Summer 2007

NORTH CASCADES INSTITUTE

Cel ebr at ing mor e t h a n 20 y e a r s in t he fiel d

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SPR ING & SU MMER

North Cascades Institute & REI present Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods at Seattle’s Town Hall Wednesday, May 23. Page 35.

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Relax Experience

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Learn

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Gather

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Mentor

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Explore

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GREEN LIVING SERIES, P20

FIELD EXCURSIONS, P24

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©JULIA KUSKIN

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BACKCOUNTRY ADVENTURES, P22

DIABLO DOWNTIME, P21 2

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April 14

Writing on the Water: Place and p. 24

Narrative

20-22

Environmental Architecture: Green Building Design and Operation p. 20

Contents

27-29

4:: Program calendar 6:: Welcome to the North Cascades

28-29

Sourdough Speaker Series: Jennifer Hahn, “Spirited Waters: Soloing Through the Inside p. 10

Passage”

5-6

The Natural Flow: Sustainability p. 25

Lessons in Nature

12-13

Bunchgrass Dreams: The Ecology of Washington’s Sagebrush p. 25

Country

17-20

Balsalm Root and Butterflies: p. 27

Spring in the Methow

19-20

p. 10

Top 10 Nature Books”

Last Child in the Woods: Richard Louv at Seattle’s Town Hall

26-28

p. 35

Family Getaway I

p. 8

June 2

Institute Annual Picnic at the Learning Center

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2-3

Sourdough Speaker Series: John Marshall, “Critic Confidential: My

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May

Excursions

30:: Registration information 34:: Mountain School 36:: Graduate Program 38:: Group rentals 40:: Instructors 44:: Neighborhood & map

p. 24

Avian Life

Environmental Learning Center

8:: Family Getaways 10:: Sourdough Speaker Series 11:: Day Trips 12:: Learning Center Programs and Field

The Language of Birds: Tracking

back cover

Sketching in Seattle: Wild Art in the City

8-10

p. 26

p. 12

Diablo Downtime I: Yoga, Hiking p. 21

and Slow Food

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Learning Center Day Trip

p. 11

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Learning Center Day Trip

p. 11

2-4

Family Getaway II

p. 8

6-8

Wet into Wet: A Landscape

On the Wing: Spring Birding Weekend

15-17

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July

From Stone to Stream: StreetSmart in Seattle

p. 27

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Learning Center Day Trip

p. 11

21-24

Art Afield: A Plein Air Retreat p. 16

Watercolor Workshop

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p. 16

Diablo Downtime II: Yoga, Hiking and Slow Food

p. 21

Learning Center Day Trip

p. 11

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North Cascades Naturalists Retreat:

10-12

Astronomy and Cosmology p. 29

Reading the Land, Sharing Its Stories

13-15

p. 13

Ross Lake Revealed: People of the Upper Skagit

p. 22

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Learning Center Day Trip

p. 11

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Roots and Shoots: Skagit Valley Farm Tour

Cascadia Butterfly Safari with Robert Michael Pyle

p. 18

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p. 22

Casting Connections: Fly-Fishing

p. 11

August Beats on the Peaks: Lookout Poets of the North Cascades

p. 23

Green Thumb: The Conservation Gardener

a new era. It’s exhilarating to have such a special place to showcase the amazing educational opportunities of our region. It’s also challenging to operate an award-winning residential facility in the heart of a national park. Come see how we’re doing!

Please join us this field season. Bring your family to a Family Getaway. Come for a free Day Trip. Volunteer as a Mountain Steward.

Participate in a Field Seminar. Explore the backcountry. Join our Graduate Program. Support a class at Mountain School. Attend our 9th annual Thunder Arm Writing Retreat.

We’ve never had more opportunities for learning and living in one of the Northwest’s most special places.

I look forward to meeting you on the trail.

p. 21

Learning Center Day Trip

p. 11

“Imagination is

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Family Getaway IV

10-12

Dragonflies and their Kin

10-12

Pacific Northwest Forest Ecology

p. 8 p. 15

p. 15

better than a sharp

1-3

Family Getaway VI

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Wildlife Tracking: Cougars and

p. 8

p. 14

Creek Consciousness: The Art and Science of Fly-Fishing

p. 14

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Learning Center Day Trip

p. 11

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Learning Center Day Trip

p. 11

21-23

Wildlife, People and the Land: The Art of Nature Photography

p. 29

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hope you’ll join us this year and rediscover your connections to the land, people and communities of the Pacific Northwest.

I invite you to visit our new home: the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center. With the Center’s opening in 2005, the Institute entered

September

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Teach a child. Photograph a dragonfly.

There are many ways to connect with North Cascades Institute. I

p. 8

and Slow Food

Their Prey Learning Center Day Trip

FOLLOW A SWALLOWTAIL through a mountain meadow. Track a bobcat in the woods. Paint a watercolor. Listen for owls. Gaze at the stars.

Paddle a canoe. Share a story. Identify a wildflower. Hike a trail.

p. 30

Diablo Downtime III: Yoga, Hiking

p. 28

10-12

17-19

p. 23

24-26

and Stream Ecology for Women

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History Backpack

WELCOME TO OUR 21ST SEASON

Mountain Tales: McAlester Lake Backpack

2-5

Easy to Thunder: North Cascades

p. 8

Ninth Annual Thunder Arm Writing

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14-19

p. 11

Family Getaway V

25-29

28-29

Learning Center Day Trip

17-19

Family Getaway III

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p. 28

21-23

Retreat

The Night Sky in the High Desert:

instrument.

To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.” ~Mary Oliver

Warm regards, Saul Weisberg

p. 19

Executive Director Living with Climate Change: Northwest Mountains, Rivers and Shorelines in the Years Ahead p. 20

P.S. I want to thank our partners—especially North Cascades National Park, Seattle City Light, Western Washington University and the U.S. Forest Service—for their encouragement and support. We wouldn’t be here without you.

Bats and Forest Carnivores p. 15

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WELCOME

TO THE NORTH CASCADES ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING CENTER

Introducing the North

Cascades Environmental Learning Center, our field campus in North Cascades National Park.

Here you can enjoy snowcapped peaks and tumbling streams, ancient forests and flowerfilled meadows, and a rich Northwest history that includes more than 10,000 years of Native American culture. Better still, you can join a community—expert teachers, curious naturalists, intriguing new friends—all dedicated to the idea that learning about the environment together inspires stewardship.

North Cascades Institute has operated the Learning Center in partnership with the National Park Service and Seattle City Light since 2005. Integrating sustainable building design with Earth-friendly operations, the tree-sheltered campus features 16 buildings clustered on the north shore of Diablo Lake. Facilities include:

Located along State Route 20 less than three hours northeast of Seattle, the Learning Center provides ready access to landscapes east and west of the Cascade Crest, from the pine-studded sagelands of the Columbia Plateau to the Skagit Valley, Puget Sound and San Juan Islands. And, stepping right out our front door, you need only grab a paddle or lace up your boots to head into the North Cascades backcountry.

Welcome to the neighborhood. Whether you sign up for a natural history seminar or a Family Getaway, attend a free Day Trip or our annual picnic, book a group rental or attend a Sourdough Speaker event, we look forward to sharing the Learning Center with you!

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› Three comfortable lodges with ADA-accessible accommodations for 69 guests › A lakeside dining hall serving fresh, local and organic meals › Multimedia classrooms, science labs and our Wild Ginger Library › An outdoor amphitheater and secluded meditation shelters in nearby woodlands › A dock on Diablo Lake for paddling adventures › Trails leading deep into the national park

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LEARNING CENTER EXPERIENCE

COMMUNITY MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME The Learning Center is a community—of people, plants, wildlife and more—and you’ll quickly feel a part of things once you arrive.

©JULIA KUSKIN

©BENJAMIN DRUMMOND

In fact, we’re counting on it.

The feeling starts as you walk onto campus, when your gaze lifts skyward to steep, snow-riven mountains rising more than a mile above the Skagit Valley. Located in the heart of North Cascades National Park, the Learning Center sits along Diablo Lake between Colonial and Pyramid peaks and meadow-topped Sourdough Mountain, where poets such as Gary Snyder and our own Tim McNulty worked as fire lookouts in years past. Few places feel as wild and welcoming at the same time.

The feeling deepens when you hit the trail or grab a paddle, hiking through the vine maples along Deer Creek or meandering a canoe down the shoreline. Raven calls, the scent of sun-warmed evergreens, a rustling breeze across the lake—the sights and sounds and smells of the neighborhood embrace you like a good friend. You begin to feel at home here thanks to little things that invite the senses. By dinnertime, everything falls into place—you’re part of the community.

At North Cascades Institute, we believe that how we learn is as important as what we learn. That’s why everyone you meet at the Learning Center is dedicated to the idea that community life inspires stewardship. From our naturalist Ned Corkran and chef Charles Claassen, mountain boys with skinned knuckles and the tall tales of climbers, to Minnesota-born graduate resident Lansia Jipson and her talented cohort of peers, we are a community. All that’s missing is you.

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GATHER YOUR FAMILY IN THE NORTH CASCADES

FAMILY GETAWAYS family at the Learning Center this spring or summer in the beautiful North Cascades for a gathering you and your loved ones won’t soon forget!

Hike in towering forests and ramble alongside whispering streams, canoe Diablo Lake or search for owls and bats on a night hike. Our Family Getaways provide a route for families to vacation in the mountains without the hassle— we furnish everything from cozy lodge rooms to delicious home-cooked meals to campfires at night—so you are free to relax, soak up the stunning surroundings and truly enjoy the company of one other.

Our staff naturalists and resident graduate students host outdoor activities for the kids that are both fun and educational, like nature arts and crafts, storytime, field science games and the ever-popular “Skulls, Skins and Scat” talk.

Adults will love the evening presentations and slideshows on the natural and cultural history of the North Cascades as well as the healthy cuisine creatively prepared by chef Charles Claassen. We’ve also built in plenty of free time for families to set their own pace.

Relaxation, intimacy, fun, education, nature exploration—perhaps all of these elements combined are why Family Getaways were one of our most popular offerings last summer, and why many families vowed to return with even more relatives in tow.

Mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, grandparents and grandchildren—families of all shapes and sizes are welcome!

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Connect with your

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North Cascades Institute’s 2007 Family Getaways May 26-28 July 2-4 July 21-23 August 4-6 August 17-19 September 1-3

Prices: Adult: $195 Youth (17 and under): $95 Children 2 and under are free

Children under the age of five are the responsibility of a parent throughout the program. Tuition includes lodging and all meals. There is no commuter option for this course.

Register by calling (360) 856-5700 ext. 209 or emailing nci@ncascades.org.

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SOURDOUGH SPEAKER SERIES

ONE-NIGHT GATHERINGS AT THE LEARNING CENTER

For centuries, Native

people, miners, loggers, hikers, fire lookouts, climbers and dam workers have gathered together around campfires and shared stories of the upper Skagit Valley, the mountains and what lies beyond. Nestled at the foot of Sourdough Mountain, our Learning Center is a fitting location for intimate gatherings of Northwest artists, writers and naturalists sharing their own stories from the region.

Each gathering in our Sourdough Speaker Series takes place in our lakeside dining hall and features an informal gourmet dinner of local and organic foods prepared by our chef, Charles Claassen. A fireside presentation by our guest speaker will follow, with plenty of time for questions, discussion and getting acquainted with others. Your ticket includes overnight accommodations in our comfortable guest lodges as well as a continental breakfast and optional naturalist-led walk the following morning. Dress is casual, of course. Your ticket letter will include travel directions, check-in information and other details. Limited to 40 guests; $95 per person for each event.

Register by calling (360) 856-5700 ext. 209 or emailing nci@ncascades.org.

