Field Notes from the North Cascades / May 2024 eNewsletter
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Welcome to the month of May! It's Give BIG for Youth time and we hope you're planning to join us! Are you enjoying the profundity of greenery and chorus of birdsong? Enjoy this transition while it lasts, because....
The end of spring
lingers
in the cherry blossoms
— Buson
We're excited to announce that the 2024 Skagit Tours season is open for registration, including Diablo Lake Boat Tours and the ever-popular "Dam Good" Chicken Dinner feasts in Newhalem. Both options are a great way to spend a day in the North Cascades whether you are a local or out-of-town visitor. More info & registration at ncascades.org/skagit-tours.
MAY 2024
▸ DIABLO LAKE BOAT TOURS SET SAIL JULY 3!
▸ YOUTH LEADERSHIP ADVENTURES AT THE POOL
▸ NATURE OF WRITING SPEAKER SERIES AT VILLAGE BOOKS: GLACIERS, WHALES & ECOLOGICAL FORESTRY
▸ STAFF GIVE BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY
The third month of Mountain School is underway and we look forward to welcoming 5th graders from Mount Vernon, Sedro Wooley, La Conner and Blaine to our campus on Diablo Lake. Meanwhile, the recruitment season for this summer's Youth Leadership Adventures trips—nine in total!—is wrapping up and applications for summer backpacking and canoe camping trips close May 2. Students can still apply and be added to our waitlist—many waitlisted students end up on trips every year! Learn more at ncascades.org/youth.
Join us May 7-8 for Give BIG for Youth!
Magnify your impact with $36,000 in matching funds thanks to supporters Eric Hirst, Brian & Debby Peterman, Erin Rohan & Chris Nosko, Jane Talbot, Saul & Shelley Weisberg, Lee Whitford and Andy Wickstrand.
Beginning JULY 3, North Cascades Institute, in partnership with Seattle City Light, offers visitors fun, interactive tours of the Upper Skagit Valley and North Cascades National Park. Experience the jaw-dropping beauty of Diablo Lake and the North Cascades, learn about the history of the Upper Skagit Hydroelectric Project and enjoy a home-cooked lunch at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center or dinner at the Gorge Inn!
For personalized assistance or questions, contact our registration team Monday-Friday 8:30 am - 4:30 pm at (360) 854-2599.
Learning Opportunities
FIELD EXCURSIONS, ONLINE CLASSES & EVENTS
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 11 | Salish Seaweed Garden with Jennifer Hahn- waitlist available
May 12 | Snake Count in the Methow Valley - waitlist available
May 18-19 | San Juan Islands Exploration on the Orion - waitlist available
May 31-June 2 | Spring Birding in the Methow Valley with Libby Mills - waitlist available
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 10 | Northwest Pollinator Diversity with Bob Gillespie - new!
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
Oct 26 | Baker Lake Fungal Foray with Erin Moore
Nov 2 | Mushrooms of Cascadia with Evan Holstrum - Deception Pass
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.
STAY & PLAY IN THE NORTH CASCADES
Looking for ways to stay in North Cascades National Park this summer? We have two great options at the Learning Center!
BASE CAMP LEARNING & LODGING offers learning activities with Institute naturalists, three delicious meals and overnight accommodations in our guest lodges. Bookings available June-August
FAMILY GETAWAYS likewise include tasty meals, accommodations and a daily slate of engaging, hands-on activities and outdoor adventures designed for people of all ages. We welcome anyone you call a family: parents, grandparents, children, guardians, aunts and uncles, friends, and nontraditional families. Scholarships are available for this program—call (360) 854-2599. July-August (filling fast!)
SPRING BIRDING ON THE SNOW GOOSE |
CHASING BUTTERFLIES IN THE NORTH CASCADES |
Discover your next read with this Spring series of presentations by authors, poets and artists sharing their latest works at Village Books in Fairhaven. We’ll read poetry, explore Zen, celebrate our kinship with herbs, learn about herbal medicine, and appreciate the art of Nikki McClure as guest speakers share their work inspired by the region we call home.
Jordan Scott's Angela’s Glacier
Sunday, May 5, 6pm
An all-ages family event to listen to award-winning author Scott’s luminously-illustrated love story of a girl growing up in the shadow of a glacier that’s always there to listen
Brenda Peterson's Wild Chorus: Finding Harmony with Whales, Wolves, and Other Animals
Friday, May 17, 6pm
Peterson explores how wild animals can become our guides and fellow travelers, helping us navigate the stresses of daily life and a rapidly changing planet
Seth Zuckerman and Kirk Hanson's A Forest of Your Own
Thursday, May 30, 6pm
In this comprehensive how-to, the authors explore all aspects of ecological forest management
Institute News
YOUTH LEADERSHIP ADVENTURES & FRIENDS AT THE POOL
Our Youth Leadership team has been partnering with Vamos, Skagit Valley YMCA and the GEAR UP program to help facilitate swim lessons for Latine, migrant and bilingual students from Burlington-Edison High School over the past several weeks. Comfort in and around the water leads to increased comfort going on a canoeing trip, which means more students who may decide to come on one of our YLA backcountry trips! Students the first week were generally shy and hesitant, but at the last session there was lots of laughter, underwater somersaults, races, mutual encouragement, healthy risk-taking—as well as lots of improved skill in the water!
SUMMER RETREAT FACILITIESReserve space this summer for your 2024 family reunion, retreat, training or other group gathering at the Environmental Learning Center! On the wooded shore of Diablo Lake in North Cascades National Park, this unique venue inspires reflection and connection to the natural world and each other. Lodging, meals and naturalist-led learning opportunities included. |
JOIN OUR TEAMAre you inspired to work in North Cascades National Park this summer? We’re hiring these positions to support programs at the Environmental Learning Center:
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STAFF GIVING BACK THROUGH SERVICE
The Institute provides paid service days to our staff and encourages everyone to use those hours to volunteer with a local nonprofit organization or government agency each year. A new blog post collects the creative ways that this benefit contributes to our local community, from working with animal shelters and 4H to teaching meditation classes to assisting our friends at North Cascades National Park with wildlife surveys and plant restoration.
SHOP & SUPPORT THE INSTITUTE
Shop in our online store for North Cascades National Park apparel, patches and magnets, books and field guides, art prints and postcards, jewelry, and activities for kids. Your purchases help fund our youth education opportunities and create the next generation of public lands stewards.
Top Image: School bus and Pyramid Peak—a classic view from the Environmental Learning Center during Spring Mountain School; by Baylee Goodwin
