Mountain School returns + Youth Leadership accepting applications

Even with the first day of Spring coming March 19, Winter is making a last stand. Whatcom and Skagit counties have been dusted in snowfall over the past week, while the Mt. Baker Ski Area reports more than a 50-inch gain since March 1. Thankfully, snowfall was light at the Environmental Learning Center, which made it easier for school buses to deliver eager 5th graders for the first week of Mountain School!

We have nine instructors teaching Mountain School in 2024. These passionate folks are coming to us from diverse career paths: nonprofit work in food security and homelessness; immigrant support and education; and teaching for Outward Bound and other environmental education organizations. What all the instructors share is a common desire to inspire transformative learning experiences in nature.

MARCH 2024

▸ JOIN OUR TEAM: NOW HIRING!

▸ YOUTH LEADERSHIP ADVENTURES NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

▸ BIRTH AND DEATH OF A GLACIER

▸ NATURE OF WRITING SPEAKER SERIES AT VILLAGE BOOKS

This year, Mountain School students will be learning about wildfires—last summer’s Sourdough Fire provides a tangible outdoor classroom to learn about its role in the ecosystem. Wildfires and ecological recovery join favorite topics that, when taken together, highlight students' interconnections to the North Cascades and the places they call home.

Our entire team—from instructors to cooks, housekeepers to bookkeepers, maintenance crew to fundraisers—are all excited to welcome around 450 students from Bellingham and Concrete School Districts this month, with 2,400 students attending annually. And, with 95% of schools receiving financial aid, you play an essential role in facilitating this vital work with your support. Thanks for considering a donation to foster lifelong memories in nature.

Read on for more than a dozen new Learning Center, Field and Online classes!

WORK IN THE NORTH CASCADES

Are you inspired to work in North Cascades National Park this summer? We’re hiring a Food Service Supervisor at the Environmental Learning Center on Diablo Lake and Retail Assistants to serve visitors in Institute-operated gift shops throughout the park. Learn more at ncascade.org/jobs.

DETAILS AND APPLICATIONS

Learning Opportunities

FIELD EXCURSIONS, ONLINE CLASSES & EVENTS

Mar 9 |  Plein Air Watercolor with Claire Giordano - Seahurst Park
Mar 13 |  The Wow of Bird Colors with David Lukas - Online
Mar 22  | 4% Friday Shopping Benefit at Skagit Valley Food Co-op
Mar 27 | Wildfire in the North Cascades with Karen Kopper - Online
Mar 30 |  Outdoor Survival Skills with Jason Knight - Rasar State Park
Apr 10 |  Understanding Bird Songs with David Lukas - Online
Apr 20 -21 |  Columbia Basin Natural History Ramble with Chris Byrd - Potholes State Park
Apr 24 |  Wolves in Washington Update - Online
May 1 | Guide to Hidden Hikes in the North Cascades with Wyatt Mullen  - Online
May 4 |  Waterfall and Stream Photography with Juan Aguilera - Newhalem
May 4 |  Birding on the Snow Goose with Amanda Colbert - Bellingham Bay
May 8 |  It All Begins in the Nest with David Lukas - Online
May 12 |  Snake Count in the Methow Valley with John Rohrer & Scott Fitkin
May 18-19 |  San Juan Islands Exploration on the Orion with Institute naturalists
May 31-June 1 |  Spring Birding in the Methow Valley with Libby Mills
June 8 | Geologic Evolution of the Skagit River Watershed with Jon Reidel
July 14 | Chasing Butterflies in the North Cascades with David Droppers
Aug 3-4 | Night Sky Photography at Washington Pass with Andy Porter
Aug 24 | Amphibians of PNW Ponds and Streams with Stephen Nyman and Vikki Jackson
Aug 31-Sept 1 | Night Sky Photography at Artist Point with Andy Porter
Sept 18 | Soul of the Skagit: Climate Change & Conservation with Christian Murillo - Online
Oct 12 | Fall Colors Photography with Juan G. Aguilera

If you can't make the specific date or time of an online class, you can still register and we will send you a link to view the program on your own time. Military, student and disability discounts & scholarships are available for in-person classes.

