens of thousands of miles in the park, won numerous awards, authored dozens of books and had their art or photographs published around the world. Our people are excited to share their passion for Yosemite with you
KAREN AMSTUTZ is a California native with a Masters in Environmental Education who has over 15 years of experience working in Yosemite. She has taught for NatureBridge and has worked as a National Park Service ranger in Tuolumne Meadows, where she is well-known for her campfire programs. Karen lives with her family in El Portal and loves to share her extensive knowledge about the natural world.
Check out her 2013 programs:
Trek to the Edge: Dewey Point Snowshoe Trek 1 (February 9th)
Trek to the Edge: Dewey Point Snowshoe Trek 2 (March 16)
PETE DEVINE has taught outdoors in Yosemite for 20 years. Originally from New England, Pete has worked in the West as a park ranger, archeologist, river guide, naturalist and teacher. As Yosemite Conservancy’s resident naturalist, Pete has extensively explored Yosemite and can provide insider knowledge about the park’s natural and cultural history. You can also see him in the popular Yosemite Nature Notes frazil ice video.
Check out his 2013 programs:
Secrets of the West Valley (March 22)
Leave No Trace Trainer (April 5-6)
Half Dome: Make it to the Top 2 (July 8-10)
Clouds Rest Backpack Trek 2 (July 18-21)
Young Lakes Backpack Trek (August 1-4)
Lyell Glacier Backpack Trek (August 22-25)
Half Dome: Make it to the Top 3 (September 13-15)
The Day of the Woodpecker (December 7)
DICK EWART a veteran hiker and winter enthusiast, has been a park ranger in Yosemite for over thirty years. He has a Bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of New Hampshire and has hiked and snowshoed most of the park’s 800 miles of trails. Dick spends his summers presenting naturalist programs at Glacier Point while during the winter he enjoys leading snowshoe hikes at the Badger Pass Ski Area.
Check out his 2013 programs:
Mariposa Grove Snowshoe Trek (January 12)
North Rim Backpack Trek (July 28-31)
Ice, Wind & Fire (August 1-3)
ROBERT HANNA, a descendent of John Muir, has a special life-long connection to Yosemite. After starting his career in financial services, Robert now runs an outdoor clothing company (Range of Light) and is deeply involved with environmental causes. He has inherited John Muir’s love for the Sierra and his passion for advocating wilderness preservation.
Check out his 2013 program:
A Saunter With John Muir (April 13)
FRANK HELLING is a retired educator who has taught in the Central Valley and the foothills outside Yosemite. He was a seasonal ranger at Kings Canyon National Park for many years. Frank regularly attracts large crowds of park visitors, school groups and conference groups who delight in his charming impersonation of John Muir. By bringing this historical icon to life, Frank is educating a whole new generation about the importance of environmental stewardship.
Check out his 2013 program:
A Saunter With John Muir (April 13)
PETER HEMMING grew up in Los Angeles and now lives on the Monterey Peninsula. He is a featured Nikon photographer who has been published in hundreds of periodicals and websites around the world. He is a member of the Explorers Club and has extensive experience traveling in the High Sierra, with a particular focus on the Tuolumne Meadows area.
Check out his 2013 program:
High Sierra Photography (July 13-14)
CHRISTINE WHITE LOBERG is an interpretive park ranger who has lived and worked in Yosemite for many years and has devoted herself to a photographic exploration of the park. She attended Cal State Fullerton and the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara. Christine has worked as a photographer for The Ansel Adams Gallery and has been published in numerous books, calendars and magazines. Known for her relaxed teaching style, she believes photography is a lifetime learning experience.
Check out her 2013 programs:
High Country Photography Workshop (September 7-8)
Mariposa Grove Photography (October 4)
DAVID LUKAS is a popular and knowledgeable naturalist who has been leading programs in the Sierra Nevada and writing natural history books for over 20 years. He is the author of the revised guidebook “Sierra Nevada Natural History” and the new comprehensive guidebook, “Sierra Nevada Birds” in addition to contributing to 40 additional books. David lives in Groveland, Calif. and delights in leading visitors on hikes in Yosemite.
