WildLink Alumnus Francisco Accepts Summer Intern Position in Yosemite

Francisco, WildLink alumnus from Expedition IV, 2003-2004, has been selected for one of six special summer internships in Yosemite National Park. These internships are funded by the Yosemite Association, and are made possible by partnerships between them, the National Park Service and UC Merced. Francisco has always been one of our most active WildLink alumni, participating in last year's Grizzly Stadium Great Outdoor's Event in Fresno, where he was part of a team that directly reach hundreds of people with the wilderness message. Francisco will spend his summer posted at beautiful Glacier Point. Congratulations, Francisco! We're so proud of you.

If you'd like to view Francisco's Expedition journal page, click here.

These internships are available next year as well, so if there are any WildLink alumni out there who are interested, keep an eye on this newspage for position announcements! We'll also be hearing more from Francisco about his internship later this summer, so stay tuned!

Lisa Patton Student Scholar Melinda Completes WildLink Expedition VII

Melinda, WildLink's first recipient of the annual Lisa Patton Student Scholar Award, came all the way from Harbor City, CA to spend five days in the beautiful Yosemite Wilderness last week.

Melinda's experience wouldn't be possible without the generosity of the Richard Iglehart Wilderness Foundation and the Patton family. The award was established in memory of Lisa Patton, a young woman who loved wild places, and left us far too soon. It is with a great sense of honor and gratitude that we accept this gift in Lisa's memory. Her spirit infuses the WildLink program with a very special energy.

Melinda wrote a poem in one expression of her experience.

Green Trees

These green trees
Help me stay alive
These green relieve
Me all pain
These green trees
I need ‘em oh I need ‘em
These green trees
Don’t go away
Don’t burn away
From me.

To see more of Melinda's thoughts about Wilderness, click here.

To learn more about Melinda's Expedition, click here.

WildLink Expedition VII Wraps up the Season in Style

Challenging but rewarding hikes, stunning vista views, inspiring teamwork and lots of laughter were the highlights of WildLink Expedition VII. Twelve students and our longtime WildLink coordinator from the Harbor City Boys and Girls Club joined us for a beautiful week of water falls and wild animal sightings.

The aptly named Panorama Trail didn't let us down, and showed us the best views Yosemite had to offer. The spring runoff swelled the creeks and river and showed the waterfalls off to their best advantage, and deer seemed always to be circling the perimeter of our different camps.

The group followed up on the water testing we conducted in Harbor City at Machado Lake by testing the Merced River near our camp in Little Yosemite Valley. We discovered that the dissolved oxygen content was very high, and nitrates low. Good news for this very special watershed! We also spent some time with bear expert Alex from the National Park Service, and learned about the Wilderness Preservation System. We enjoyed nightly dinner discussions answering big questions like "What do you most value in your life?" and "What's your most embarrassing moment ever?" and there was no shortage of laughter around our camp- and candle-fire. We also completed a beautiful hike up the shoulder of Half Dome, where a cloud descended and wrapped us up in mystery for a while, and where we found snow to play in.

Click here to learn more.