Field Notes from the North Cascades / <currentmonthname> <currentyear> eNewsletter
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We welcomed the first days of February with the season’s first snowfall at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center—finally! The snow adds a layer of enchantment to our campus as staff return from a brief winter break to clean up, get organized, and prepare for the busy year ahead. From the operations team to the kitchen crew to Mountain School staff, energy and inspiration are returning to Diablo Lake! We also have openings for those eager to live, work, and play in the mountains with us this year—visit our jobs website to learn about housing, benefits, community, and our continuing commitment to supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workforce and among our program participants.
FEBRUARY 2025
▸ NEW SUMMER FIELD EXCURSIONS AND LEARNING CENTER SEMINARS
▸ NATURE OF WRITING SPRING SPEAKER SERIES IN B'HAM AND SEATTLE
▸ OUR JOURNEY TO CLIMATE NEUTRALITY
▸ THANK YOU LOCAL ROTARY CLUBS!
MOUNTAIN SCHOOL OPENINGS
Teachers, principals—bring your students to Fall 2025 Mountain School! We have rare openings in our schedule for 3-day 2-night sessions in our award-winning environmental education program. Contact us today to learn how you can bring your 5th grade class or school group to the Environmental Learning Center this Fall.
Learning Opportunities
WINTER/SPRING 2025 FIELD EXCURSIONS & ONLINE CLASSES
Feb 8 | Skagit Valley Winter Birding with Brendan McGarry - full, waitlist avail
Feb 15 | Watercolor Wildflowers with Claire Giordano - Online
Feb 19 | Restoring the Salish Sea with Joe Gaydos - Online
Mar 5 | Driving the Geologic Mysteries of the Cascades with Gina Roberti - Online
Mar 19 | Finding their Way: How Birds Migrate with David Lukas - Online
April 12 | Pacific Northwest Native Plants with Chris Byrd - Online
April 27 | A Day of Sea Veggie Foraging with Jennifer Hahn - full, waitlist avail
April 30 + May 7 | Frogs and Salamanders of the Puget Trough - Online Series
May 11 | Snake Count in the Methow Valley with Scott Fitkin & John Rohrer - full, waitlist avail
May 17-18 | San Juan Islands Exploration on the Orion - full, waitlist avail
May 10 | Spring Birding Bellingham Bay on the Snow Goose with Amanda Colbert & Dan Liden
June 6-8 | Spring Birding in the Methow Valley with Libby Mills
June 7 | Amphibians of PNW Ponds and Wetlands with Vikki Jackson and Stephen Nyman
July 19 | Carving and Conservation with Brendan McGarry
July 26 | Night Sky Photography at Artist Point with Juan Aguilera
Aug 22 | Floating the Skagit River's Geologic History with Jon Riedel and Triad Rafting
Sept 5-7 | North Cascades Naturalist Seminar with Chris Byrd
Sept 5-6 | Watercolor Wildflowers Seminar with Molly Hashimoto - Learning Center
Sept 27 | North Cascades Carnivores with Bill Gaines
Nov 16 | Drawing Mountains in Ink with Claire Giordano - Online
Scholarships + military, student and disability discounts are available for most programs
Questions? Contact us at info@ncascades.org or (360) 854-2599
RESTORING THE SALISH SEA WITH JOE GAYDOS |
GEOLOGIC MYSTERIES OF THE NORTH CASCADES |
Discover your next great read in presentations by authors, poets and naturalists sharing their new works! In partnership with our bookseller co-hosts at Village Books in Bellingham and Third Place Books in Seattle, our Nature of Writing Spring Series invites you to dive into Cascadian-inspired poetry collections; float and forage along the Pacific Northwest coast; journey deep into coastal rainforests and discover wildlife & geology just outside your door.
Born of Fire and Rain: Journey Into a Pacific Coastal Rainforest with M.L. Herring
Tuesday, Feb 18 at 7pm, Third Place Books, RavennaRivers In My Veins (poetry) with Kara Briggs
Sunday, March 2 at 5 pm, Village BooksThe Salmon Shanties: A Cascadian Song Cycle with Harold Rhenisch
March 10 at 6 pm, Village Books and March 11 at 7 pm, Third Place Books, RavennaPaddling the Salish Sea: 80 Trips in Puget Sound with Rob Casey
Saturday, March 22 at 5 pm, Village BooksWild Forest Home: Stories of Conservation in the Pacific Northwest with Betsy L. Howell
Friday, April 4 at 7 pm, Third Place Books, RavennaPacific Harvest: A Northwest Coast Foraging Guide with Jennifer Hahn
April 16 at 7 pm, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park and May 2 at 6 pm, Village BooksEncountering Dragonfly: Notes on the Practice of Re-Enchantment with Brooke Williams in conversation with Lyanda Lynn Haupt
Thursday, April 24 at 6 pm, Village Books
And more events in May—see our website for details!
FAMILY GETAWAYS 2025: FILLING FAST!
Join us for exciting Family Getaways July 4–6, 11–13, 25–27, and August 8–10. Each weekend will feature a fun slate of daily family activities, shared meals in our lakeside dining hall, and outdoor learning adventures for all ages. In the evenings, we’ll gather around the campfire for skits and songs under the North Cascades night sky. Anyone you call family is welcome—scholarships are available, too!
Institute News
SUMMER CONFERENCE & 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.
Spaces are filling fast so call today at (206) 526-2573 or use our Information Request Form.
FALL 2024 PHOTO ROUND-UPBefore we look ahead to 2025, join us on our blog to revisit the final months of 2024, when we had a blast helping people of all ages explore our natural neighborhood. Highlights include Mountain School, high schoolers in Youth for the Environment and People, Base Camp, and adventures in birding, mushrooming, and fall colors photography! |
CARBON NEUTRALITY JOURNEYIn 2020, our Board of Directors launched “Conservation in Practice,” setting an ambitious goal: climate neutrality by 2030. Do you know what has the biggest impact on our total emissions? Discover our journey to shrink our carbon footprint through direct emission cuts and investments in carbon credits to offset those emissions we can’t eliminate. |
SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT
Did you know that your local service club can support the Institute’s youth programs? We are incredibly grateful to the generous members of the Rotary Club of Mill Creek and the Rotary Club of La Conner for supporting our youth programs in 2024. Their support helped make it possible for us to serve nearly 1,700 students in Mountain School last year, providing immersive nature experiences to youth from different backgrounds and communities. Contact us to schedule a presentation for your service club to learn more!
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.
MAKE A LASTING IMPACT WITH PLANNED GIVING
Do you love the North Cascades? One of the best ways to show your admiration and help protect the natural world is by naming North Cascades Institute as a beneficiary in your will, life insurance plan, trust, or retirement account. In doing so, you’ll inspire future generations to become lifelong stewards of this special place. Learn more about joining our Headwaters Club Legacy Circle today!
Top Image: Ross Lake February 2025, by Jodi Broughton