WILDFIRE IN THE NORTH CASCADES

Online | March 27

The 2023 Sourdough Fire hit close to home for the Institute—too close! Join Fire Ecologist Karen Kopper for an in-depth look at fire in the North Cascades from west to east to learn the varied fire regimes of this dynamic landscape. Karen will also speak to the role of our changing climate and how land managers are planning for wildfire now and into the future.

REGISTER

COLUMBIA BASIN NATURAL HISTORY RAMBLE

Field | April 20-21

This Columbia Basin field excursion with tracker and naturalist Chris Byrd will cover the birds, mammals, plants, invertebrates, geology and climate that make this inland area unique. Participants will get the opportunity to learn skills that will help them interpret the landscape, including wildlife tracking, birding and ethnobotany.

REGISTER

UNDERSTANDING BIRD BIOLOGY:
Online Masterclass with David Lukas

This new series of online classes offered by Methow Valley author, naturalist and educator David Lukas is designed to follow the changing seasons as we explore some of the key features of bird lives throughout the year.

David is a well-known naturalist based in the Methow Valley, author of several books and veteran of 1000s of natural history tours, classes, and presentations. Learn more about David at methownaturenotes.com.

Can't make a specific date? Register and we'll send you the recording to view on your own time.

All classes are online and only $10 each!

MARCH 13
The Wow of Bird Colors

APRIL 10
Understanding Bird Songs

MAY 8
It All Begins in the Nest

SIGN UP

YOUTH LEADERSHIP ADVENTURES: Now Accepting Applications

Youth Leadership Adventures trips are for motivated high schoolers seeking a fun and challenging adventure in the North Cascades! Our 5- and 8-day field courses connect 9th-12th grade students to the natural world while talking about climate change and solutions. In partnership with North Cascades National Park and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, participants canoe-camp, backpack and complete stewardship projects in the North Cascades.

Gear, food, and transportation from Skagit and Whatcom counties are provided and no prior experience is necessary. Scholarships are available!

LEARN MORE AND APPLY

Institute News

THE BIRTH & DEATH OF A GLACIER

"Slowly, gently, the snowflake spirals downwards. It pirouettes through the sky, first drifting this way, then another, finally coming to rest on a precarious pile of powder."

Enjoy a new blog post from Wyatt Mullen—a Skagit-based landscape photographer, science communicator and former Institute instructor—and learn about the life-cycles of our Cascadian glaciers.

READ

SUMMER RETREAT FACILITIES

Reserve space this summer for your family reunion, retreat, group training or other gathering at the Environmental Learning Center! On the wooded shore of Diablo Lake in the heart of North Cascades National Park, this unique venue inspires reflection and connection to the natural world as well as to each other. Lodging, meals and learning opportunities included.

LEARN MORE

Discover your next great read with this series of presentations by authors, poets, artists and naturalists sharing their latest works. As part of this Spring Series, we're going to dig through Washington’s prehistoric past, read poetry, explore Zen, celebrate our kinship with wolves and listen to Rachel Carson’s words echo through the artwork of Nikki McClure as guest speakers share readings and artwork inspired by the wonders of the unique region we call home.

Saturday, March 23, 6pm
Spirit Whales & Sloth Tales: Fossils of Washington State
David B. Williams

Monday, April 8, 6pm
The Madrona Project Volume VI: The Empty Bowl Cookbook
Readings by Michael Daley, Tele Aadsen, Chuck Luckmann and others

Sunday, April 21, 2pm
Cascadian Zen: Bioregional Writings on Cascadia Here and Now
Readings by Paul Nelson, Jason Wirth, and Adelia MacWilliam

DISCOVER MORE EVENTS

CO-OP SHOPPING FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Join us at the Skagit Valley Food Co-op on Friday, March 22 and fill your cart in support of Mountain School! As part of its commitment to community giving, the Co-op will donate 4% of the day’s sales to help over 1000 Skagit County students access outdoor education. Mark your calendars to purchase healthy, local and organic products in Mount Vernon and help us get local students outside!

SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT: GEAR AID

For over a decade, GEAR AID has helped keep our youth programs (and their gear!) going strong on backcountry adventures, in all conditions. From cleaning to waterproofing to repairs, Gear Aid has helped the Institute offer hundreds of students life-changing experiences in nature by keeping our gear in service, season after season. We're honored to be one of their ongoing partner organizations, working together to champion renewal and reuse in the outdoors.