Check out his 2013 programs:
Sierra Nevada Natural History (July 19-21)
Tuolumne Meadows Birds (August 17-18)
JOE MEDLEY grew up outside Yosemite and continues a deep family attachment to the park. He has a graduate degree from UC Davis and has spent the past several seasons observing Yosemite’s great grey owls. Joe is excited to share his knowledge from his extensive field experience and academic background.
Check out his 2013 program:
Yosemite’s Birds of Prey (May 31-June 2)
JULIA PARKER has lived and worked in Yosemite for over fifty years where she is the park’s longest-tenured employee. As a “living legend”, Julia has dedicated her life to preserving and communicating traditional American Indian cultural history, inspiring visitors to be responsible environmental stewards. She has studied under master weavers and currently demonstrates basket weaving techniques at the Yosemite Museum. Her handiwork is highly sought after and several of her baskets are displayed in prominent museums and collections all over the world.
Check out her 2013 program:
Miwok-Paiute Burden-Twine Basketry (September 27-29)
LUCY PARKER is descended from a long line of Yosemite cultural interpreters. Brought up in a traditional cradle basket, Lucy worked in the park as an Indian cultural demonstrator for many seasons. She has also performed living history at Bodie State Park, and demonstrated traditions of the Paiute people at the Lee Vining Visitor Center.
Check out her 2013 program:
Miwok-Paiute Burden-Twine Basketry (September 27-29)
KEN ROCKWELL is a talented photographer and host of a popular website for essays, photo galleries, lessons and equipment reviews. Having fully the embraced digital age, Ken is equally adept with traditional 35mm, panoramic, medium and large format photography. An engineer by training, Ken has an artistic eye and is excited to share his knowledge and opinions about photography.
Check out his 2013 program:
Autumn Light Photography (October 17-20)
MICHAEL ELSOHN ROSS has led outdoor and custom adventures for Yosemite Conservancy since 1977. He is the award-winning author of 42 books for young people including “Baby Bear Isn't Hungry”, “The Happy Camper Handbook”, “The World of Small”, and “Snug as a Bug”. He teaches children’s book writing workshops and is a popular speaker at schools and conferences around the world. Michael is passionate about sharing Yosemite’s diversity to newcomers and long-time park enthusiasts. He lives with his family near the park in a home overlooking the Merced River.
Check out his 2013 programs:
Spring Canyon Flowers (March 24)
Mountain Wildflowers for the Relaxed Botanist (July 12-14)
Birds for the Casual Birder (July 20-21)
Life at the Top: Tuolumne Alpine Studies (July 26-28)
Nature Explorations for Youth (August 3-4)
Tuolumne Meadows Birds & Blooms (August 10-11)
Rock, Ice & Time: Exploring the Geology of Tuolumne Meadows (August 24-25)
JOHN SENSER is an accomplished landscape and wildlife photographer/writer. His images have appeared in Sierra Club calendars and National Geographic publications and he is regularly featured in Central Sierra Seasons Magazine. He has conducted numerous courses and workshops for organizations including the University of California and Columbia College. As the owner of Yosemite Light Photography, he produces finely crafted photographic prints and notecards that are sold at art shows and galleries around California.
Check out his 2013 programs:
Winter Landscape Photography (January 17-20)
Photographing the “Firefall” (February 22-23)
Photographing the “Moonbow” 1 (May 25)
Photographing the “Moonbow” 2 (June 22)
Waterwheel Photography Backpack Trek (July 5-7)
SHIRLEY SPENCER is a renowned artist, musician/singer, athlete and educator. She is also the author/illustrator of Yosemite Conservancy’s “Flowering Shrubs of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada” and co-author (with her husband Mark) of “Southern Yosemite Rock Climbs”. Since the 1980s, thousands have been lucky enough to explore Yosemite with Shirley and share her infectious affinity for the outdoors.