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Spirited Waters: A Naturalist’s Solo Kayak Journey on the Inside Passage JENNIFER HAHN April 28-29

Critic Confidential: My Top Ten Favorite Nature Books JOHN MARSHALL May 19-20

$ 95

$ 95

Award-winning writer, illustrator, naturalist, wild harvester, writing teacher, wilderness guide and solo kayaker Jennifer Hahn calls the land her “second home.”

In a kayak named Yemaya, with a cedar wreath lashed to the stern, Jennifer launched from Ketchikan, Alaska on a solo voyage home to Bellingham that spanned two summers. Jennifer’s book Spirited Waters: Soloing South Through the Inside Passage chronicles this 750-mile trip, and won the Barbara Savage Miles From Nowhere Award for an adventure narrative. With 26 years of wilderness travel under hull, Jennifer has led natural history and kayak trips in Washington, Canada, Alaska, Baja and the Galapagos Islands, including the popular Wildharvesting by Kayak field excursions with North Cascades Institute. Jennifer relies on wildharvesting, or gathering food from nature, to keep her kayak light. In addition to sharing wonderful stories and a slide show, Jennifer will work with Chef Charles to prepare culinary delights using wild ingredients harvested from the sea, so come feast on flotsam and far-off tales!

John Marshall is the highly regarded book critic at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer known for his insightful interviews with authors as well as informed and engaging reviews of regional and national literature. From Terry Tempest Williams’ Refuge to Karen Fisher’s A Sudden Country, John will talk about, and read selections from, 10 of his favorite books in which nature plays a significant role. These books will range through memoir, novels and nonfiction, with some unexpected choices guaranteed to be discussed, including James Salter’s A Sport and A Pastime, with its luminous descriptions of the French countryside. His quick wit, a keen eye for pretension and a career’s worth of inside stories about publishing, writers and the book world will make this an evening to remember. Marshall is the author of three books including Home Field: Nine Writers at Bat, Place of Learning, Place of Dreams: A History of the Seattle Public Library and the award-winning Reconciliation Road, which the New York Times called a “searching memoir of self discovery.” www.n cas cades .o rg

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DAY TRIPS

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JOIN US FOR A HALF-DAY ADVENTURE IN THE NORTH CASCADES INSTITUTE NATURALISTS AND NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RANGERS FREE (DONATIONS WELCOME) First come, first served. Pre-registration is not offered and group size is limited.

Join us from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays this summer!

June 16, 23 and 30 | July 7, 14 and 28 | August 11 and 25 | September 8 and 15

Ramble up a forest trail to discover a hidden waterfall. Paddle on emerald green Diablo Lake with views of glaciers, tiny islands and the Skagit River gorge. Explore the stunning North Cascades Environmental Learning Center and learn more about the Institute and all we offer. Spend the day in the North Cascades with Institute naturalists and National Park Service rangers who teach all age groups.

Our free Learning Center Day Trips are easy to enjoy—just lace up your boots, pack your lunch and venture to our campus off State Route 20 (mile 127.5). Bring personal gear, appropriate clothing, food and water.

This is a day program only; participants are responsible for their own lodging and meals off campus. Driving directions can be found online at www.ncascades.org/daytrips.

Doors open for signup at 8:30 a.m. for the following activities:

Diablo Lake Canoeing Launch times: 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Two-hour voyager canoe trips are weather-dependent and first come, first served. Twelve passengers maximum per trip; must be over six years of age. Prior experience is not necessary and all canoeing equipment will be provided.

Departure times: 9:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Gently paced, naturalist-led hikes depart from the Learning Center office. Visitors may hike independently as well.

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ŠJULIA KUSKIN

Forest and Waterfall Hikes

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Natural and Cultural History Seminars

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PROGRAMS & EXCURSIONS

FIELD

In 2007, North Cascade Institute’s 21st year of offering environmental education opportunities for people of all ages, we’ve created two distinct routes that will lead you deeper into the green soul of the Pacific Northwest and reinvigorate your connection to this singular, special place.

One pathway leads to the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center, our wilderness campus on the shores of Diablo Lake, in the heart of the North Cascades. Journey up State Route 20 and meet us beneath fabled Sourdough Peak for a diverse slate of programs ranging from time-tested favorites like Family Getaways to new programs such as Wildland Science Weekends, Backcountry Adventures and Diablo Downtime. Most Learning Center programs are overnighters, and include comfortable lodging, delicious, homecooked meals, access to trails and the lake and personalized attention from our staff of naturalists and educators.

The other pathway winds throughout the Pacific Northwest, from Seattle to the Skagit Valley to east of the Cascades, from mountaintops to riverbanks to city streets. Spend anywhere from a day to a long weekend with the Institute exploring urban wild sketching, sustainable agriculture, astronomy, fly-fishing, native plants gardening and much more.

Whether you choose a Field Excursion or a Learning Center program or both, please join us in 2007 to deepen your connections with the land, people and communities of this amazing place we call home.

Find expanded seminar descriptions, itineraries, maps and instructor profiles at www.ncascades.org/seminars

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LEARNING CENTER

join us June 8 for our Spring Bird Count!

On the Wing: Spring Birding Weekend TIM MANNS, JOHN MARZLUFF, LIBBY MILLS AND KENT WOODRUFF WITH NED CORKRAN AND PAULA OGDEN-MUSE June 8-10, 2007 (Fri eve–Sun) 15æ Learning Center T $155, D $220, S $375

“At every moment of every day,” observed naturalist and author Scott Weidensaul, “morning or midnight regardless of the season, there are birds aloft in the skies of the Western Hemisphere, migrating.” Come celebrate the avian world during the height of migration at our first Spring Birding Weekend at the Learning Center. Led by four skilled birders and all-around naturalists, we’ll investigate fields, forests and meandering streams in the Skagit and Methow valleys, two habitats with striking contrasts. Each day, we’ll divide into instructor-led groups with eyes and ears open to different opportunities. Head east and we might observe golden eagles, Lewis’ woodpeckers or a Wilson’s phalarope stirring up insects on a Winthrop pond. West, among the sloughs, farms and woods of the upper Skagit, all manner of songbirds, raptors and waterfowl enter the scene. All skill levels are welcome; plenty of binoculars, spotting scopes and field guides will be on hand. During breaks, we’ll discuss the life histories of birds, their adaptations and the challenges of migration, including measures we can take to sustain this vital phenomenon. www.n cas cades .o rg

LEARNING CENTER REGISTRATION INFO

www.ncascades.org

First-timer 20 percent discount If you’ve never attended a Learning Center program with us, you may be eligible for a 20 percent discount! See page 30 for complete details.

Pricing and Accommodations

©BENJAMIN DRUMMOND

Most programs at the Learning Center offer several enrollment options, which are listed with each program description. The campus includes 23 rooms in three

Natural and Cultural History Seminars

North Cascades Naturalists Retreat: Reading the Land, Sharing its Stories LIBBY MILLS, CYNTHIA UPDEGRAVE AND SAUL WEISBERG WITH LARRY CAMPBELL AND NED CORKRAN KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY JACK NISBET, AUTHOR OF VISIBLE BONES AND SINGING GRASS, BURNING SAGE July 9-13 (Mon eve–Fri) 2C/27æ Learning Center T $245, D $375, S $595

North Cascades Institute has held its annual naturalist retreat for nearly two decades, attracting eager learners from across the country and from our own backyard. Our success has been built on the expertise of remarkable teachers, and this year is no different. Naturalist Libby Mills is a long-time Institute favorite who has taught about birds and Northwest landscapes for more than 30 years.

Cynthia Updegrave, an instructor at the University of Washington, excels at teaching non-scientists about the intricate relationship of people and nature in Puget Sound watersheds. And Saul Weisberg, our executive director and co-founder, has explored the North Cascades on foot, by paddle and with a climbing rope for more than 25 years.

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As a special treat, our staff naturalist Ned Corkran will offer a daily option to paddle on Diablo Lake with guest instructor Larry Campbell, an elder of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. In our 14-passenger canoe, we’ll explore the lake’s tiny, pine-studded islands and the sheer, fern-draped walls of the Skagit gorge, where the river cuts through the hardest rock of the North Cascades. Topping it off, we’ll host keynote speaker Jack Nisbet. A gifted storyteller fascinated by landscape history, Jack will discuss the significance of the North Cascades as a geographic and cultural boundary, a region that has presented both challenge and opportunity to Northwest natives and newcomers for many centuries.

guest lodges, each with one twin bed and a set of twin bunk beds, and pricing varies according to sleeping arrangements. Depending on availability, you may choose one of the following: T (triple occupancy) is the tuition for sharing a room with two other people.

This requires use of an upper bunk, accessible by an easy-to-climb ladder.

D (double occupancy) is the tuition for sharing a room with one other person.

S (single occupancy) is the tuition for a room for one person.

Shared occupancy is assigned on a gender-specific basis unless a particular roommate(s) is requested at time of registration. Single occupancy is limited and offered on a space-available basis. If you register for triple occupancy, please be prepared to use the top bunk, even though you might not be required to. To learn more about accommodations, visit www.ncascades.org/learning_center.

MEALS: All Learning Center programs include meals prepared by our chef Charles Claassen and feature local and organic foods.

SCHOLARSHIPS: To make programs available to a wide audience, we have scholarship funds available for students, teachers, seniors over 60, environmental educators, conservation professionals and low-income participants. Applications are available online or by calling (360) 856-5700 ext. 209.

Academic credit and clock hours Most programs offer optional academic credit and/or teachers clock hours. The number of credits available is noted next to the “C” and the number of clock hours available is noted next to the clock symbol. More information on page 31 or by calling (360) 856-5700 ext. 209.

See page 30 for more registration details.

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Natural and Cultural History Seminars

Natural and Cultural History Seminars

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Find expanded program descriptions, itineraries,

~David James Duncan

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©JEFF MUSE

“I FISH TO TRADE SELFCONSCIOUSNESS FOR CREEK-CONSCIOUSNESS AND SELF-AWARENESS FOR RISE-AWARENESS… I FISH IN ORDER TO FEEL THE GREAT VERB GRAVITY AND ITS SIDEKICK, SUN, FILCH SNOW FROM EVERY SLOPING INCH OF CONTINENT AND SEND IT OCEANWARD AROUND MY LEGS…I FISH TO GROW WATER-WITTED, SUN-DAZZLED, AND IMPLACABLE AS THE RIVER ITSELF.”

©DAVID SNYDER

maps and instructor profiles at www.ncascades.org/seminars

Creek Consciousness: The Art and Science of Fly-Fishing

Wildlife Tracking: Cougars and their Prey

IAN MUIRHEAD AND PAULA OGDEN-MUSE September 7-9, 2007 (Fri–Sun) Learning Center

CHRIS CHISHOLM WITH NED CORKRAN September 7-9, 2007 (Fri–Sun) Learning Center

1C/18æ T $245, D $375, S $595

Come learn the basics of fly-fishing, from stream ecology and aquatic insects to conservation ethics and casting techniques such as the overhead, false and rollcast. A weekend for river lovers, this class will be taught by the delightful duo of Ian Muirhead, a professional fly-fishing guide and certified casting instructor, and Paula Ogden-Muse, a longtime park ranger who knows North Cascades creeks and fish intimately. Emphasizing time in the field, we’ll venture to sites near our Learning Center on Diablo Lake and down along the Skagit River near Newhalem, Marblemount or Rockport. In addition to extensive casting practice, we’ll gain introductory experience with knots, tackle and artificial flies, including how and when to use them. This class is geared toward beginners, though experienced fly fishers are welcome. In fact, this is a great opportunity to share your passion with a friend or loved one new to fishing. Basic fly-fishing equipment—rods, flies, waders, boots—will be available for those who need to borrow gear for the weekend.

