award-winning
N OR TH ENVIRONMENTALCASCADESLEARNINGCENTER
The Learning Center is a hub of discovery for all ages in one of the wildest, most biologically diverse landscapes in North America. Operated by North Cascades Institute in partnership with the National Park Service and the City of Seattle, this residential campus is nestled on the shores of Diablo Lake in North Cascades National Park Service Complex. Activities include many school and youth programs, a graduate program and classes for adults, teachers and families.
National Park Service U.S. Department of Interior
OVERNIGHT LODGING for up to 92 visitors, plus housing for staff and studentsgraduate OUTDOOR shelterslearning ontrailsamphitheater,andadockDiabloLake LAKESIDE dining hall with 88 person capacity and a center&recyclingcomposting MULTIMEDIA CLASSROOM, the Wild Ginger Library and aquatic terrestrialandlabs ADA-ACCESSIBLE facilities pathwaysand Location:ATFACILITIESAGLANCENorth Cascades National Park Site: 20.1 acres Number of buildings: 16 Square feet: 38,582 Designer: Henry Klein Partnership Contractor: Dawson Construction, Inc. Construction: $12 million Completed: July 2005 year-roundAccessible
“People come to the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center to learn about the environment that shelters and sustains us—the natural systems that we do not own but to which we, as a species, belong—and those people grow up to be neither the destroyers nor the destroyed, but responsible citizens of a habitat, a food web and a planet.”
Family and Adult Programs: Classes and getaways to learn about the natural and cultural history of the North Cascades Bioregion through science, art, literature and hands-on experiences
Masters of Education degree: Professional Environmental Education residency program in partnership with Huxley College of the Environment at Western Washington University
PROGRAMS The North Cascades Environmental Learning Center welcomes thousands of visitors every year to learn about the natural and cultural history of the North Cascades. Programs reach all ages through: Mountain School: Residential environmental education for public, private and homeschool classrooms led by Institute naturalists and National Park Service rangers Youth Leadership Adventures: Field-based environmental education, leadership training and service projects to empower the next generation of conservation leaders
ncascades.org/get_outside
Learn more about these and
— Barbara Kingsolver, author Learning Center Capital Campaign Co-chair
Skagit Tours: Diablo Lake Boat Tours, Skagit Power Tours and Newhalem Walking Tours explore the natural, cultural and hydroelectric history of the Upper Skagit Valley other programs and special events at
HISTORY At least 9,000 years ago, as the Cordilleran Ice Sheet retreated, indigenous Northwest peoples began to visit the Upper Skagit Valley and surrounding mountains. Evidence of hunting, gathering, drying salmon and quarrying can be found in more than 160 pre-contact archeological sites recorded in the upper Skagit. Tribes include the Upper Skagit, Swinomish, Sauk-Suiattle and Nlaka’pamuk.
The City of Seattle funded the majority of construction and owns the buildings. Incorporating the Learning Center into its stewardship mission, the National Park Service dedicated the land for the site and provides support services such as water, sewer, visitor protection and resource management. Reflecting best practices in field-based environmental education, North Cascades Institute designs, funds and implements programs for people of all ages and operates the Learning Center.
Although the first petition to protect North Cascades was submitted in 1892, it wasn’t until 1968 that the North Cascades Conservation Council (NCCC) succeeded in engaging broad public support to establish North Cascades National Park Service Complex, protecting more than 681,158 acres. The North Cascades Highway opened in 1972. In 1988, 94% of North Cascades National Park Service Complex was granted further protections as the Stephen Mather Wilderness. In 1989, North Cascades Institute and NCCC proposed education as mitigation for the federal relicensing for the Skagit Hydroelectric Project. In 1991 North Cascades Institute, National Park Service and the City of Seattle formed a partnership to develop the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center.
The first European explorers arrived in the mid-1800s, followed by prospectors, loggers and homesteaders. In the 1920s, the City of Seattle tapped the Skagit River for power, and the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project commenced building Gorge, Diablo and Ross Dams. Seattle City Light, a public utility, manages the dams today.
This collaborative approach to education and stewardship, from three unique partners — a federal agency, a public utility and a nonprofit conservation organization — serves as an inspiring model for future generations.
PARTNERS
The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. More than 94% wilderness, the North Cascades National Park Service Complex - North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area – welcomes visitors, supports curriculum-based education and youth engagement programs and provides interpretive services to connect visitors to the park. The goals of the park programs are to foster a deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, the nation’s intertwined natural and cultural history.
The National Park Service, North Cascades Institute and Seattle City Light work together to provide place-based educational opportunities at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center for a wide variety of participants in North Cascades National Park Service Complex.
Seattle City Light is the nation’s greenest utility, tapping a legacy of sustainability to offer the cleanest electricity in the country, overwhelmingly generated by renewable hydropower. Becoming the first carbon-neutral utility in the nation is just one of the ways Seattle City Light puts their commitment to local stewardship into action. They also work to protect fish and wildlife habitat, support the development of new energy sources like solar, wind, biogas and geothermal and seek ways to reduce the impact of their utility operations. Seattle City Light is proud to be a partner in the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center, helping to provide environmental education opportunities for people from across the Pacific Northwest. North Cascades Institute seeks to inspire a closer relationship with nature through direct experiences in the natural world. Their mission is to conserve and restore Northwest environments through education. Since 1986 the Institute has helped connect people, nature and community through science, art, literature and the hands-on study of natural and cultural history. As operator of the Environmental Learning Center, the Institute works with community partners throughout the region and across the country to design, fund and implement programs that help people of all ages experience and enjoy the mountains, rivers, forests, people and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest – so all will care for and protect this special place we call home.
