Summer is officially here, schools out, and it's time to get to the mountains! We're all ready for a busy season full of programs like Family Getaways, Base Camp Learning & Lodging, Skagit Tours, Adult classes and a wide array of conferences and retreats. Have you made plans to join us this year? Check our online calendar to see all of the different options for engaging with us!
Up at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center, our staff are sprucing up campus (thanks Stewardship volunteers!); hosting wedding celebrations; training new instructors on everything from walkie talkies to canoe safety, hosting a tribal listening session with guests from the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Eastern Band Cherokee and Upper Skagit Indian Tribe; and, most deliciously, preparing meals with fresh, organic foods sourced from Skagit Valley farms as we enter peak harvest season.
July 2019
▶ UPCOMING CLASSES & EVENTS
▶ WILDERNESS FIRST RESPONDER AUG 11-16
▶ RECIPROCAL HEALING CONFERENCE IN AZ
▶ MOUNTAIN SCHOOL IN THE NEWS
▶ SKAGIT RIVER UNDER THREAT OF NEW MINES
We're also preparing for the first Youth Leadership Adventures group of students to arrive and assisting our Graduate M.Ed. students as they transition in to exciting summer Leadership Tracks with the Institute, National Park Service and Youth Conservation Corps.
In other news, we're thrilled to be partnering with Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest to run the gift store at their Heather Meadows Visitor Center — come in to say hello, and pick up books, maps and souvenirs this summer, knowing that your purchases help support youth programs on public lands! (If you can't make it to our stores, you can shop online too.)
Upcoming Classes & Events
July 28 — Sauk Mountain Wildflower Wander with Shelley Weisberg
July 31 — Night Photography at Artist Point with Andy Porter
August 9-11 — Mid-August Family Getaway
August 11-16 — Wilderness First Responder (ELC)
August 18 — Moving Water Photography with Juan Aguilera
August 23-25 — Late August Family Getaway
September 6-8 — Adventures NW Photography Workshop (ELC)
September 27-29 — Fall Watercolors with Nikki Frumkin (ELC)
September 28-29 — Hawkwatching at Chelan Ridge
October 18-20 — Fall Stewardship Weekend (ELC ~ discounted price)
October 19: Mushrooming in the North Cascades
October 26: Birding the Salish Sea with Joe Meche aboard the Snow Goose
November 29-Dec 1— Thanksgiving Family Getaway
Many more classes, information and registration at ncascades.org/get_outside, info@ncascades.org or (360) 854-2599.
Scholarships, student and military discounts and teacher credits may be available.
Wilderness First Responder training in the North Cascades Aug 11-16
In partnership with Wilderness Medical Associates we're offering the definitive course in medical training for outdoor educators, guides, SAR team members, and others who work or play in remote areas. The curriculum is comprehensive and practical, including all of the essential principles and skills required to assess and manage medical problems in isolated and extreme environments. Tuition includes lodging and meals at the Environmental Learning Center. Commuter rate is available.
Skagit Tours in the North Cascades
Experience the beauty of the North Cascades with fun, engaging tours of Diablo Lake, Newhalem and North Cascades National Park.
Towering peaks, unbelievable turquoise waters and a fascinating cultural and natural history are more than enough incentive to visit... Skagit Tours will give you a good introduction to the region.
— Jessi Loerch, Everett Herald
NORTH CASCADES INSTITUTE IN THE NEWSWe were thrilled to read this article in last Sunday's Skagit Valley Herald on the growing number of environmental education programs for students in the Skagit Valley, including a profile of Mountain School and our efforts to reach more local kids with transformative outdoor experiences. We were also pleased to see that two of the enviro-education leaders interviewed for the story are alumni of our Graduate M.Ed. program! |
RECIPROCAL HEALING: NATURE, HEALTH AND WILD VITALITYSedona, AZ, November 5-8, 2019Join the Natural History Institute this fall to explore the healing ground that lies at the confluence of natural history, medicine and psychology. Interactions between naturalists, psychologists, physicians, educators, artists, writers, and advocates will light a path that connects humans and nature through healing. This national conference, co-sponsored by North Cascades Institute, is dedicated to nurturing a sense of hope grounded in tangible, actionable outcomes. |
ON THE AIR
Our Executive Director Saul Weisberg was interviewed for the radio show "Living on Earth" about the wonders of North Cascades National Park and his favorite places to explore
Naturalist Note
Threats to the Skagit River
It seems ironic that just as soon as the Methow River was protected from the threat of mining, two new threats to the Skagit River watershed emerged. First off, Marblemount area residents were surprised to learn of a proposal for a massive 640-acre mine to quarry stone, which would include clear-cutting 90 acres of timber, diverting active fish-bearing stream flows, conducting extensive drilling and blasting and up to 250 truck trips per day on the North Cascades Highway, 12-hour a day, six days a week. Read the Institute's letter opposing the quarry here, and learn about the July 14 fundraising event in Rockport here.
The second threat comes from across the border in British Columbia in the Skagit River's headwaters, where Imperial Metals wants to drill for gold and copper. Imperial is infamous for being responsible for largest toxic tailings dam failure in North American history. Learn more about this controversial issue on our blog, and make your opposition known here.
These proposals threaten the natural and cultural resources, tourism and recreation economy, and human health of the Skagit River watershed, and the Institute joins our neighbors in strongly opposing both of them. Get involved!
Unique Ways to Support Us
We believe everyone should have fair and equitable access to environmental education. Your support for North Cascades Institute opens the door for powerful experiences in nature for all. Because of your generosity, we can offer scholarships for many of our adult classes and programs. Thank you for making a gift to inspire and empower environmental stewardship for all.
Rainbow over Diablo Lake by John D'Onofrio, Mountain School by Peter James Photography, Diablo Lake from Sourdough by Marissa Bluestein, Skagit Tours by Kiley Barbero, Ross Lake Draw Down by Martha Campell
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Connecting people, nature and community since 1986
Explore more at ncascades.org | (360) 854-2599
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