18æ T $195, D $295, S $445

Cougars thrive in the North Cascades, roaming and hunting from remote wildlands all the way to the edges of our towns and cities. Spend a weekend learning about these large, elusive and adaptable creatures and the ecology required to support them. Under the guidance of expert tracker Chris Chisholm, who has specialized in animal tracking in the North Cascades since 1993, we’ll study the fundamentals of wildlife tracking, including identification, interpretation, trailing and timing. Chris will share his intimate knowledge of forest ecology, cougars and their surprising variety of prey while leading us in known cougar habitat. Complementing Chris’ expertise, our staff naturalist Ned Corkran will discuss other local species that require landscape-level management, such as bears, wolves and lynx. Although seeing any of these animals is highly unlikely, the instructors will address safety precautions in the event of an encounter as we search the land for telltale prints, scat, scratched trees and food caches.

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Dragonflies and their Kin DENNIS PAULSON WITH SAUL WEISBERG August 10-12, 2007 (Fri–Sun) Learning Center

Pacific Northwest Forest Ecology 1C/18æ T $195, D $280, S $445

Green Darner, Pacific Forktail, Western Meadowhawk: nimble names for nimble insects. Washington State harbors 76 species of dragonflies and damselflies, from the order Odonata meaning “toothed jaw.” Join Dennis Paulson, the Northwest’s foremost authority on odonates, and Institute Executive Director Saul Weisberg for a weekend with nets at the ready. Ranging outward from the Learning Center, we’ll sample diverse habitats in the Skagit and Methow valleys, from high mountain lakes and wildflower meadows to cattail ponds and meandering streams. We’ll document our findings, bring specimens back to the lab for inspection under microscopes and help establish a permanent teaching collection for the Learning Center.

PHILIP HIGUERA AND SUSAN PRICHARD August 10-12, 2007 (Fri–Sun) Learning Center

1C/18æ T $195, D $280, S $445

Dramatic gradients in the North Cascades create some of the most diverse coniferous forest ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest—a single hike can reveal more than 14 evergreen species! Join forest ecologists Philip Higuera and Susan Prichard to learn how climate, elevation and geology interact to create the ecological patterns we see in our local woodlands. Exploring forest history over thousands of years, we’ll learn about the tools these ecologists use to understand forests and how treering and lake-sediment records help reconstruct the paleoecology of a region. With the Learning Center as our base, be prepared for daylong hikes in elevations ranging from 1,000 to 7,000 feet.

Seminars in the Wildlands Science Weekend series will share meals, discussions and evening activities with one another, enhancing camaraderie and deepening our understanding of Northwest flora and fauna.

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Wildland Science Weekend

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Wildland Science Weekend

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Wildland Science Weekend

Bats and Forest Carnivores ROGER CHRISTOPHERSEN August 10-12, 2007 (Fri–Sun) 1C/18æ Learning Center T $195, D $280, S $445

Roger Christophersen knows our forests and river valleys like the back of his hand.

His work as a field biologist for North Cascades National Park takes him to some of the wildest, most remote terrain along the U.S.-Canada border. With the Learning Center as our home base, we’ll get an insider’s perspective on Roger’s studies of bats and such forest carnivores as fisher, pine marten, wolverine and lynx. Examining their life histories and habitats, we’ll learn research techniques and how to handle a variety of equipment such as an ultrasonic detector, harp trap and mist nets for bat sampling. This is a hands-on opportunity to contribute to ongoing research; we’ll attempt to catch and release bats and capture forest dwellers on motion-sensing cameras.

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Visual and Literary Arts

Visual and Literary Arts

Art Afield: A Plein Air Retreat MOLLY HASHIMOTO, LIBBY MILLS AND MARIA CORYELL-MARTIN June 21-24, 2007 (Thu eve–Sun) 2C/21æ Learning Center T $225, D $325, S $495

What if Thomas Moran had never ventured to Yellowstone during the late 1800s to create the watercolors that inspired a national park? What if Emily Carr, the Canadian painter of Northwest coasts and First Nation cultures, had simply stuck to the indoors, rendering only still lifes?

Much of the best artwork throughout history was created “en plein air,” a French phrase meaning “in the open air.” Artwork forged in the out of doors has an identity beyond the artist. It is born from the elements—the weather, the light, the mood of a particular time and place.

This summer, get outdoors in the 16

North Cascades with three remarkable artists and teachers. Libby Mills is a North Cascades Institute veteran, having taught dozens of drawing and field journaling seminars in the Skagit and Methow valleys during the years.

Watercolorist Molly Hashimoto, an avid plein air painter, is always one of our biggest draws. Together, they welcome talented newcomer Maria CoryellMartin, a young “expeditionary” artist whose oil and watercolor work has taken her from Alaska and Antarctica to Asia and the South Pacific.

Balancing short, communal workshops with time for independent work, the retreat will emphasize

plein air practice and mentorship. In addition to our campus, with grand views of Diablo Lake and snowcapped Colonial and Pyramid peaks, there will be options to travel to other intriguing vistas: Thunder Creek’s deep green woods of ancient cedars and hemlocks, the wildflower meadows and pink granite spires of Washington Pass or the tawny fields and pine forests of the upper Methow.

During your free time, you can paddle in our 14-passenger canoe, hike to a nearby waterfall or simply soak up the scenery with a new friend. Meals feature local and organic fare, and accommodations include cozy lodges and access to our Wild Ginger Library with hundreds of titles. Open to all skill levels, this retreat will not only improve your art, but also rejuvenate your spirit.

MOLLY HASHIMOTO July 6-8, 2007 (Fri–Sun) 1C/18æ Learning Center T $225, D $325, S $495

Diablo Lake’s deep emerald green.

Alpenglow smoldering on Colonial Peak.

Afternoon sun dappling the vine maples along Deer Creek. At the height of summer’s color, enjoy a leisurely weekend at the Learning Center with one of the Northwest’s most talented watercolor artists and teachers. Learn to paint rocky cliffs and shorelines, broken glaciers and mountains, forested ridges and a broad assortment of plant life in a style that matches your own sensibilities. Each day, we’ll examine one or more of these natural elements and do careful studies of them. Techniques will include working wet-into-wet, creating glazes and layering one landscape zone onto another, paying special attention to atmospheric perspective. Basic knowledge of watercolor materials and drawing experience is helpful, though all skill levels are welcome.

Molly Hashimoto has taught her craft at the Institute, North Seattle Community College, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology and elsewhere for more than a decade.

You can learn more about her work at www.mollyhashimoto.com.

©BENJAMIN DRUMMOND

© M A R I A C O R Y E L L- M A R T I N

Wet into Wet: A Landscape Watercolor Workshop

www.ncascades.org

LEARNING CENTER EXPERIENCE

DINING Real food, real people, real close North Cascades Institute’s Foodshed Project is a key element of the Earth-friendly practices at the Learning Center. We strive to incorporate local, organic products in all of our meals, as well as education about food choices, sustainable agriculture, wild edibles and culturally important foods in the Pacific Northwest.

The Foodshed Project helps us connect people, nature and community far beyond our remote campus in North Cascades National Park. Mealtime is an opportunity to explore how food flows from fields and forests, rivers and the sea, to our dining room tables.

Initiated in 2004 by a task force of farmers, business people, community members and Institute staff and graduate students, the Foodshed Project pursues the following goals: » Offer appealing, wholesome food choices » Serve organic and sustainably produced food » Purchase locally grown, seasonally appropriate food » Minimize waste » Educate others about the power of food choice We’re especially proud of the fertile partnerships we’ve established with local producers such as Blue Heron Farm in Rockport, Skagit River Ranch in Concrete and Breadfarm in Bow. They provide some of the food that is transformed into the delicious meals you’ll be part of at the Learning Center. Real food, real people, real close— together, we increase food awareness and inspire healthy choices for our bodies and the planet.

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www.ncascades.org/seminars

ROBERT MICHAEL PYLE’S books include the classic Wintergreen, winner of the John Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Nature Writing, as well as The Thunder Tree, Where Bigfoot Walks, Chasing Monarchs and several standard butterfly works. His latest is Sky Time in Gray’s River: Living for Keeps in a Forgotten Place.

A frequent teacher, he served recently as Kittredge

NINTH ANNUAL

THUNDER ARM

WRITING RETREAT

Visual and Literary Arts

KAREN FISHER, NICK O’CONNELL AND ROBERT MICHAEL PYLE July 25-29 (Wed eve–Sun) 2C/27æ Learning Center T $325, D $475, S $695

America is steeped in story. Centuries of fact and myth have shaped a literary tradition that reflects, above all, how people relate to the land. Celebrate our vibrant heritage of fertile farmland and unbroken desert, rolling mountains and storm-lashed coasts. At our ninth annual Writing Retreat, you’ll learn from three accomplished writers and instructors, each from the Northwest and possessing strong ties to the land. Together, we’ll learn techniques for crisp, powerful writing about the landscapes that sustain us, influence our communities and ground our culture.

The Thunder Arm Writing Retreat—so named for our location 18

on Diablo Lake near the mouth of Thunder Creek—takes place at our Learning Center in North Cascades National Park. Home to hundreds of glaciers and wild river valleys, the national park has a distinct literary history of its own. Our neighborhood includes Sourdough Mountain and Desolation Peak, where writers Gary Snyder and Jack Kerouac served as fire lookouts in the 1950s. From hardscrabble explorers and trail crew hands to Beat poets and park rangers, the North Cascades have inspired many to put pen to paper. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or eager newcomer, please join us. No need to submit a manuscript beforehand. We strive for a nourishing, professional yet noncompetitive atmosphere in which student groups rotate through instructors each day, enjoying a combination of lecture, discussion and writing activities.

© M O L LY H A S H I M OT O

Visiting Writer at the University of Montana, and his column “The Tangled Bank” appears in each issue of Orion magazine.

NICHOLAS O’CONNELL is the Seattle-based author of At the Field’s End: Interviews with 22 Pacific Northwest Writers, Beyond Risk: Conversations with Climbers, Contemporary Ecofiction and On Sacred Ground: The Spirit of Place in Pacific Northwest Literature, which won the 1998 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award. He contributes to Outside, National Geographic Adventure, Condé Nast Traveler, Sierra, Hooked on the Outdoors and many other publications. O’Connell founded the University of Washington’s Narrative Nonfiction program and the Writer’s Workshop, an online and campus-based writing program.

KAREN FISHER grew up in the small agricultural town of Hanford, in California’s Central Valley, and later attended the University of California at Santa Barbara.

After earning a degree in Secondary Education, she spent seven years teaching History and English at a small college-preparatory boarding school. In 1991, she and her husband bought a 50-acre farm in Idaho and developed a large organic market garden and raised a full set of farm animals. During the quieter months of winter, she read, studied and attempted to write fiction, the results of which are her critically hailed novel A Sudden Country.

Karen now lives with her husband and three children on Lopez Island, and is busy transforming her book into a screenplay and composing essays.

Mor

www.ncascades.org

LEARNING CENTER EXPERIENCE

SUSTAINABILITY

© PA U L B A N N I C K

Green indoors and out

Visual and Literary Arts

Wildlife, People and the Land: The Art of Nature Photography PAUL BANNICK AND BENJAMIN DRUMMOND September 21-23, 2007 (Fri–Sun) Learning Center

Yawning glaciers riddled with crevasses.

A migrating hawk riding an alpine thermal. A loved one hiking through crimson huckleberry bushes, her fingertips and lips stained with purple-blue juice.

Capture images of the North Cascades high country as autumn takes hold with two expert photographers as your guides—one specializing in natural history and wildlife, the other drawn to people working and playing in the out 360 856 5 700 x209

18æ T $195, D $280, S $445

of doors. Departing each day from the Learning Center, we’ll learn the basics of nature photography, from selecting equipment and subjects to composition and exposure compensation. We’ll also cover digital-specific techniques such as reading histograms and working with RAW files. Rising early and staying out late, we’ll spend long days in the field striving to create vibrant, lasting images. Evenings will include

slide shows to review the day’s work and friendly constructive critiques.

