Chattermarks

As most of you know, getting around in northwestern Washington got a little bit trickier last month when the Interstate 5 bridge collapsed in to the Skagit River. Luckily, nobody was seriously injured, and concerns have shifted to travel hassles. All of our programs at the Learning Center and in the field are running as scheduled, but we are advising visitors destined for the Learning Center from the Seattle area and other points to the south to give yourself approximately 30 minutes extra for navigating the detour, or better yet, consider taking the Highway 530 Arlington-to-Rockport route. Visitors destined for the Learning Center coming from Bellingham and other points north are advised to take the Cook Road exit to connect with Highway 20.

The Washington State DOT website has a detour map at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Construction/PugetSound/detourmap.html.

Please feel free to call us at (360) 854-2599 if you have questions.

So, what are Group Rentals?

Great question! In a nutshell, it’s a unique program that gives you the opportunity to create your own custom event at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center.

If you’re in search of a venue to host your next business conference, board retreat, wedding or most any other kind of gathering, the Learning Center is the perfect location. Our sustainable, Silver-LEED certified Learning Center is more than simply a place. It’s a retreat inside a national park, surrounded by snowcapped peaks, old-growth forests, glacial lakes, and a stunning display of biodiversity

» Continue reading The inside scoop on group rentals

Explore the Pacific Northwest this year with North Cascades Institute and learn what makes our corner of the continent so special with hands-on, intimate experiences at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center and in the field.

Our new slate of adult classes exploring the natural and cultural history of our unique region includes printmaking * corvids * field sketching * Thunder Creek backpack * watercolors * hawkwatching * “Lookout Poets and Backcountry Tales” on Ross Lake  * dragonflies * digital photography * Mount Baker geology * ecology of the gray wolf, wolverine, lynx and grizzly bear * birds of Bellingham Bay and more! Full list at www.ncascades.org/classes.

Plan now to take advantage of our Early Bird discount: sign up for any adult class starting after May 10, with tuition over $125, and receive $20 off per person for each registration.

To take advantage of this limited time offer, call our registrars at (360) 854-2599, email nci@ncascades.org, or stop by our office at 810 State Rt 20, Sedro-Woolley WA 98284, M-F, 9-4. It’s a great opportunity to sign up for as many classes as you like and save!

Offer expires April 15. Tuition must be paid in full at time of registration. This discount cannot be applied to Family Getaways, Base Camp or Skagit Tours and cannot be combined with scholarships.

North Cascades Institute is excited to announce our brand-new Youth Leadership Adventures program for motivated students ages 14-18 in Washington and Oregon. Youth Leadership Adventures combines two of our successful and popular programs – North Cascades Wild and Cascades Climate Challenge – to offer the best of both: outdoor education, conservation and stewardship in the North Cascades!

Youth Leadership Adventures feature a range of summer opportunities for high school-aged students on our local public lands, as well as a fall Youth Leadership Conference, year-round mentorship and local stewardship opportunities.

During 8 and 15-day summer expeditions, students canoe, camp, backpack and complete service projects in the North Cascades backcountry – including Ross, Diablo and Baker Lakes – while receiving hands-on training in outdoor leadership, field science, communication skills and public speaking.

This partnership program with North Cascades National Park and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest connects youth to wild places while instilling a sense of responsibility and ownership so they can make a difference in their home communities. Participants will make new friends, gain confidence and leadership skills, enhance their resume and college applications, earn community service hours, and explore the North Cascades wilderness, all while having the best summer of their life!

This program has immense power to change kids’ lives, all for the better. I learned so many life skills…. it’s really given me a chance to find myself. I can honestly say this has been the best decision of my life.
— Nick A., 2009 participant.

» Continue reading Youth Leadership Adventures 2013: new video!

In the spirit of giving back to all of you who have supported us over the years, as well as to encourage new friends, North Cascades Institute is pleased to offer extended value gift certificates during this holiday season. These limited edition gift certificates offer $100 value for only $80 and can be used toward 2013 Institute programs.

