Chattermarks

We are pleased to offer a special limited-edition poster commemorating North Cascades Institute’s 25th anniversary. This high-quality poster features a new painting by watercolor artist Molly Hashimoto, who also is the featured artist on our catalog this year and is teaching two workshops at the Learning Center. Her piece depicts an iconic view from the Learning Center of Pyramid Peak, Diablo Lake and a detail of Diablo Dam.

We’re selling these posters for $10 in all five of our bookstores, including the Learning Center, Stehekin, Newhalem and Marblemount. We’re also making them available to purchase by phone or email for $15 includes tax and shipping/handling).

To purchase one of these keepsake posters from afar, please email nci@ncascades.org or call (360) 854-2599. All of the proceeds from the sale of these posters will help us to fund outdoor education opportunities for local youth!

Here’s Molly sharing some thoughts on her painting and this particular view:

» Continue reading 25th Anniversary posters for sale

I’ve often found that while hiking, walking or biking through the forest, the noise I make can be so loud that it’s a wonder that I ever see a bird, snake or squirrel before it charges off in what can only be a fit of disgust. Let’s face it, our chances of watching a pair of weasels dance between the salal are considerably lessened as we stomp down the trail with a sixty-pound pack, screaming feet, and an internal dialogue as focused as the spray from a twelve-gauge shotgun. The quiet moments we have in nature are when the forest truly becomes alive. The subtle sounds we lose when we are not focused jump to the forefront when we quiet ourselves internally and externally: something scurrying under last season’s bracken fern, the buzzing of the hummingbird as it races from the blooming currant and huckleberry, and the birds, so many birds.

So here’s the thing, I have a hard time sitting still and not doing anything, but I really love the world that is revealed to me when I am quiet and focused. I can sit down on the forest floor, in the shadows cast by Douglas firs, in a sea of salal and Oregon grape, and draw.  The loudest noise I want to make is the sound of pencil on paper. Believe it or not, this sound can be almost deafening in the absence of almost all other sounds. As it is quite unnatural, I have found on more than one occasion that birds and mammals can’t resist the chance to figure out what is making the noise. This is my favorite part of being outside and drawing.

» Continue reading Naturalizing Through Pencil and Paper

I like taking photos. I really like taking photos. I have taken tens of thousands of photos in my life, many of them over the course of the past three years. There is some human desire to capture and save moments of our lives, experiences, places, and people, and relive them. Today’s technology allows for people to capture life in the form of photographs at an almost unimaginable rate. In January of this year, Facebook reported that a record breaking 750 million photos were uploaded to Facebook over the course of a single weekend. Printed and put into physical photo albums, the resulting stack of all of the albums would be taller than six Mount Everest’s placed on top of each other. All from one single weekend.

While I do enjoy taking photos, there is also something to be said about not taking photos. When I hold a camera in my hand, or even just have a camera in my possession, I am unable to be fully present in the moment. There is always a bit of me asking “Should I take a picture of that? Will I ever see that again? How can I share this with my friends?” I am not completely experiencing life in the here and now. I feel a moment I will never experience again has slipped away. Over the past few years I have been wrestling with a balance between taking photos and not taking photos. Leaving my camera at home for some outdoor excursions and taking it with me at other times seems to be a decent compromise.

» Continue reading Living Life in the Here and Now

In celebration of our 25th year of connecting people to nature through hands-on experiences in the outdoors, North Cascades Institute has opened over 50 new programs for registration, ranging from natural history classes focused on birds, butterflies and bugs to family camps, art and writing retreats and backcountry adventures in North Cascades National Park. All the details are now available at www.ncascades.org/get_outside or by calling (360) 854-2599.

Plan ahead to join us and take advantage of the Early Bird discount. From now through the Spring Equinox (March 20), when you sign up for most programs with tuition over $100, you’ll receive $25 off each registration. It’s a great opportunity to sign up for as many as you like and save! (The Early Bird discount is not valid for Family Getaways or Base Camp and cannot be combined with scholarships. Tuition must be paid in full at time of registration.)

To register with the Early Bird discount, call us at (360) 854-2599.

The 2011 slate of North Cascades Institute programs for people of all ages includes Family Getaways, Base Camp, the Sourdough Speaker Series, Diablo Downtimes and over 30 different classes and extended retreats that explore the natural and cultural history of the Pacific Northwest. Class topics range from art (watercoloring, digital photography, cedar weaving), biology (corvids, dragonflies, rare carnivores, butterflies, mushrooms, birding), history (of the Skagit dams, of Ross Lake, of Washington State trails), writing (poetry, natural history essays, blogging) and field excursions (exploring Mt. Baker, Seattle, Ross and Diablo Lakes in North Cascades National Park). The roster of teaching staff includes Robert Michael Pyle, Dennis Paulson, Tim McNulty, Libby Mills, Molly Hashimoto, Lyanda Lynn Haupt, Langdon Cook, Mark Turner, Ana Maria Spagna, Jennifer Hahn and Nick O’Connell. More information and registration at www.ncascades.org/get_outside

Most Institute classes take place at North Cascades Environmental Learning Center, our award-winning green facility on Diablo Lake in the heart of the North Cascades run in partnership between the Institute, National Park Service and Seattle City Light. Other classes take place in the field, exploring the natural history of Seattle, the Skagit and Methow Valleys, the Arid Land Ecology Reserve and North Cascades backcountry.