Depending on weather and group interest, we may even venture to lower elevations in the Skagit or Methow valleys to photograph landscapes both wild and pastoral. A digital camera capable of manual operation is required, SLR preferred. This is a seminar you’ll never forget, thanks in part to the beautiful images you’ll take home from the weekend.

To view Paul Bannick’s work, visit www.paulbannick.com. Benjamin Drummond’s art can be sampled at www.bendrum.com.

Signs of sustainability abound at the Learning Center, from constructing buildings with lumber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to serving local, organic meals in the dining hall.

Designed by architects from the Henry Klein Partnership in Mount Vernon, Wash., the Learning Center sits lightly on the land, occupying previously disturbed terrain that held the former Diablo Lake Resort. In 2006, thanks to dozens of volunteers and the National Park Service, we completed restoration of more than 20,000 native plants, each grown from seeds taken from the campus before construction began.

This year, in recognition of its sustainable design, the Learning Center will be awarded silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.

Design accomplishments range from efficient heating and lighting, minimal waste and site restoration to construction with salvaged, recycled and low-impact materials.

Each day, we strive to operate the Learning Center in ways consistent with its Earth-friendly design and unique place within a national park. For example, even during the high season, we generate less than one medium-sized dumpster of garbage per week, thanks to an aggressive recycling program. We also compost a high volume of the food waste generated in the dining hall and staff housing in two large machines called Earth Tubs, which churn, heat and sterilize more rapidly than conventional composting.

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www.ncascades.org/seminars

Green Living Series

Green Living Series

For the Children THE RISING HILLS, THE SLOPES, OF STATISTICS LIE BEFORE US.

OF EVERYTHING, GOING UP, UP, AS WE ALL GO DOWN. IN THE NEXT CENTURY OR THE ONE BEYOND THAT, THEY SAY, ARE VALLEYS, PASTURES, WE CAN MEET THERE IN PEACE IF WE MAKE IT. TO CLIMB THESE COMING CRESTS ONE WORD TO YOU, TO YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN:

STAY TOGETHER LEARN THE FLOWERS GO LIGHT ~Gary Snyder, Turtle Island, 1974

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©JEFF MUSE

©DAVID HALL

THE STEEP CLIMB

Environmental Architecture: Green Building Design and Operation

Living with Climate Change: Northwest Mountains, Rivers and Shorelines in the Years Ahead

DAVID HALL AND RUSS WEISER OF THE HENRY KLEIN PARTNERSHIP WITH ERIC DEAN AND JEFF MUSE, KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY DAVID MILLER April 20-22, 2007 (Fri–Sun) 1C/18æ Learning Center D $265, S $375

JIM JOHANNESSEN AND JON RIEDEL September 21-23, 2007 (Fri–Sun) Learning Center

Spend Earth Day weekend with the Learning Center’s architects, director and facilities manager examining green building design and operation.

Nestled at the foot of Sourdough Mountain in North Cascades National Park, the Learning Center will be awarded silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. Highlights range from efficient heating and lighting, minimal waste and site restoration to construction with salvaged, recycled and low-impact materials. Along with behind-the-scenes tours and group discussions, we’ll learn about LEED’s commercial and residential programs, which provide helpful strategies for anyone interested in environmental architecture. On Saturday night, David Miller, author of Toward a New Regionalism: Environmental Architecture in the Pacific Northwest, will join us to share insights on building with geography, culture and ecology in mind.

1C/18æ T $195, D $280, S $445

How will global warming impact a landowner living along a river or tidal shore? Or the farmer who grows crops in a floodplain? How will the changing Northwest climate impact the salmon fisherman, the high-country hiker, the city dweller counting on hydropower to electrify her home or business?

What will our mountains, rivers and shorelines look like in the years ahead?

Based out of the Learning Center, this workshop will feature a series of field trips and presentations traveling from the mountains to the sea. On Friday, we’ll stick close to campus for an introduction to Northwest geologic history, including the Ice Ages and past climate cycles. We’ll use our 14-passenger canoe for an intimate tour of the Skagit River gorge, Diablo and Ross dams and the glacial outwash of Thunder and Colonial creeks. Saturday, we’ll examine the mountains—glaciers, the subalpine zone, forests—by hiking in beautiful scenery near Rainy and Washington passes. On Sunday, focusing on the impacts of flooding and restoration efforts, we’ll head downriver to visit sites along the Skagit River and Puget Sound shorelines. www.n cas cades .o rg

Diablo Downtime

LEARNING CENTER EXPERIENCE

LIBRARY

© CH R IST I A N M A RT I N

Celebrating the written and spoken word

Diablo Downtime: Yoga, Hiking and Slow Food CHARLES CLAASSEN, NED CORKRAN, PAULA OGDEN-MUSE AND HANNAH SULLIVAN June 15-17, 2007 (Fri eve–Sun), July 6-8, 2007 (Fri eve–Sun) and August 24-26, 2007 (Fri eve–Sun) Learning Center

You asked for it: a weekend to relax.

Diablo Downtime is for anyone looking for a break from the hurried life, a laidback stretch in the mountains with only the simplest decisions to make: What kind of adventure should I choose today? Paddling on Diablo Lake or the wildflower hike? How about a little yoga in the morning? Should I eat a second helping of that organic blueberry cobbler? Or maybe I should just sit on the dock and soak up some sun…

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Named for the lovely lake at our doorstep, Diablo Downtime is a getaway for adults–-singles, couples, siblings, friends, even parents looking for a hideout. Arriving Friday afternoon, you’ll settle into our cozy guest lodges, then gather for a welcome with hors d’oeuvres by Chef Charles Claassen.

Each day, we’ll offer a range of activities, from beginning and intermediate yoga with Hannah Sullivan to canoeing with our “barefoot naturalist” Ned

15æ T $155, D $220, S $375

Corkran to hiking with ranger Paula Ogden-Muse, who knows local trails like she knows her family. You’ll also be able to indulge in North Cascades Institute’s take on “slow food,” the international movement to celebrate food’s origins, traditions and role in community life. Then, of course, there’s nothing at all, which you’re more than welcome to enjoy. Just come upriver, settle in and relax. We’ll be waiting for you.

During your stay at the Learning Center, be sure to visit our Wild Ginger Library. Its seed was planted more than 10,000 years ago as Ice Age glaciers receded and the North Cascades’ first people ventured into local mountains and river valleys. Their stories and those that followed, from explorer journals and miner tales to Beat poetry in fire lookouts, come to life in our collection. With more than 1,000 titles in circulation, the library reflects the rich geographic and cultural diversity of the North Cascades.

From fiction, nonfiction and poetry to field guides, maps and board games, Wild Ginger offers resources that help people of all ages learn more about the literary and oral storytelling traditions of the North Cascades. Providing an inviting space for study and reflection on campus, the library is dedicated to Northwest writer and outdoorsman Dr. Fred Darvill and other early leaders in hiking, climbing and environmental stewardship.

Venturing outside our library, you’ll hear stories of the North Cascades in several of our summer programs, including People of the Upper Skagit (July 13-15), Mountain Tales (July 26-29), Beats on the Peaks (August 2-5) and Easy to Thunder (August 14-19). Or create your own stories inspired by the North Cascades at the ninth annual Thunder Arm Writing Retreat (July 25-29).

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Backcountry Adventures Series

Backcountry Adventures Series 10th Anniversary

~T.S. Eliot

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Ross Lake Revealed: People of the Upper Skagit GERRY COOK AND BOB MIERENDORF July 13-15, 2007 (Fri–Sun) Ross Lake

©MILLER MEYERS

SHALL NOT CEASE FROM EXPLORATION AND THE END OF ALL OR EXPLORING WILL BE TO ARRIVE WHERE WE STARTED AND KNOW THE PLACE FOR THE FIRST TIME.”

© CH R IST I A N M A RT I N

“ WE

Mountain Tales: McAlester Lake Backpack 1C/18æ $ 195

Take a boat-and-boot tour of Ross Lake, the 24-mile-long lake that winds up the Skagit River drainage from State Route 20 all the way to Hozomeen on the Canadian border, and experience it as few people ever will with longtime park employees Gerry Cook and Bob Mierendorf.

Gerry will share his rich trove of local knowledge about the cultural history of the region, including stories of, miners, fire lookouts, mountaineers and others who have tromped through these mountains. Bob, in turn, proffers his studied insights into Ice Age geology, early indigenous cultures and Euro-American explorers, as well as traditional uses of native plants, salmon and stone. We’ll travel aboard the 30-foot Ross Mule, an open-decked boat ideal for sightseeing and adventure. Camping at the foot of storied Desolation Peak, we’ll share meals, campfires and starry night skies. During the day, we’ll enjoy exploring side canyons draped in ferns, spirited waterfalls pouring off the mountains, views of glaciers and opportunities for swimming, plant forays and a day hike to the thousand year-old cedars in Big Beaver Valley.

TIM MCNULTY AND PAULA OGDEN-MUSE July 26-29, 2007 (Thu eve–Sun) Learning Center/Backcountry

21æ $ 225

Come summertime, there’s a meadow above McAlester Lake in the North Cascades that’ll bring a tear to your eye—sweeping fields of wildflowers, stands of larches, the color of spring-green grass and sinuous alpine ridges meandering between the Twisp and Bridge Creek drainages simply overwhelm the senses. Enjoy a weekend up high with an intriguing tandem of backcountry enthusiasts: one of the Northwest’s most beloved poets, and a ranger with two decades of experience in North Cascades National Park.

From our camp at 5,500-foot McAlester Lake, we’ll mix invigorating hikes with gentler moments of solitude and reflection. Throughout the weekend, Tim McNulty will share poetry and writing born from these very mountains, complemented by Paula’s stories of backcountry life.

Thursday night, we’ll stay at the Learning Center with the Institute’s Thunder Arm Writing Retreat (see page 18), where a rousing campfire in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, published shortly after his stint as a North Cascades fire lookout, will set the literary mood for our adventure. www.n cas cades .o rg

Backcountry Adventures Series

Backcountry Adventures Series

MoreInfo

www.ncascades.org/seminars

© DAV I D PLUT H

© M E G A N M CG I N T Y

Backpacking information

Beats on the Peaks: Lookout Poets of the North Cascades GERRY COOK AND JEFF MUSE August 2-5, 2007 (Thu eve–Sun) Learning Center/Backcountry

Easy to Thunder: North Cascades History Backpack 1C/21æ

2C/30æ $ 245

$ 225

During the 1950s, poets Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen and Jack Kerouac worked as fire lookouts in the North Cascades. Inspired by weeks of solitude in one of the most remote regions in the lower 48, their writings launched an American literary movement known as the Beat Generation and contributed to a popular wilderness ethic. Find out for yourself what it’s like to be a poet on a peak. Led by a former lookout and a literary naturalist, we’ll venture up Ross Lake on the Ross Mule, a historic 30-foot open-decked boat, then camp at the base of Desolation Peak, where Kerouac stood watch in 1956. We’ll practice the long tradition of backcountry poetry, mix in a little yoga and enjoy lookout lore and other tales from Gerry Cook’s 40 years in these mountains. On Saturday, we’ll hike 12 miles round trip up the fabled 6,000-foot mountain to meet the lookout on duty—and learn what one does all summer on top of the world.