Check out her 2013 program:
Sequoias and Snowshoes: Explore Mariposa Grove in Winter (March 9)
SARAH STOCK is a wildlife biologist at Yosemite National Park where she studies songbird population dynamics, great gray owl conservation and bat ecology. Before moving to Yosemite Valley, Sarah was a migratory field biologist working with endangered species in Alaska, the Mariana Islands, Hawaii and the Big Sur Ornithology Lab. She earned her Master’s degree at the University of Idaho and has authored many technical reports and peer-reviewed publications on western landbird status, ecology and management.
Check out her 2013 program:
Yosemite’s Birds of Prey (May 31-June 2)
GREG STOCK is Yosemite’s first park geologist. He has a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz where his research focused on dating the uplift rate of the Sierra Nevada. Since arriving in Yosemite he has been researching geologic hazards such as rock falls and debris flows, and piecing together Yosemite’s glacial history. Greg enjoys sharing the story of Yosemite’s geology and makes it sound as fascinating as it really is.
Check out his 2013 program:
Exploring Yosemite's Geological Secrets (June 15)
SUZANNE SWEDO is the director of W.I.L.D. and has backpacked the mountains of every continent. She has led groups into the backcountry for over 30 years and teaches wilderness survival and natural science for individuals, schools, universities, museums and organizations, including Yosemite Conservancy and the Sierra Club. She has authored numerous books and has appeared on radio and television to share her knowledge of backpacking, botany and wilderness survival.
Check out her 2013 programs:
Half Dome: Make it to the Top 1 (June 21-23)
Clouds Rest Backpack Trek 1 (June 27-30)
Half Dome the Easy Way (August 7-10)
Clouds Rest Backpack Trek 3 (August 14-17)
Glacier Point Natural History (October 6)
CHRIS VAN WINKLE is an award-winning California artist who has served as president of the National Watercolor Society. He was also selected as one of the “top twenty” art instructors by Watercolor Magazine. For the past 30 years, Chris has taught watercolor at Citrus College in Southern California.
Check out his 2013 program:
Quick Sketching in Watercolor with Chris Van Winkle (October 4-6)
CHARLES WALDMAN started pursuing a career as a full-time fine art painter in 1999 after practicing Family Medicine in Sonora, Calif. for 22 years. He was selected as an Artist Member of the California Art Club, The Laguna Plein Air Painters and “The Sea-to-Shining-Sea” Exhibition. He shows in galleries throughout the country, attends plein air events, and teaches numerous workshops. Chuck loves to paint outdoors in the Sierras and enjoys sharing his artistic vision and philosophy with others.
Check out his 2013 program:
Tuolumne Meadows en Plein Air (August 8-11)
KEITH WALKLET is a highly admired photographer and author, whose images have been published in Audubon calendars, Backpacker magazine and National Geographic. His stunning photography books include “Yosemite: An Enduring Treasure” and “First Light: Five Photographers Explore Yosemite’s Backcountry”. Keith enjoys teaching the fundamentals of photography and how to get the most from one’s equipment. After living and working in Yosemite for 14 years, Keith and his wife now reside in Boise, Idaho.
Check out his 2013 program:
Focusing on Nature: Autumn Light Photography in Yosemite (October 31-November 3)
DAVE WYMAN is an accomplished photographer and author of three pictorial guidebooks (“Backroads of Northern California”, “Backroads of Southern California”, and “Yosemite in Photographs”). His photographs and articles have appeared in Outdoor Photographer, Outside, Backpacker, Sky and Telescope, and many other publications. He is an experienced guide, leading tours for environmental organizations and museums, in addition to photography tours and workshops through his company, Image Quest. He enjoys sharing his passion for photography and the outdoors.
Check out his 2013 programs:
Spring Light Photography (May 16-19)
Family Camping Jamboree 1 (July 20-23)
Family Camping Jamboree 2 (July 25-28)
Autumn Light Photography (October 17-20)