National Park Service U.S. Department of Interior
credits: ravens, dave moskowitz. learning center, lara swimmer. learning center map, hkp. salish dancer diablo lake, christian martin. wild ginger library; raven sculpture; lodge room; lodges; ranger with kids rick allen. diablo dam, jessica haag. learning center watercolor, molly hashimoto. hikers; tree, ethan welty (weltyphotography.com). skagit tours, nick mikula. historical photos, seattle city light archives. learning center, anne chaikin. foodshed, sherri west. volunteers, benj drummond. diablo dam and pyramid peak, elizabeth penhollow. sourdough falls; lily shelter, don treddinick.
Merit Award, American Institute of Architects Top Three Spots in the North Cascades, The Seattle Times Top Ten Great Getaways, ParentMap Magazine Best Luxury Camping finalist, Sunset Magazine WILDAWARDSGINGERLIBRARY DIABLO LAKETONY ANGELL’S EAGLESLODGE ROOM LODGESSALISH DANCER on DIABLO LAKE DIABLO DAM Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Rating, US Green Building Council Designing and Building with FSC Award, Forest Stewardship Council
• Locating buildings on preexisting building pads and shaping them to fit the topography of this steep site to reduce the amount of earthwork needed. This allowed many trees and plants to be saved. The Dining Hall was previously a restaurant built in the 1970s and more than 75% of the walls, floors and roofs were retained.
• Allowing stormwater from roofs to infiltrate into the ground to slow runoff and prevent flooding and erosion. Splashpads, swales and rockery areas along the path of stormwater flow were created for this purpose.
• Using Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood, which is grown and harvested in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way. FSC-certified sources account for 84% of all the wood for the Learning Center, including rough framing, glue laminated beams and columns, cedar siding, flooring and doors.
HIGHWAY20
• Using recycled content materials including cellulose insulation, metal roofing, trex decking, gypsum wall board, flyash in concrete, ceramic tile, structural steel and rebar and linoleum. More than 10% of the total materials for the project used recycled products.
• Purchasing locally grown, organic, seasonally appropriate food to serve in the dining hall benefits the air, water and local economy. The Institute’s Foodshed Initiative offers wholesome, nutritious meals while educating visitors about the power of food choice.
• Powering the Learning Center with hydroelectricity doesn’t pollute the atmosphere. Housing was designed to exceed Built-Smart requirements with extra insulation and triple-pane low-e argon windows. This keeps the buildings cool in the summer and warm in the winter while conserving energy.
• Using regional materials to support local economies and reduce fuel consumption for shipping. More than 50% of the total materials for this project were manufactured regionally and 57% of these regional manufactured materials were made from materials harvested locally.
• Restoring all the areas disturbed by excavation before and during construction with native plants that were propagated locally or grown from seed collected at the site. Native plants planted by volunteers hold the soil and perform their part in the natural ecology without the need to irrigate, fertilize or spray pesticides. Learn more at www.ncascades.org/learning-center
LEARNING CENTER AND AREA TRAILS RubyArm RubyRossLakeMountain(7408ft) Colonial(7771Peakft) Pyramid Peak (7182 ft) Davis(7051Peakft) SourdoughMountain(5985ft) S O U R D O U G H M O U N T A N TRAIL PYRAMIDLAKETRAIL Arm KNOBTHUNDERTRAIL ROSS LAKE TRAIL STETATTLE CREEKTRAIL DIABLO LAKETRAIL SourdoughCreek GorgeCreekLadderCreek ColonialCreek ColonialCampgroundCreek Newhalem CampgroundCreek Diablo LEARNING CENTER DamDiablo Gorge Dam TRAILOVERLOOKGORGE LADDER CREEK FALLS TRAIL Ross Dam Diablo OverlookLake Ross OverlookLake Diablo Lake Gorge Lake Newhalem EASTBANKTRALDEVILSDOMETRAIL CDeerreek HorsetailCreek HappyCreek BigBeaverCreek Devil Creek SkymoCreek StetattleCreek LillianCreek 1 mile N HAPPY PANTHER TRAIL BIG BEA VER TRAIL ThunderCreekTHUNDERCREEKTRAILPyramidCreek Thunder MayCreek NORTH CASCADES ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING CENTER CedarLodge LodgeFir LodgePine CottonwoodAlder Dogwood ShelterLily HouseMaple Fawn CreekSourdoughandSheltersDeerCreekShelter OfficeTwinflower ClassroomSundew Wild LibraryGinger ClassromSalal DiningSalmonberryHall MaintenanceOceansprayBlackMorelRecycling ClassroomTrillium D I A B LO LAKE TRAIL SOURDOUGH CREEK TR A I L Diablo Lake (1208 ft) DeerCreek DEER CREEK TR A I L PENINSULA TRAIL Staff Housing TO PARKING LOT north cascades environmental learning center Sustainable highlights include: DevelopingSUSTAINABILITYagreen building requires thoughtful design, sustainable practices and the integration of natural systems. Accomplishing those goals is more challenging when one is working adjacent to pristine wilderness. But that’s just what the partners did in building the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center! Cascading waterfalls, jagged peaks, deep valleys and more than 300 glaciers define North Cascades National Park Service Complex. The region is one of the most rugged and heavily glaciated areas in the U.S. outside of Alaska. Outdoor learning shelters and extensive trail network help the real learning take place outside! Glaciers rise above the brilliant turquoise waters of Diablo Lake, seen here from Sourdough Mountain.