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MEGAN MCGINTY WITH NATIONAL PARK SERVICE GUESTS August 14-19, 2007 (Tue eve–Sun) Learning Center/Backcountry

Backpack through time and terrain with a footloose wilderness naturalist in love with the alpine country and several special guests from North Cascades National Park—rangers, trail crew and field scientists with unique perspectives on the natural and cultural history of these mountains. From a trailhead off State Route 20’s highest stretch, we’ll journey 25 miles from 6,500-foot Easy Pass down the milky snowmelt of Fisher Creek to the surly torrent of Thunder Creek, where it settles into the emerald waters of Diablo Lake, a stone’s throw from our Learning Center. Camping four nights in the backcountry, we’ll pass beneath towering, glacier-clad peaks with names rich in story—Kimtah, Cosho, Arriva and Logan—and explore subalpine meadows in full summer foliage, home to black bears, marmots and other wildlife. Along Thunder Creek, we’ll immerse ourselves in history, passing through lichen-draped old growth and visiting restored Meadow Cabin, where miners and trappers pioneered long ago. In fading alpenglow each evening, we’ll gather and reflect upon life in the wild and fall asleep under wheeling stars.

Participants must be in good physical condition, have previous backpacking experience and provide their own gear and food. Most of our backpacking trips involve moderately strenuous hiking on high-elevation trails and you must be able to carry a full pack, weighing between 40 and 60 pounds, for an average of four to six hours per day. The exception is “Ross Lake Revealed,” which requires a steep one-mile hike to the boat dock on the first and last day of the program.

Group success in a backcountry experience is dependent upon how well each individual is prepared.

Your class letter will have a general itinerary, directions to the trailhead and items to bring, including absolute essentials.

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Field Excursions

MoreInfo

Field Excursions

www.ncascades.org/seminars www.ncascades.org

Find expanded field excursion descriptions, itineraries, maps and instructor profiles at www.ncascades.org/seminars

ONE DOESN’T NEED EXPLORING, SINCE WE LIVE SURROUNDED BY THE MARVELOUS, WADE THROUGH IT EVERYDAY. ~Diane Ackerman

Writing on the Water: Place and Narrative CLYDE FORD April 14, 2007 (Sat) Bellingham Bay

The Language of Birds: Tracking Avian Life 6æ $ 165

Writing that is informed by the environment makes for a stronger, more vivid story, but how exactly does one bring a sense of place to their work?

This new seminar is an on-the-water workshop for writers that explores the essential interaction between narrative and place. Join award-winning author Clyde Ford for a daylong workshop aboard the 65-foot trawler Snow Goose while cruising the San Juan Islands. Through discussion, individual and group exercises and short writing assignments, we’ll explore how to allow the environment of the Pacific Northwest, particularly the waters and islands, to influence the stories we tell. More than simply the background upon which our stories unfold, we’ll investigate the power of place as a character in our fiction and a motivating force in our nonfiction. At the conclusion of the day, we’ll read selections from our written work that captures significant aspects of our time on the water. All levels and genres welcome.

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© PA U L B A N N I C K

© PA U L I N E H S I E H

TO LEAVE HOME TO GO

CHRIS CHISHOLM April 27-29, 2007 (Fri–Sun) Newhalem Campground

18æ $ 195

When listening to a birdcall, do you wonder who it is or what the call means?

Each species has its own language for marking territory, mating, begging, aggression and alarm. Roam forest, meadow and stream with Chris Chisolm, a naturalist who specializes in bird vocalizations and wildlife tracking. The North Cascades are home to eight species of owls, nine species of woodpeckers, fifteen species of raptors and numerous other birds including dippers, ravens, grouse, hummingbirds, ducks and nuthatches, and springtime is one of the most musical seasons in the mountains. Rising early and staying out late, we’ll track a variety of avian life by studying calls and songs, along with prints, feathers and scat. We’ll gain a deeper appreciation for and understanding of raptors, water-loving birds and perching birds while enjoying the beauty of the North Cascades , where we’ll camp together at the Newhalem Campground. Chris has been tracking animals in the Pacific Northwest for more than 10 years, inspiring young and old alike with his hands-on classes that immerse students in the out of doors with senses wide open. www.n cas cades .o rg

Field Excursions

Field Excursions

MoreInfo

www.ncascades.org/seminars

STAR THISTLE, JIM HILL MUSTARD, WHITE TOPS, CHINESE LETTUCE, PEPPER GRASS.

The Natural Flow: Sustainability Lessons in Nature DANA VISALLI May 5-6, 2007 (Sat–Sun) Methow Valley

BRING THEM CLOSER. ~Robert Sund, from Bunch Grass, 1969.

Bunchgrass Dreams: The Ecology of Washington’s Sagebrush Country 12æ $ 195

What lessons can the wild teach us? Explore how nature works in terms of energy flow and resource cycling using the wild surroundings of the Methow Valley as springboards for inspiring lessons in this timely new Field Excursion. Dana Visalli is a field botanist who specializes in rare plant species, director of the Methow Biodiversity Project and publisher of The Methow Naturalist, a seasonal natural history journal. Join him for a weekend of spring hikes, creative brainstorms and deep discussions amidst the profuse wildflower meadows of the east slope of the North Cascades. As our culture approaches the peak of global oil production, we’ll discover what we can learn from the ecology of previous civilizations and the natural pathways leading toward sustainability. After exploring these and other contemporary issues, participants will leave with an understanding of the benefits and challenges of living a less energydependent lifestyle.

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©MARK TURNER

©BENJAMIN DRUMMOND

THE NAMES OF THINGS

MARK DARRACH, MS May 12-13, 2007 (Sat–Sun) Arid Land Ecology Reserve Dinner only

12æ $ 195 $ 50

The Arid Land Ecology Reserve, located within the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in eastern Washington, harbors the largest remnant of sagebrush-steppe habitat in the state. The reserve is an unspoiled refuge for an indigenous landscape disappearing throughout the intermountain West and is home to an entire community of diverse and unique plants, reptiles, birds and mammals, including Rattlesnake Mountain milk-vetch, Rocky Mountain elk, Piper’s daisies, burrowing owls, sagebrush lizards, Swainson’s hawks and more than 45 species of butterflies. With botanist and geologist Mark Darrach, we’ll spend the days exploring the preserve on foot, recounting our discoveries on Saturday evening with new friends as we gather for dinner at a nearby winery. Award-winning historian Jack Nisbet, author of Singing Grass, Burning Sage: Discovering Washington’s Shrub-Steppe will join us and share his perspective on the early indigenous residents of this area.

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Field Excursions

FIELD EXCURSIONS REGISTRATION First-timer 20 percent discount If you’ve never attended a Field Excursion with us, you may be eligible for a 20 percent discount! See page 30 for complete details.

Pricing Prices listed next to Field Excursions are per person. “Bunchgrass Dreams” (pg. 25) has a dinner-only option. “Sketching in Seattle” (pg. 26) is available as a one-day or two-day program.

Accommodations and Meals Participants are responsible for providing their own overnight accommodations and meals unless otherwise noted in the program description.

Scholarships To make programs available to a wide audience, we have scholarship funds available for students, teachers, seniors over 60, environmental educators, conservation professionals and low-income participants.

Applications are available online or by phone.

Academic credit and clock hours Most programs offer optional academic credit and/or teachers clock hours. The number of credits available is noted next to the “C” and the number of clock hours available is noted next to the clock symbol. More information on page 31 or by calling (360) 856-5700 ext. 209.

See page 30 for more registration details.

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HEATHER WALLIS MURPHY June 2 and 3, 2007 (Sat–Sun) Single-day option University of Washington

1C/12æ 6

æ

$ 80/$150

Join wildlife biologist and artist Heather Wallis Murphy as she shares her unique methods of observing and recording plant and animal life and teaches techniques to enhance your proficiency at field observation and identification. Deftly combining art and science, Heather’s approach to outdoor drawing and painting will give us an integrated understanding of the natural world and the role of different elements within it. Using pen, pencils and watercolor, we’ll learn how to render scientific detail and capture aesthetic details with quick sketches. Gain a more informed eye as an artist and naturalist and see the gratifying results in your own work.

June 2 at the UW’s Burke Museum How did John James Audubon or Roger Tory Peterson produce those incredibly accurate and lifelike renderings of birds? A great way to make detailed observations is to have a bird in hand (so to speak). By special arrangement with the University of Washington’s Burke Museum, who maintains one of the West Coast’s largest and most prestigious bird collections, we will have a broad assortment of bird skins and skeletons to work from as models. Take advantage of this rare, behind-the-scenes opportunity to check out what even the best binoculars in the field miss.

June 3 at the UW’s Center for Urban Horticulture It’s not often that we have an organized display of rare and native plants set out to admire and study. Learn to identify the similarities of different plant families and discern the fine details that differentiate the species within them. By using a scientist’s eye to note detail and an artist’s intuition to record it, you’ll produce botanical drawings that both delight and enlighten.

© H E AT H E R W A L L I S M U R P H Y

www.ncascades.org

Sketching in Seattle: Wild Art in the City

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www.ncascades.org/seminars

Field Excursions

Field Excursions

“IF WE HAVE EVER REGARDED OUR INTEREST IN NATURAL HISTORY AS AN ESCAPE FROM THE ©BENJAMIN DRUMMOND

REALITIES OF OUR MODERN © PA U L B A N N I C K

WORLD, LET US NOW REVERSE THIS ATTITUDE. FOR THE MYSTERIES OF LIVING THINGS, AND THE BIRTH AND DEATH OF

Balsalm Root and Butterflies: Spring in the Methow

From Stone to Stream: Street-Smart in Seattle

LIBBY MILLS AND DANA VISALLI, MS May 17-20, 2007 (Thurs–Sun) Methow Valley

DAVID WILLIAMS June 16, 2007 (Sat) Seattle

1C/24æ $ 250

The Methow Valley is a naturalist’s delight in any season, but it’s at its prime come springtime. By mid-May, colorful tapestries of arrow-leaf balsamroot and lupine carpet rolling hills, neotropical migrant birds flock to the valley and a dizzying display of butterflies flit through aspen groves sporting fresh spring growth. Join ornithologist Libby Mills and botanist Dana Visalli for four days of exploration and observation in the field, where we’ll search the woodlands for Lewis’ woodpecker, Western tanagers and golden eagles, trek to high ridges in pursuit of lewisia rediviva and seek butterflies such as the mourning cloak and Boisduval’s blue on the riverbanks. Evenings will find us gathered around the campfire to imbibe naturalists’ tales, stargazing and warm conversation. Come enjoy and interpret the natural world in this vibrant outdoor classroom.

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CONTINENTS AND SEAS, ARE AMONG THE GREATEST 6æ $ 95

REALITIES.” ~Rachel Carson

You don’t have to drive to the mountains to engage your connection with the earth—even in the heart of the city, we are surrounded by nature. Explore Seattle’s wild side with David Williams, author of The Street-Smart Naturalist: Field Notes from Seattle. He’ll open our eyes to urban natural wonders and reveal secrets previously hidden in the hustle and bustle of the Emerald City. Beginning with a geologic tour of downtown Seattle, we will discover 330-million-year-old fossils and visit building blocks first used by the Romans 2,000 years ago. Next, we’ll set off on a expedition following the length of the South Fork of Thornton Creek. With productive riparian zones, lush forests and an overabundance of pavement, this creek is symbolic of the best and worst aspects of our urban creeks, and David will delve into the politics behind the restoration of this important salmon habitat. After a day spent on David’s “urban safari,” you’ll have a better appreciation for Seattle’s natural history.

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www.ncascades.org/seminars

Field Excursions

Roots and Shoots: Skagit Valley Farm Tour CHARLES CLAASSEN AND INSTITUTE STAFF July 21, 2007 (Sat) Skagit Flats

6æ $ 95

In his best-selling book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, author Michael Pollan writes, “The way we eat represents our most profound engagement with the natural world.” Learn more about what it means to be an environmentally conscious food consumer by joining us for a full day of visiting the Skagit Valley’s leading organic farms and farmers. The Pacific Northwest is rich in healthy and diverse fare. On this day trip we’ll discover the amazing diversity and quality of victuals that result from a caring relationship with the land. In the morning, we’ll gather for coffee at Larkspur Farm, 28

a historic farmhouse in the Skagit Valley. Then we’ll begin from the ground up—literally—by visiting Frog’s Song Farm on Fir Island, where organic practices are used to incorporate the farm into the local ecosystem.