We’ll also include a package of our blank note cards featuring art from Molly Hashimoto, John Cole and other artist friends of the Institute.

Share your love of the Pacific Northwest with friends, family and other loved ones by giving them a gift that will enrich their lives and provide a way to get outdoors in a meaningful way. Gift certificates can be used for Institute tuition-based programs including Family Getaways, Base Camp, Field Excursions, Learning Center classes and other offerings (not valid for Skagit Tours, bookstores or youth programs).

And yes, it’s okay to gift yourself too!

To take advantage of this special limited time offer,

1. Call our registrar at (360) 854-2599, or
2. Email nci@ncascades.org, or
3. Stop by our Sedro-Woolley office at 810 State Rt 20, Sedro-Woolley WA 98284, 9-4 M-F.

We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, cash and personal checks. This is a limited time offer valid through December 20, 2012. For holiday arrival, please purchase by December 17, 2012.

We look forward to talking with you soon!

Over Veteran’s Day weekend 63 students participated in the third annual Youth Leadership Conference, held at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center. This year, the three-day conference was funded in large part by the Henry M Jackson Foundation—named after the man who was largely responsible for the creation of North Cascades National Park.

Attendees of this conference are high school students and college freshmen who have participated in stewardship programs on public lands in the Pacific Northwest. These programs range far and wide, and include Cascade Climate Challenge, North Cascades Wild, Mountain School, Mountains to Sound Greenway, the National Park Service, North Vancouver Outdoor School, Youth Conservation Corps, the US Forest Service, Washington Trails Association, Student Conservation Association, International District Housing Association WILD Program, Seattle Parks and Rec Outdoor Opportunities Program, and the Oregon Zoo Animal Presenters.

Participants on the first day during a get-to-know-you game

College students Kassandra and Grace, youth participants in the 2011 conference, came back this year as Small Group Leaders and chaperones

Participants of the Youth Leadership Conference gather around a campfire to share stories and songs

» Continue reading Youth Leaders Come Together at North Cascades Institute

North Cascades Institute heartily congratulates our friend Dr. Jon Riedel of North Cascades National Park. Last week, National Park Service Pacific West Regional Director Chris Lehnertz  announced the 2012  Awards for Natural Resource Management and Riedel, based in Sedro-Woolley, was rightly recognized. Here’s the official statement on Jon’s award, followed by some appreciations written by staff and students of the Institute who have worked with Jon in the field over the years…

Dr. Jon Riedel, North Cascades National Park geologist, has been recognized for three significant accomplishments. First, he led the team that, over the course of four years, developed the Stehekin River Corridor Implementation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. This comprehensive planning effort uses the best available science to protect natural and cultural resources, support the private community of Stehekin, and establish sustainable administrative facilities – all while continuing to provide high-quality recreational experiences for the public. Second, he developed the landmark North Cascades Glacier Monitoring Program. This program, which is in its 20th year, has set the standard for glacier monitoring in the National Park Service and is at the forefront of understanding the impacts of climate change on the North Cascades ecosystem. Third, he has passionately served as a teacher and mentor. He uses his extensive professional knowledge to serve as an informative and entertaining instructor for youth and adults. He also inspires youth to consider science-based careers through his work with the North Cascades Institute, including the nationally renowned Cascades Climate Challenge.

“Jon is one of those rare scientists who is also a superb teacher and mentor. He has been inspiring people since I met him in the mid-80′s—with his unique blend of enthusiasm, deep curiosity, academic rigor, and a love for this special part of the world. I remember one of his early presentations on glaciers in the North Cascades. After a thorough introduction to the science, he moved us with a series of amazing mountain images combined with music. He speaks to both head and heart, and both at a high level. It’s been an honor to work with him over so many years.” – Saul Weisberg, Executive Director

» Continue reading Congratulations Jon Riedel!