By Molly Hashimoto

Teaching landscape watercolor in summer and autumn at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center on Diablo Lake encompasses everything I love best: peaks, forests, water, wildlife and enthusiastic fellow artists. When I am at home in Seattle, I seek out the quieter parks nearby, especially Union Bay Natural Area, also known as the Montlake Fill, which seems to have a little of all those things I treasure in the North Cascades.

It is surprising that a place so rich with wildlife is less than a mile from the University Village shopping center, right off Sandpoint Way east of the University of Washington, and adjacent to its enormous parking lots. You can be entirely unaware of all that bustle, although in winter you can see the buildings to the north through a grove of leafless cottonwoods. The Natural Area is on land owned by the University of Washington.

In 1895, Lake Washington was lowered and the University was moved from downtown to its present site, which included the marshy land exposed by the lowering of the lake. At that time no one could think of a way to use this area, so in 1926, when the City of Seattle asked the University if they could pay to use it as a dump and a landfill, the university agreed. In 1971, the Fill finally closed. In 1977, the University’s regents approved a plan that would create an arboretum and keep a natural area for the study of horticulture, as well as a wild area.

Top: First Light, North Cascades, watercolor on paper. Above: Swans, Union Bay, woodblock print. One of the most beautiful sights I’ve seen at the Natural Area were the trumpeter swans in Yesler Cove in late winter of 2009. They are rare visitors, and that year they graced us with their presence for several days—seeing them inspired the design for this woodblock print.

» Continue reading Union Bay Wild: An Artist’s View

Last week, North Cascades Institute was the beneficiary of a major piece of artwork from Qwest Communications, thanks in large part to its creator, Northwest sculptor Tony Angell. “Ascending Eagles” is cast bronze, approximately 12 feet tall (including its granite base, part of the composition) and was commissioned by Qwest. It stood in front of Qwest headquarters in downtown Seattle until a few years ago.

Lofty and inspiring, “Ascending Eagles” interprets the role of the bald eagle in the natural and cultural history of the Pacific Northwest. It will be a great addition to the Institute’s educational and interpretive programs. Tony Angell is a friend of the Institute, former director of environmental education for Washington’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and a leader in the conservation of Northwest environments. He is a highly regarded Northwest artist and his most recent books include “Puget Sound Through an Artist’s Eye” and “In the Company of Crows and Ravens” (co-written with John Martzluff). Tony is thrilled his work will be part of North Cascades Institute, recently writing “Tears came to my eyes seeing these old friends come back to life in the most perfect place.  I couldn’t be happier.”

If you’d like to see more of Tony’s work, visit www.fosterwhite.com/dynamic/artist.asp?ArtistID=58

A second set of work included in this gift depicts river otters.

Watching these magnificent animals in the changing light, glistening in the rain, and catching people’s eyes as they round a corner of a trail, is magical.

The move and installation was conducted by Artech of Seattle, our region’s leading art handling service. Qwest is donating the cost of art handling and installation. This is a terrific show of support from Qwest and Tony for the work the Institute does and we hope that everyone will enjoy this addition to our campus. We’ll have a proper celebration this coming spring. Until then, say hello in eaglesquack or otterspeak next time you’re at the Learning Center.

Watercolors and wildlife: North Cascades Institute courses offer arts and outdoors

By SHANNON DININNY

The Associated Press

DIABLO, Wash.

For their 10th wedding anniversary, Kori Crane’s husband handed her a check and told her she could only spend it on an art class.

Not just any art class.

Crane designed and painted silk scarves in the remote wilderness of North Cascades National Park, drawing on the majestic mountains and towering pines for inspiration.

Nestled at the foot of Sourdough Mountain and on the shore of Diablo Lake, the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center is home to fine arts, writing, cultural and natural history courses, as well as family weekends that include kayaking, hiking, boating and fun.

Front and center, though, is the wilderness. One of the most remote national parks in the U.S., North Cascades offers miles of hiking trails, abundant wildlife and panoramic views of rugged peaks and glacier-fed lakes far from an urban center.

Crane, 39, of Mount Vernon, Wash., had visited the lodge once before for a hiking day. Already an active quilter and fiber artist but recovering from a recent shoulder injury, she made the trip to the North Cascades last year aiming to try something new.

“I enjoy color a lot, so really being able to play with color on a grand scale is wonderful,” she said. “The atmosphere is inspiring for art.”