By now your mouth will be watering, so we’ll head to Rexville Grocery to sample local products and thoughtful foods, including a scrumptious lunch prepared by Charles Classen, the Learning Center’s wildly creative chef. With full bellies, we’ll visit Hedlin Family Farms, a farm that has been producing gorgeous produce for more than 100 years, and learn how sustainable practices allow the land to stay healthy. Next, it’s on to Samish Bay to visit Taylor Shellfish Farms and find out how good farming practices extend into the sea. We’ll conclude the day by visiting Slough Foods in Bow, perusing their selection of artisan cheese, chocolates and wines.

©JEFF MUSE

©BENJAMIN DRUMMOND

Field Excursions

Casting Connections: Fly-Fishing and Stream Ecology for Women PAT BOLTON AND JUDY GRAHAM July 28-29, 2007 (Sat–Sun) La Conner Area

1C/12æ $ 250

Treat yourself to a weekend of fun and relaxation building your fly-fishing skills in an atmosphere of encouragement and support from other women.

Two expert guides from Northwest Women Flyfishers will lead us through the basics of the sport, and cover everything from choosing the right equipment to how to read water. We’ll also discuss where to find fish, how to select the right flies and the art of casting and knot tying. As part of our studies of fish, we’ll examine riparian habitat and ecology, understanding what healthy fish populations require. The class will emphasize learning outdoors, alongside flowing water, with ample opportunities to practice our new skills as we understand the secrets of fish and flies. In the evening, we’ll relax, listen to presentations and enjoy one another’s company. www.n cas cades .o rg

Field Excursions

Field Excursions

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Green Thumb: The Conservation Gardener SARAH REICHARD, PHD August 4, 2007 (Sat) Skagit Valley

“YOU WERE MADE AND SET HERE TO GIVE VOICE TO YOUR OWN ASTONISHMENT.” ~Annie Dillard

The Night Sky in the High Desert: Astronomy and Cosmology 6æ $ 95

What are the best gardening and landscaping practices for the Pacific Northwest? How can you work with nature rather than fight it? What native plants are edible or have medicinal properties? Spend the day with Sarah Reichard, head of conservation at the UW’s Botanical Gardens, touring showcase gardens of the Skagit Valley to root out the answers to these questions.

We’ll begin the day at Larkspur Farm before embarking on our tour of local gardens and farms to view progressive gardening techniques in the company of an expert horticulturist. Throughout the day, we’ll hear how locals are working with native plants, using drought-tolerant species, incorporating wildlife habitat and putting other ecological principles into practice in their own gardens. After enjoying a box lunch prepared by Chef Charles Claassen using local produce, we’ll end the day with a tour of Christianson’s Nursery.

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© KARL SCHROEDER

©BENJAMIN DRUMMOND

www.ncascades.org/seminars

KARL SCHROEDER, MS August 10-12, 2007 (Fri–Sun) Brooks Memorial State Park

18æ $ 195

The night sky is an infinite canvas painted with the moon, planets and constellations—not to mention human dreams and projections. In the crisp air of Washington’s high desert, far from light pollution, we’ll use binoculars and telescopes to observe these and other nighttime wonders. Guided by an enthusiastic teacher and former president of Seattle Astronomical Society, we’ll learn to identify galaxies, red giants, white dwarfs and other celestial objects. During the day, we’ll learn about sundials, our solar system and the Milky Way and visit the Maryhill Stonehenge replica on the Columbia River and the Goldendale Observatory, where we’ll view the heavens through a 24.5-inch Cassegrain telescope, one of the largest public telescopes in the nation.

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www.ncascades.org/seminars

Field Excursions

LEARNING CENTER PROGRAMS AND FIELD EXCURSIONS

©BENJAMIN DRUMMOND

REGISTRATION

Cascadia Butterfly Safari ROBERT MICHAEL PYLE, PHD August 17-19, 2007 (Fri–Sun) Whatcom/Skagit counties

valid for registrant’s first seminar only. If reg-

You can register for programs online or by phone with your Visa or MasterCard. Call us at

istering for multiple seminars at one time, discount will be applied to most expensive course.

(360) 856-5700 ext. 209. Online registration is not available for Sourdough Speaker Series

Full payment required at time of registration.

Standard cancellation policy applies.

events, Richard Louv or Family Getaways— please call to register. If you would rather mail in your payment, registration forms are available at www.ncascades.org. Upon receipt of your tuition, we will send a registration confirmation that includes an outline of when to expect detailed class information.

Tuition 1C/18æ $ 295

We’re looking for a few good volunteers to join Robert Michael Pyle, author of Chasing Monarchs and A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Cascadia, as well as founder of the Xerces Society, on a field expedition in search of new data in an area never before sampled for butterflies. We’ll venture forth into the field and learn as we go. As we encounter critters, we’ll build a faunal list for the area, seeking certain rarities and making note of any new distributional records. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to accompany one of the world’s foremost butterfly experts into terra incognita, and embrace the spirit of discovery, improvisation and camaraderie.

We’ll camp together too, and develop our itinerary in the spirit of the moment. Everyone has a chance to find some new knowledge on this trip, be it a first-time bug-watcher or an experienced entomologist.

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Registration

Our tuition is on a per-person basis unless stated otherwise and includes a $45 nonrefundable registration fee. We cannot provide discounts to participants who arrange alternative lodging. Attendance at seminars is for paid registrants only.

20 percent first-timer discount First-timer discount applies to new participants in adult Learning Center and Field Excursion programs only. Offer does not apply to Sourdough Speaker Series events, Family Getaways or any other special events and cannot be combined with other discounts or scholarships. Maximum discount is $75. Discount

Cancellations Our programs proceed rain or shine.

Participant cancellations received 21 or more days before the start of a seminar will receive a full refund minus a $45 registration fee.

Participant cancellations received less than 21 days before the start of a seminar will not receive a refund. If we are forced to cancel a seminar, participants will receive a full refund or transfer option.

Accommodations Accommodations range from our Learning Center to various campgrounds, and sleeping arrangements vary from tents to bunkrooms to private rooms. The Learning Center has three guest lodges for housing participants and instructors, each one with shared gender-specific bathrooms with showers. The guest lodges contain 23 rooms, each with one twin bed and a set of twin bunk beds, and pricing varies according to the sleeping arrangements—see program descriptions for details. Bedrooms also include Internet ports, one or two writing www.n cas cades .o rg

INFORMATION desks and two built-in wardrobes. Participants are asked to bring their own bedding and towels; linens and sleeping bags are offered for an additional fee. Overnight accommodations are for paid registrants only. We cannot accommodate pets or unregistered guests.

Most camping-based Field Excursions take place at reserved sites in established automobileaccessible campgrounds throughout the North Cascades. Participants are responsible for their own camping gear and food, often sharing potluck dinners. Water and restroom facilities vary from primitive to fully modern and are described in the class materials sent to participants.

Academic Credit and Clock Hours Many programs are offered for optional academic credit through Western Washington University. The number of credits available is listed near the title of each program next to the “C.” WWU will bill you $48/credit.

North Cascades Institute is also approved by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to grant teachers clock hour certification. The number of clock hours available appears with a clock symbol near the title of each program. The fee is $3.50/clock hour. Call (360) 856-5700 ext. 209 for more information or to register.

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Children Field excursions are for adults only. Youth ages 14-17 may sometimes participate, pending approval by the adult education coordinator and instructor. Approval must be obtained prior to registration. Approved minors must be accompanied by a responsible, participating adult.

Pets do not make good participants, so please leave them at home.

Risk and responsibility Our Excursions are conducted in the field and often involve hiking or canoeing.

Participants should be in good physical condition and prepared to spend full days outdoors.

Some Field Seminars and water-based classes have special safety concerns and require preparation. Please read and follow pre-trip letter recommendations.

We may encounter insects, inclement weather and other unpredictable circumstances.

Weather-appropriate clothing is required.

Participants assume full responsibility for their own safety and must provide their own health and accident insurance. You will be required to sign a health/risk and hold-harmless waiver before the course begins.

©JEFF MUSE

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MoreInfo

www.ncascades.org/youth

SUPPORTING

PROGRAMS

By signing up

for an Institute program this season, you help us to connect hundreds of people more closely with the natural world. Here are a few of our notable programs:

Girls on Ice: A one-of-a-kind program for teenage girls that combines leadership, mountaineering and science during 10 amazing days on Mt. Baker’s Easton Glacier. The program is open to girls 15–18 years old who have shown a keen interest in science and the outdoors. By investigating glacial processes in the field as members of a research expedition, young women have a rare opportunity to feel at home in the wilderness while experiencing the Northwest environment under the guidance of professional female glaciologists and mountaineers.

Volunteer Stewards: In our popular Eagle Watcher and Mountain Steward programs, Volunteer Stewards are trained in the natural history of eagles, salmon, the Skagit watershed, mountain ecosystems, Leave No Trace practices and skills on how to teach these topics to the general public. Stewards are asked to volunteer 20–40 hours during the winter or summer months, and provide valuable education for visitors to our state’s public lands. © E R I N P ET T I T

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GIRLS ON

ICE

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VOLUNTEER

MoreInfo

STEWARDS

www.ncascades.org /youth

North Cascades Wild: A backcountry canoe and conservation service program for underserved youth on Ross Lake in North Cascades National Park. Over the course of 10 life-changing days, high school students complete service projects, learn Leave No Trace, outdoor camping and leadership skills and study wilderness, stewardship and the natural and cultural history of the region.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HELPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE STEP OUTSIDE AND LEARN ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT WE DEPEND ON, CONTACT OUR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AT (360) 856-5700 EXT. 209 OR NCI@NCASCADES.ORG

NORTH CASCADES

©CHARLEY JONES

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©BENJAMIN DRUMMOND

WILD

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www.ncascades.org/school

BRING YOUR CLASSROOM TO THE MOUNTAINS

MOUNTAIN SCHOOL exposed to nature and educated in the natural sciences gain a valuable connection that will serve them their whole lives.

Mountain School, which has served more than 12,000 children since 1989, is our nationally recognized residential environmental education program offered in cooperation with North Cascades National Park. Mountain School students come to the North Cascades for three days and two nights with their school class to learn about ecosystems, scientific investigation, geology and the natural and cultural history of the mountains through hands-on, experiential-based activities. In 2006, Mountain School served 559 4th through 12th grade students and 129 adults from Seattle, Oak Harbor, Anacortes, Mount Vernon and Bellingham.

North Cascades Institute offers Mountain School programs for upper elementary through high school students at our expansive Environmental Learning Center, a wilderness campus located on the shores of Diablo Lake that includes well-equipped classrooms and labs, a library and experienced staff and hike leaders.

Mountain School students come with their classmates, teachers and chaperones to learn why Northwest mountains are important to our plants and wildlife, our rivers and sea, and our communities and cultures. A unique network of trails and shelters surrounding the Learning Center provides quick and easy access to the surrounding wilderness and incredible outdoor learning opportunities. Participants stay in guest lodges, and fresh, delicious and nutritious meals are served in the lakeside dining hall.

©BENJAMIN DRUMMOND

North Cascades Institute believes children

If you want more information on how your child’s classroom can experience the transformative effects of Mountain School, contact (360) 856-5700 ext. 209 or email nci@ ncascades.org © C A R O LY N W AT E R S

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North Cascades Institute and REI present

An Evening with Richard Louv AUTHOR OF LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS: SAVING OUR CHILDREN FROM NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER With support from The OneFamily Foundation, The Sierra Club and The U.S. Forest Service.

