Field Notes from the North Cascades / October 2022 eNewsletter
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And just like that, with the Fall Equinox on September 21, summer is officially over and autumn is here. Luckily, we are big fans of the season, with crisp mornings, colors emerging in the trees around Diablo Lake, yummy harvest foods from local farms and the upcoming golden Larch spectacle!
We also love the fall because it means 5th graders getting off school buses at the Environmental Learning Center and crunching over fallen maple leaves with their overnight bags to start Mountain School. Elvis, our resident raven, is welcoming kids and invites you to make a donation, that will be matched 1:1. We're just $2,000 away from reaching $10,000 — will you help us reach our goal?
OCTOBER 2022
▸ BIRDING THE SALISH SEA ABOARD THE SNOW GOOSE
▸ FALL FIELD EXCURSIONS AND ONLINE CLASSES
▸ NATURE OF WRITING SPEAKER SERIES AT VILLAGE BOOKS
▸ SUMMER PHOTO ROUND-UP
This Fall, Mountain School will serve more than 1,000 students from 23 schools, including 21 public schools in Whatcom, Skagit, and Okanogan counties. And we're very excited to debut our new curriculum framework developed over the past few years to reflect changes in state learning standards, teaching requirements, student needs and our ever-changing world.
We're building up our crew of kitchen staff to keep hungry learners well-fed with local and organic foods this Fall and are offering up to $2,000 in Recruitment Incentive Bonuses for people who can commit to the positions into December. Details and applications at ncascades.org/jobs.
Institute News
ERIC BUHER'S MOUNTAIN SCHOOL JOURNEY
"Having been both a student and an instructor at Mountain School, I feel like I’ve come full-circle to now be the Manager of this much-beloved program. This Fall is an especially exciting moment in the history of Mountain School. Not only are we once again welcoming students to the Learning Center for overnight residential Mountain School ... but we are also rolling out an all-new curriculum that is the product of much dedicated and inspired work over the past three years."
THE POWER OF DIVERSITY IN YOUTH LEADERSHIP ADVENTURESHow does the diversity of participants on YLA backcountry trips increase the positive impacts on students? Why do cross-cultural conversations within groups make for stronger bonds of community? Trip leader Talia Schmitt ponders these questions and more under the starry night skies above Ross Lake this summer in a new blog post. |
PHOTO ROUND-UP: SUMMERTIME AT THE INSTITUTELearning can feel a lot like play around here—that's true in every season, but especially in summertime! Check out our latest collection of Institute photos showing the best moments from Youth Leadership Adventures, Day Programs at the Learning Center, Field Excursions, Family Getaways, and gift shops around North Cascades National Park! |
Upcoming Learning Opportunities
BIRDING THE SALISH SEA | October 29
Join us aboard the Snow Goose, a spacious 65-foot vessel captained by Dan Liden, as we explore the waters of Bellingham Bay, Lummi Island and surrounding areas in search of harlequin, long-tailed ducks, pacific loons, black oystercatchers, surf scoters and others. Our naturalist guide Amanda Colbert will help us identify and share the natural history of the bird species we encounter along the way. Rain or shine, all levels of birders welcome!
FIELD EXCURSIONS and ONLINE LEARNING
Oct 8, 15: Mushrooms of Cascadia - sold out, waitlist available
Oct 9: Befriending Fungi - AM and PM sessions (Bellingham)
Oct 12: Trees of the West with Molly Hashimoto (online)
Oct 26: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing, Prof. Katharine Hayhoe (online)
Oct 29: Birding the Salish Sea on the Snow Goose (Bellingham)
Nov 12: A Free Evening of Poetry with Rena Priest (online)
Nov 20: The Art of the Map with Véronique Robigou (online)
Scholarships and student, military and disability discounts may be available.
Vaccinations are required for in-person adult learning programs. See details here
SPEAKER SERIES | FALL 2022
Village Books and North Cascades Institute are excited to host outdoor writers and artists sharing their latest works this Fall. These events take place at Village Books' Reading Gallery in Fairhaven. Presentations are free, but they do require advanced registration—reserve your space online.
Lara Messersmith-Glavin's Spirit Things
Friday, October 7 at 7 pm | A collection of essays that evoke an adventurous spirit and the craving for myth, Spirit Things examines the hidden meanings of objects found on a fishing boat, as seen through the eyes of a child. Messersmith-Glavin blends memoir, mythology, and science as she relates the uniqueness of the Alaskan experience through her memories of growing up in the commercial salmon industry off Kodiak Island.
Syren Nagakyrie's The Disabled Hiker's Guide to Western Washington and Oregon
Saturday, October 8 at 7 pm | This new guide is the first book of its kind to consider the diverse needs of disabled people in the outdoors. This groundbreaking guidebook includes 60 outdoor adventures, including drive-up experiences, verified wheelchair accessible trails, and foot trails suitable for disabled hikers. This guide removes one of the barriers to access—a lack of information.
Molly Hashimoto's Trees of the West: An Artist's Guide
Sunday, October 16 at 4 pm | Artist Hashimoto has appreciated trees all her life and she pays homage to them through her new book, working in many different media, each revealing different aspects of these stalwart companions. Hashimoto delves into the process of creating art, discussing the mediums she uses and the reasons she chose them, as well as tips and techniques.
Josephine Woolington's Where We Call Home
Saturday, November 19 at 7 pm | Woolington turns back the clock to review historical events that have challenged Pacific Northwest wildlife and sheds light on the diverse species whose populations are slowly declining. Through interviews with educators, scientists and leaders from the Haida Nation, the Yakama Nation, the Makah Tribe and beyond, she invites us to decenter our singular perspective for a more empathic, collective approach.
2 WAYS to SUPPORT THE INSTITUTE
Next time you feel the itch to shop online, consider these options and feel good knowing your purchases help support North Cascades Institute!
Shop at smile.amazon.com and Amazon will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to North Cascades Institute (and other local charitable organizations of your choosing). Shopping through this program generates donations with no fees and no extra cost to you.
Shop in our online store for North Cascades National Park apparel, patches and magnets, a wide variety of books, prints, jewelry, toys, and activities for kids. Your purchases help fund youth education opportunities that create future generations of public lands stewards.
Top Photo: Fifth graders are back on campus for overnight Mountain School this fall