North Cascades Institute presents “Journey through the Arctic with Debbie Miller:” A multimedia presentation and book release party
Wed, October 17: Walton Theatre at the Mount Baker Theatre, Bellingham, 7pm
Thurs, October 18: Skagit Transit Hub, Mount Vernon, 7 pm
No advanced tickets required; donations accepted at door. Details at http://ncascades.org/signup/programs/special-events#debbie-miller

Debbie Miller is on a mission.

Having spent considerable time in the far reaches of Arctic Alaska, she’s found a wilderness wonderland that most of us have never heard of. It is a landscape of superlative natural riches — the largest herd of caribou in America, the highest concentration of grizzly bears in the Arctic, millions of nesting migratory birds, beluga whales, polar bears, walruses, salmon, spotted seals, the list goes on and on. It is, like most untouched places, under threat of resource extraction and industrialization, and that is where Miller’s mission comes in to focus: spreading the gospel about this unspoiled terrain that belongs to each and every American.

So, why haven’t most of us heard about this special place? Call it bad branding.

“The National Petroleum Reserve” is not a name that inspires wonder and awe. It sounds like the place you’d stop to fill up the gas tank on your way to the much more famous Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which lies to the east.

And yet, this reserve — larger than the state of Maine, ten times as big as Yellowstone National Park — is the largest unit of public lands in the US. Its 23 million acres are home to the largest river (Colville) and lake (Teshekpuk) in Arctic Alaska, the aforementioned riches of wildlife and migratory bird habitat, the most prolific site of dinosaur fossils of any polar region on earth and more than 10,000 years of native inhabitation and history.

It also, not surprisingly, holds oil and natural gas resources, and neighbors the 1000-square-mile industrial oil-field development of Prudhoe Bay and other North Slope complexes.

While there are designated “special areas” within the Reserve  — denoting exceptional wildlife, recreational, subsistence, historical and scenic values — not a single acre has permanent protection.

Miller’s new book On Arctic Ground: Tracking Time Through Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve aims to change that. She is traveling around the country giving multimedia presentations that combine photography, soundscapes, scientific findings and storytelling, bringing her journeys through the Reserve to life.

She hopes to win over the hearts and minds of Americans, introduce them to this hidden gem and inspire actions towards protecting the best, most profound places within the Reserve.

» Continue reading Journey through the Arctic with Debbie Miller

This Saturday, September 29, North Cascades Institute is either hosting or involved with not one, not two, but three special events in Seattle, the Skagit Valley and North Cascades. We invite you to join us where you see fit. Please read on for details!

Public reading of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail at the Conway Muse, 1-3 pm, SOLD OUT!

Private dinner and reading with Cheryl Strayed at Nell Thorn restaurant in La Conner, 5 pm, $100 tickets available at http://ncascades.org/signup/programs/dinner-with-cheryl-strayed or (360) 854-2599.

North Cascades Institute is excited to welcome author Cheryl Strayed to the Skagit Valley on Saturday, September 29, for two fundraisers for Institute youth programs. Strayed will read from the best-selling book Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, her powerful, blazingly honest memoir that was recently chosen as the first book in Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club 2.0.

In the afternoon, join us at the Conway Muse, a charming and eclectic venue inside a converted 1915 Scandinavian barn in the lower Skagit Valley, just minutes off of Interstate 5. Strayed will read favorite passages from Wild, answer questions and sign books. Wild, along with her new title Dear Sugar, will be available for purchase, along with lunch, beer and wine.

In the evening, you’re invited to join Strayed at a dinner engagement for a more intimate experience with this in-demand author. Nell Thorn restaurant in La Conner specializes in preparing meals in tune with the seasons, with an emphasis on delicious food, sustainable ingredients and nourishment.

Proceeds from both events will support North Cascades Wild, Mountain School and Cascades Climate Challenge, Institute programs designed to get kids outdoors in to the North Cascades for free or reduced cost. More info at www.ncascades.org/youth.