Town Hall, Seattle

7 p.m. May 23, 2007

© C A R O LY N W AT E R S

“Western society is sending an unintended message to children: Nature is the past, electronics are the future and the bogeyman lives in the woods,” declared author and researcher Richard Louv in a recent Seattle Post-Intelligencer Op-Ed. “Ironically, at the very moment when more children are being unplugged from nature, when school districts are eliminating recess and cutting environmental education budgets, science is demonstrating the enormously positive impact of direct nature experiences on children’s health and cognitive development.”

With his ground-breaking book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, Louv has exposed one of the most pressing issues facing the next generation: children are spending less and less time interacting with nature, and the results have dire consequences. Drawing on the research of urban planners, educators, naturalists and psychologists, as well as his own personal insights, Louv draws connections between children’s alienation from nature to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, stress, depression, childhood obesity and anxiety disorders.

“Why is this occurring, even in a state as rich in natural landscapes as Washington?” Louv asked. It is a question that touches the heart of the Institute’s mission to connect people to the landscapes and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest, and one that motivates many of our youth programs such as Mountain School, Girls on Ice and North Cascades Wild.

Join us for an evening of ideas, dialogue and networking when the Institute brings Louv to Seattle’s Town Hall at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 23. In addition to his

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timely and important presentation, we’ll host an Outdoors Fair featuring nature centers, summer camps, mentoring programs and other organizations that help connect children with nature.

Ticket information will be available on our web site after April 13 at www.ncascades.org/events.

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www.ncascades.org/graduate

CULTIVATING THE ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS OF TOMORROW

GRADUATE PROGRAM

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©BENJAMIN DRUMMOND

on the shores of Diablo Lake in North Cascades National Park, pursue coursework at WWU’s campus in Bellingham, teach kids from all backgrounds about their natural heritage through Mountain School, survey Northwest environments from high alpine trails to the Skagit Valley and the San Juan Islands and make lifelong friends and professional contacts in our close-knit community.

And, at the end if it all, unlike other comparable graduate programs, you’ll have secured your MEd degree from WWU, a venerable institution that, for the 10th year in a row, was rated second among Western-region public universities that grant Master’s degrees, and 18th overall among public and private Master’s-granting Western universities, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Perhaps more importantly, you’ll be ready for an exciting and rewarding career in the growing field of environmental education and inspired to be a community leader in the 21st century.

Turn your dream into a reality.

Apply today.

© CH R IST I A N M A RT I N

that is 684,000 acres of pristine wilderness—craggy peaks, cascading waterfalls, meadows full of wildflowers and more glaciers than anywhere else in the Lower 48—located in the heart of the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Visualize studying in a community that includes the region’s best and brightest environmental educators, field scientists, writers, naturalists, artists, conservationists and visionary leaders in the nonprofit sector—including top teachers from Western Washington University and North Cascades Institute, local legends such as Estella Leopold and Robert Michael Pyle, and professional biologists, geologists and cultural historians from the National Park Service.

Picture an academic experience that incorporates the rigorous training, standards and studies of a university, the usefulness of hands-on teaching, the practicality of nonprofit organizational management and the organic insights born from wide-ranging outdoor explorations.

Envision yourself as a graduate student with North Cascades Institute and Western Washington University’s Huxley College, earning your Master’s Degree in Environmental Education and a Certificate in Leadership and Nonprofit Administration while enjoying the very best the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

Over the course of our one-of-a-kind, seven-quarter program, you’ll live and work at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center, our state-of-the-art campus

or call (360) 856-5700 ext.209.

©JULIA KUSKIN

Imagine a classroom

For more information, visit www. ncascades.org/graduate

www.n cas cades .o rg

www.ncascades.org

North Cascades Institute by the numbers: Celebrating more than 20 years of connecting people and place Number of children who have participated in Mountain School since 1989:

12,800

Number of students who’ve participated in the Institute’s watershed education program:

13,000

Number of undergraduate and post-graduate interns who have received Institute training and professional experience: Number of graduate students who have completed Institute/WWU MEd program: Total number of people who have participated in Institute seminars:

35 7,000

Number of teachers who have received Institute training through workshops:

400

Number of people reached through professional conferences and presentations per year:

1,000

Number of Eagle Watchers volunteers: Number of people reached through Eagle Watchers: Number of Mountain Stewards volunteers: Number of people reached through Mountain Stewards:

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150

990 115,000 115 6,100

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www.ncascades.org/grouprentals

NORTH CASCADES ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING CENTER

GROUP RENTALS Bring your group

©DAVID HALL

to the North Cascades and host a group meeting or retreat at the Learning Center. Our unique field campus inspires reflection, understanding and connection to the natural world, as well as to each other.

Group rentals include: » Lodging for as many as 55 guests » Delicious catering with local and organic foods » Conference rooms, trailside shelters and a library » Internet access, projectors and other supplies » Naturalist-led activities like canoeing and hiking exclusive to your group » Inspiring community of green living and sustainable practices The Learning Center primarily serves as a home for North Cascades Institute’s educational programs. However, as our calendar allows, we meet the needs of groups who want to experience the North Cascades through their own retreats and meetings. Conference fees help subsidize our youth education programs and scholarships for low-income participants.

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©BENJAMIN DRUMMOND

Rates, booking and other information at www.ncascades.org/grouprentals or by calling (360) 856-5700 ext. 212

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www.ncascades.org

GIVE TODAY

HELP US

CONSERVE AND RESTORE NORTHWEST ENVIRONMENTS

Your support makes our work possible. Return this form to North Cascades Institute, call us at (360) 856 5700 ext. 209 or donate online at www.ncascades.org/give

Please consider a gift to North Cascades Institute and join our mission to conserve and restore Northwest environments through education. Your support will help us: name

share our flagship program, Mountain School, where children explore North Cascades wildlands up close with their classmates, teachers and chaperones. Children who attend show greater appreciation for their environment and improved attitudes toward classroom learning and teamwork. Mountain School is a life-changing experience for today’s youth.

address

city

state

zip

phone (day)

phone (evening)

inspire teenage girls to be leaders and scientists through Girls on Ice, which combines leadership, mountaineering and science. Based on the Easton Glacier in the North Cascades, it is led by professional female glaciologists and mountain guides, and helps girls feel at home in the wilderness while gaining a new appreciation for science. Your financial support will help all qualifying girls participate regardless of their ability to pay.

introduce low-income, inner-city youth

to the magic of wild places through our new North Cascades Wild. Led by experienced naturalists and wilderness guides, teenagers camp, canoe, hike and participate in the restoration of hiking trails and native plant sites. It’s a powerful way for young people to learn more about their public lands, each other and themselves.

If you believe direct experience in the natural world inspires change, please make a contribution to North Cascades Institute. Help a generation of young people step outside.

email address

donation amount q $250

q $500 q $1,000 q $5,000 q Other I would like to pledge $_______ per month for _______ years, for a total of $_______. Please bill my credit card.

method of payment q Check, payable to North Cascades Institute credit card number

q Visa

q MasterCard expiration date

signature (as name appears on card)

NORTH CASCADES INSTITUTE 810 state ro ute 20, sedro-woolley, wa 98284

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Expanded Instructor Bios, photos and links at www. ncascades.org

INSTRUCTORS PAUL BANNICK is an award-winning photographer specializing in the natural history and wildlife of North America. An experienced naturalist and outdoor educator, he creates most of his images while kayaking, hiking and snowshoeing throughout the Pacific Northwest. www.paulbannick.com PAT BOLTON usually judges the quality of a year by the number of states in which she holds annual fishing licenses for that year. Flyfishing for almost 30 years now, she has showings in several casting championships under her belt.

President of the Northwest Women Flyfishers for three years, she has served on the board for nine years.

LARRY CAMPBELL is an enrolled member of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, working recently in the tribal planning department as a cultural resource planner and community liaison. A skilled teacher and communicator, Larry has devoted more than 25 years to cultural activities and community development.

CHRIS CHISHOLM is the founder of the Wolf Camp Cooperative and author of Wolf Journey: Trail of the Naturalist. Trained by

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pioneers in the earth skills field, he specializes in wildlife tracking, bird vocalizations, ethnobotany, wilderness survival and ecology.

ROGER CHRISTOPHERSEN is a wildlife biologist for North Cascades National Park and an accomplished mountaineer and backcountry guide. He has conducted field research on a variety of birds and mammals, including mountain goats, bats and most recently, forest carnivores.

CHARLES CLAASSEN is our chef and food service manager. He has been leading professional kitchens for 15 years, from hotels and private restaurants to corporate dining rooms and universities.

GERRY COOK is the most senior employee at North Cascades National Park, having worked on Ross Lake since before the park’s creation in 1968. He is an accomplished artist and naturalist with a passion for backcountry tales and wilderness preservation.

NED CORKRAN is our Learning Center naturalist who instructs programs for all ages. His professional background includes serving as instructor and assistant program director for Outward

Bound with adolescents and adjudicated youth and wildlife research projects focusing on species such as moose, wolverine, northern goshawk and the marbled murrelet.

MARIA CORYELL-MARTIN is an “expeditionary artist” based in Seattle. She explores polar and glaciated regions to witness and record climate change through art. In the field, Maria works with pen, ink, watercolor and gouache, adding vodka to her paints to lower their freezing point. www.expeditionaryart.com MARK DARRACH, MS, is a geologist and botanist with years of technical experience in plant taxonomy and plant ecology research in the Pacific Northwest and the western United States.

BENJAMIN DRUMMOND is a Seattle-based, freelance photojournalist specializing in people and landscape. He is currently working on a long-term project to illustrate the impacts of climate change through profiles of local people around the globe. www.bendrum.com KAREN FISHER spent seven years teaching history and english at a

small college-preparatory boarding school before beginning an attempt to write fiction, the result of which is her critically hailed novel A Sudden Country.

CLYDE W. FORD writes aboard his Bellingham-based 30-foot biodiesel trawler. He won the 2006 Independent Publisher Award for best mystery/thriller and was a nominee for the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation 2006 Legacy Award in contemporary fiction for his series of nautical thrillers set in the San Juan Islands, which include Red Herring, Precious Cargo and the The Long Mile. www.clydeford.com JUDY GRAHAM is a Federation of Flyfishers Certified Casting Instructor and is the past president and a current board member of Northwest Women Flyfishers, where her primary focus is on teaching and mentoring newer members.

DAVID HALL, partner in charge for the Henry Klein Partnership, is the architect of the Learning Center. David has spent nearly 30 years designing sustainable homes and public buildings.

MOLLY HASHIMOTO is an artist and illustrator who has taught at the Haystack Institute and the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology.

Her focus as a watercolor artist

© CH R IST I A N M A RT I N

MEET OUR

is on Northwest and Western landscapes. www.mollyhashimoto.com PHILIP HIGUERA, PhD, is a National Parks Ecological Research Fellow at Montana State University with interests in long-term forest history, climate, fire and vegetation. His research has taken him from the forests of western Washington to the Brooks Range of Alaska.

JIM JOHANNESSEN, MS, of Coastal Geologic Services Inc. in

Bellingham, specializes in beach processes, coastal erosion mitigation and restoration, and applied coastal management. He has designed numerous projects such as beach nourishment, sediment bypassing at channels and other methods to reduce coastal erosion throughout Puget Sound and the Northwest Straits.