Seattle City Light built the five-acre facility as part of its Skagit River dam license for hydropower. The nonprofit North Cascades Institute manages the 16-building campus, which opened in 2005, and its adult course offerings help finance youth education programs.

Molly Hashimoto has traveled to the lodge for six years to teach watercolor classes, and the getaway hasn’t lost its magic.

“For me, it’s the ease of getting outdoors, and the beauty is unparalleled. The scale — it’s awesome,” she said. “You wouldn’t find that many places in the country where you can see from sea level to a mountain peak, almost a vertical mile. It’s awe-inspiring.”

The center’s wood floors and cedar walls are warm, earthy and inviting, with buildings named after trees found in the nearby woods: pine, maple, cedar, fir. The dining room overlooks the lake, where boat tours glide by. Meals are included and feature local, often organic, ingredients.

It’s already drawn visitors from across the country.

Donna Woodland, 49, of Montoursville, Pa., traveled with a friend from Oregon to work on watercolor landscapes, a progression from her nature journals and sketches at home.

“If I don’t draw for a few days or weeks, I find it affects my mood,” she said. “This forces me to draw around other people. Otherwise this is a solitary thing, and everyone sees things differently. You get feedback.”

Gazing across Diablo Lake at Colonial and Pyramid peaks, Hashimoto said she’d like to see more young people sign up for art courses. People with young families tend toward the family getaway weekends, she said, and people without families “are just working too hard.”

“Art is one of those things people should splurge on for themselves,” she said.

One of her regular students, Len Eisenhood of Seattle, also made the trip with his wife for their 40th wedding anniversary. She took a journaling course, while he focused on his watercolors.

“We love the Northwest, and to have this time dedicated to being in this gorgeous setting dawn to dusk was something to say yes to,” he said. “It’s a privilege to be here and have this time.”

Molly Hashimoto’s sketchbook

» Continue reading AP: Mountains Inspire in North Cascades Art Courses

When you plan your next trip into the North Cascades, be sure to visit the retail sales areas located in NPS visitors centers in and around North Cascades National Park. Thanks to a new agreement with the Park and Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, the Institute provides a broad selection of books, maps, trail guides and gifts sure to interest any outdoor enthusiast. You’ll find new North Cascadian t-shirts, water bottles, postcards and publications that we’ve created especially for the region too, tapping in to the wealth of photography and art produced by our local friends like John Scurlock, Becky Fletcher, Brett Baunton and John D’Onofrio.

“We’ve been teaching people about the North Cascades for more than 24 years,” said Saul Weisberg, executive director. “Providing visitors with the tools and information they need to explore our public lands is an exciting next step for us.”

» Continue reading Visit the Institute’s new retail sites

Spring into Summer with the Institute’s Early Bird Discount! From now through March 31st, when you sign up for one of our 2010 programs — Diablo Downtimes, art or writing retreats, natural history excursions, Ross Lake journeys or any program with tuition over $100 — you will receive $50.00 off each class registration. It’s a great opportunity to sign up for as many as you like and save!

We’ve just completed uploading dozens of new educational adventures for people of all ages to our website and we’re open for registration. Please visit www.ncascades.org/get_outside to view the Institute’s many unique spring and summer offerings. This year, we’re teaching birding, Pacific Northwest weather with Cliff Mass, basket-making with natural materials, digital photography, papercutting art with Nikki McClure, wilderness orienteering, wildflowers and pollinators, watercoloring and journal-making, wildlife tracking and more, including the 2010 Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival.

To register with the Early Bird $50 discount, call us at our NEW number, (360) 854-2599 (This discount is not valid for Family Getaways or Base Camp and cannot be combined with scholarships).

Guest post by Molly Hashimoto

Abby Williams Hill visited Horseshoe Basin in the North Cascades in 1903 after an arduous journey by steamer on Lake Chelan, on horseback and on foot.  Her commission from the Great Northern Railway was to create 22 oil canvases en plein air in 18 weeks, and much of that time was spent on trains, handcars, stages, steamboats and horses.  She endured the jeers of railroad workers and the discomfort of heat and cold, walking across snowfields, organizing baggage and caring for her children whom she often brought with her on her expeditions.

Learn more about this remarkable woman from Andrea Moody, consulting curator at the University of Puget Sound, at the next Sourdough Speaker Series event on April 25 at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center on Diablo Lake. In addition to Andrea’s engaging presentation, you’ll enjoy comfortable overnight accommodations, healthful gourmet food, naturalist-led outdoor activities and the incomparable scenery of the North Cascades — all for only $95 per person. I’ll be assisting Andrea, showing slides of some of my favorite 19th century American landscape painters who traveled to wilderness areas and set the stage for the accomplishments of Abby Hill. It’s going to be a great night talking about the connections between art and conservation in the mountains!

» Continue reading A Woman Lured West: Abby Hill’s Legacy of Art & Conservation