Fall 2012 Sourdough Speaker Series: “Edible Pacific Northwest” with Jill Lightner

Join us for a delicious night celebrating the tastes of the Pacific Northwest in the peak of fall harvest. Jill Ligtner, editor of the James Beard Foundation 2011 Publication of the Year Edible Seattle, has been a food writer for over a decade. She is passionate about the Pacific Northwest’s locally-sourced ingredients as well as its abundance of imported cultures.

“I want farmers to be as famous as rock stars,” Lightner says when discussing her work as editor and food writer. “Not just farmers—also fishers, food artisans, wine makers and brewers, bakers, cheese makers…you get the idea. My real mission is to promote sustainable food at all levels of our local economy: healthy farmland, rivers and oceans, lower use of fossil fuel, a living wage and safe working conditions for those in the food industry, and keeping as many dollars within the community as is feasible.”

Lightner edited the brand-new Edible Seattle: The Cookbook, a celebration of our region’s diverse, delicious and dynamic food culture. Brimming with tempting photographs, the cookbook features engage profiles of the people, places and ingredients that make our Pacific Northwest cuisine so unique, along with more than 100 recipes and valuable tips, techniques and ideas. Alongside famous culinary landmarks like the Pike Place Market, Volunteer Park Café, Le Gourmand and Theo Chocolate, Lightner profiles several of the fantastic producers from the Skagit Valley, including Bow’s Gothberg Farms, Skagit River Ranch, and Samish Bay’s Taylor Shellfish.

Our talented kitchen staff at the Learning Center, who share Lightner’s passion for local producers and sustainable agriculture, will create a special menu for this evening that utilizes the best the season has to offer. Expect fresh produce, healthful fare and exquisite tastes, as well as Lightner’s engaging stories about covering the Puget Sound’s food revolution of the past decade!

Register at http://ncascades.org/signup/programs/jill-lightner-edible-pnw or by calling (360) 854-2599.

Senator Jackson Centennial Celebration
Saturday, September 29, 2012 at Kane Hall, University of Washington

Join SCA, North Cascades Institute and the Jackson Foundation in celebrating the life and works of the late Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson and our young conservation leaders who carry on this legacy. We’re hosting a forum led by student leaders from SCA and Institute youth programs with a discussion panel that includes SCA’s founder Liz Titus Putnam. The evening will highlight the past connections, the present conservation efforts, and the goals for the future.
Senator Henry M. Jackson spent over 30 years of his life representing Washington State in the U.S. Congress. The list of Jackson’s contributions to the Pacific Northwest and our nation is long.

During his time of service, he crafted key pieces of legislation including the Wilderness Act of 1964 leading to the establishment and preservation of wilderness areas. He promoted legislation that led to the foundation of national parks, including North Cascades National Park and San Juan Island Historic Park, among others.

Jackson’s influence was not limited to the Northwest region. He ensured the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Public Lands for Parks Bill in 1969. He continued to support conservation efforts and investment in our youth when he later collaborated with fellow Washington State Senator Warren G. Magnuson to establish the Youth Conservation Corps, placing young Americans in conservation service opportunities in national parks and wilderness areas throughout the country.

Register online at http://members.thesca.org/site/Calendar?id=105861&view=Detail

Questions? Call Shelley Green at 206-324-4649, ext. 4812

On Tuesday, August 28, at 7 pm, North Cascades Institute co-presents a screening of the documentary film “The Fire Inside: Place, Passion and Primacy of Nature” at Village Books (1200 11th St, Bellingham). The showing will be followed by a discussion led by Saul Weisberg, executive director of North Cascades Institute, and film producers Phil Walker and Dr. Rebecca Gould. “The Fire Inside” is a 30 minute documentary that asks provocative questions and offers thoughtful perspectives on our relationship to the natural world and the ecological crises we face today. What is nature? And what is the human experience of that world? In the everyday push of our modern lives , what connections have been lost and what remain? This film, set in the San Juan Island, follows a small, diverse group on a contemplative retreat as they explore the wildness about them and the passion for place within.

You can find out more about the film at  fireinsidefilm.com

» Continue reading “The Fire Inside” doc at Village Books with Saul Weisberg, Aug 28