TIM MANNS is an avid birder and naturalist who recently retired as Chief of Interpretation for North Cascades National Park. A

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I N S T I T U T E I N S T R U C T O R S A R E AT T H E I R B E S T W H E N T E A C H I N G I N T H E O U T D O O R S , L I K E G E R R Y CO O K PA S S I N G D O W N S T O R I E S

www.ncascades.org/about

T O T H E N E X T G E N E R AT I O N O N T H E S H O R E S O F R O S S L A K E .

best poets. His volumes of poetry include Pawtracks, In Blue Mountain Dusk, Reflected Light and, most recently, Through High Still Air; A Season at Sourdough Mountain.

BOB MIERENDORF, MA, has been an archaeologist and anthropologist with North Cascades National Park for more than 20 years. One of the few experts in alpine archaeology and an Institute board member for many years, Bob has been teaching since 1986, emphasizing the historical and universal connections that all people have with their environment.

DAVID MILLER, FAIA, is a founding partner of the Miller Hull Partnership, a firm renowned for its contribution to contemporary regionalism in modernist architecture and recipient of the prestigious AIA Firm Award in 2003. His recently published book Toward a New Regionalism: Environmental Architecture in the Pacific Northwest, focuses on ecologically inventive buildings specifically designed for Northwest climatic conditions. recipient of the National Park Service’s prestigious Sequoia Award in 2003, Tim helped design the Learning Center, forged an outreach program for the Skagit Valley’s Latino community and served on a national task force to create a wilderness education program.

JOHN MARZLUFF, PhD, is an assistant professor of wildlife science at the University of Washington College of Forest Resources.

His research has included corvids and birds of prey, long-term studies of urbanization on songbirds in the Seattle area, responses of nest predators and songbirds

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to settlements, recreation and forest fragmentation on the Olympic Peninsula, and endangered species conservation.

LIBBY MILLS is a wildlife biologist, artist and naturalist. She teaches natural history aboard ship from Baja to Alaska and in her own Skagit Valley backyard. Libby records the sights and sounds of nature in field journals, sketchbooks and on audiotape.

MEGAN MCGINTY, MEd, is an Institute naturalist fascinated with the alpine zone. With more than 20 years experience teaching in the outdoors, she has guided and taught in places such as Mt. Rainer, the Florida Everglades, Patagonia and Costa Rica. Curious about everything, she has conducted field research in glacier monitoring, raptor migration and black swift nesting.

IAN MUIRHEAD is a professional flyfishing guide specializing in trout and salmon in both freshwater and saltwater environments. A certified casting instructor, Ian also teaches numerous casting and fly-fishing courses throughout the Pacific Northwest.

TIM MCNULTY is one of the Northwest’s

JEFF MUSE, MS, is our Learning Center

director and graduate residency supervisor. With nine years at the Institute, he oversees our remote field campus while spearheading the adult seminars, retreats and backcountry adventures that use the Learning Center as their base.

JACK NISBET has taught human and natural history in public school, college, and Elderhostel programs and has written for a variety of newspapers and magazines.

His books explore the interplay of human and natural history in the greater Northwest. In 2003, The Seattle Times and the Washington State Center for the Book named Visible Bones: Journeys Across Time in the Columbia River Country as one of their best nonfiction titles of the year; it won a Washington State Book Award in 2004.

NICHOLAS O’CONNELL , PhD, is the author of three nonfiction books, includ-

ing On Sacred Ground: The Spirit of Place in Pacific Northwest Literature and the Field’s End: Interviews With Twenty Pacific Northwest Writers. He contributes to Sierra, Outside, National Geographic Adventure and teaches for www.thewritersworkshop.net.

SAUL WEISBERG AND RO B E RT M I CH A E L PYLE SHARE A D E E P LO V E F O R BUTTERFLIES, BUGS A N D P O ET R Y.

PAULA OGDEN-MUSE, MEd, is a National Park Service educator with more than 20 years in the North Cascades as a wilderness ranger, interpreter and member of the Learning Center’s educational staff.

An avid hiker and gardener, she teaches regularly in our youth, family and adult programs, where she’s known affectionately as “Ranger Paula.”

DENNIS PAULSON, PhD, recently retired as the director of the Slater Museum of Natural History at the University of Puget Sound. He is the author of more than 70 scientific papers and a half-dozen books,

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www.ncascades.org/about

MEET OUR

INSTRUCTORS

I NST I T U T E I NST R U C TO R EST E L LA L EO P O L D S H A R E S H E R P R O F O U N D K N O W L E D G E O F PA C I F I C N O R T H W E S T E C O LO G Y W I T H T H E N E X T G E N E R AT I O N O F N AT U R A L I S T S .

HEATHER A. WALLIS MURPHY is a retired U.S. Forest Service biologist with more than 30 years of forestry and wild life experience in the Pacific Northwest. She is also a watercolorist who runs her own naturalist note card and nature journaling business out of her home studio in Leavenworth.

T H E N O RT H WITH THEIR WILD RIVERS, M O U NTA I NS A N D FORESTS, ARE THE INSTITUTE’S 684,000 ACRE CLA SSRO OM .

SUSAN PRICHARD, PhD, is a forest ecologist working for the Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory. A resident of the Methow Valley, she has spent most of her life in Washington State and has studied forests from the soil to forest canopy and from prehistoric times to the present, focusing on the effects of fire and other disturbances on forest dynamics.

ROBERT MICHAEL Pyle, PhD, is an outstanding naturalist with a special fondness for butterflies. His books include the classic Wintergreen, winner of the John Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Nature Writing, as well as The Thunder Tree, Where Bigfoot Walks, Chasing Monarchs, and several standard butterfly works. His latest is Sky Time in Gray’s River: Living for Keeps in a Forgotten Place.

SARAH REICHARD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Conservation Biology at the UW and its Botanic Garden. Her research is focused on understanding the biology of invasive plants and using that understanding to develop risk-assessment methods to prevent their introduction and spread. Editor of Invasive Species in the Pacific Northwest

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SAUL WEISBERG, MS, is executive director and co-founder of North Cascades Institute.

He is an ecologist, naturalist and writer who has explored the mountains and rivers of the Pacific Northwest for more than 25 years.

Saul worked throughout the Northwest as a field biologist, fire lookout, commercial fisherman and National Park climbing ranger before starting the Institute in 1986.

He is author of From the Mountains to the Sea, North Cascades: The Story behind the Scenery, Teaching for Wilderness and Living with Mountains.

©JEFF MUSE

including Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest, Dragonflies of Washington, Shorebirds of North America: The Photographic Guide and Alaska: The Ecotravellers’ Wildlife Guide.

© CH R IST I A N M A RT I N

CASCADES,

and author of numerous research papers, Dr. Reichard founded and directs the Washington Rare Plant Care and Conservation Program.

Project Astro or giving talks to astronomy clubs, Karl enjoys hosting star parties to show people the wonders of the heavens.

JON RIEDEL, PhD, is a geologist with the National Park Service, assisting in the Pacific Northwest with management of hydrologic and geologic resources, hazards, floodplains and erosion control. Jon has published several books and papers on geologic history.

HANNAH SULLIVAN, a registered nurse and yoga instructor, splits time between Bellingham and the upper Skagit Valley, when she’s not traveling the globe with her husband Gerry. An eager paddler, hiker and cross-country skier, Hannah is heralded by friends and family for her healthy, fun-loving lifestyle.

KARL SCHROEDER, MS, is an amateur astronomer, former president of the Seattle Astronomical Society and a builder of telescopes. When he is not teaching, working with the elementary school science program

CYNTHIA UPDEGRAVE is a MS candidate in the Biology Teaching Program at the UW and has training in botany, ecology, environmental history and restoration ecology. Working

closely with Estella Leopold for several years has grounded her in the historic and biogeographical aspects of regional floras. Her current research is centered on the past 1400 years of history of the Duwamish River estuary in Seattle, using stratigraphy and fossils to reconstruct the vegetation and to better understand the pertinent seismic history of the Seattle Fault.

DANA VISALLI, MS, is a field botanist specializing in rare plant species. As director of the Methow Biodiversity Project, he coordinates a biological inventory of the Methow River watershed and publishes The Methow Naturalist, a seasonal natural history journal.

RUSS WEISER, PhD, is the sustainable design coordinator for the Henry Klein Partnership.

Before studying architecture, he was on the faculty at Virginia Tech, studying how plants respond to their physical environment.

DAVID B. WILLIAMS is a freelance natural history writer and the author of The StreetSmart Naturalist: Field Notes from Seattle. In his writing, David tries to show that living in a city doesn’t have to separate us from the natural world. www.streetsmartnaturalist.com.

KENT WOODRUFF is a wildlife biologist with the Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forest who loves to teach. His classroom is where you can smell and hear and feel the subjects under investigation. His favorite subjects are birds, bats and butterflies and how they fit in the web of life.

www.n cas cades .o rg

NORTH CASCADES INSTITUTE LEADERSHIP DEBRA BRODIE

CHRISTIAN MARTIN

AMY BROWN

MARK MCGEE

CHARLES CLAASSEN

MEGAN MCGINTY

NED CORKRAN

KRIS MOLESWORTH

ERIC DEAN

JEFF MUSE

JEFF GIESEN

ADAM RUSSELL

ANGELA GOODALL-HAINES

JASON RUVELSON

TRACIE JOHANNESSEN

SAUL WEISBERG

SACHA JOHNSON

LEE WHITFORD

BROOKE LARRABEE

AMY WILCOX

DEB MARTIN

BREE YEDNOCK

CATALOG CREDITS brilliant light. I’d never have thought these woods could look and feel so youthful, so full of energy and vibrant, growing life.” More information at www.keslerwoodward.com.

Production

JULIE TOOMEY

NORTH CASCADES INSTITUTE BOARD JIM BISHOP DAVID BONN (TREASURER) TERRY CONNER PETE DEWELL (EX OFFICIO) CAROLYN GASTELLUM (SECRETARY)

DUNHAM GOODING (CHAIR) JOHN MILES JEANNE MUIR (VICE CHAIR) BRIAN SCHEUCH RANDY SELF ABBY SUSSMAN

ADVISORY COUNCIL TONY ANGELL ART KRUCKEBERG, PHD ESTELLA LEOPOLD, PHD ROBERT MICHAEL PYLE, PHD JOHN REYNOLDS, NPS, RETIRED I NST I T U T E STA F F AT P LAY: C H A R L E S , N E D A N D A D A M I N T H E N O RT H C A S C A D E S , E R I C

Cover Art: “Old Growth at Rockport” Watercolor by Kesler Woodward, 2005.

Born in Aiken, South Carolina in 1951, Kesler Woodward has been an Alaska resident since 1977. He served as Curator of Visual Arts at the Alaska State Museum and as Artistic Director of the Visual Arts Center of Alaska before moving to Fairbanks in 1981. He is currently Professor of Art, Emeritus at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he taught for two decades. He retired from teaching to paint full time in the spring of 2000. Since 2004, Woodward has been spending part of the year in the Skagit Valley, painting scenes from the shorelines, forests and mountains.

“I’ve been to this beautiful stand of old growth forest in Rockport State Park on the North Cascades Highway several times, and every time I go, it’s different. On this day, the sun was out and the ancient Douglas firs, cedars and bigleaf maples seemed to glow with

EDITOR: Christian Martin www.ishriver.blogspot.com DESIGNER: Jesse Kinsman www.kinsmancreative.com PHOTO ADVISOR: Benjamin Drummond www.bendrum.com LEAD WRITERS: Christian Martin, Jeff Muse and Megan McGinty PRINTING: Lithtex Northwest www.lithtex.com

Art and photography We are also grateful to be able to reproduce the work of Heather Wallace Murphy, Maria Coryell-Martin, Molly Hashimoto, Paul Bannick, Benj Drummond, Pat Buller, Julia Kuskin, Phil Fenner, Paul Anderson , John Scurlock and others.

Copyright 2007 North Cascades Institute All rights reserved. Art, photo and text copyrights remain with creators and are used by permission.

North Cascades Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race, national origin, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or disability in any of our policies or programs.

P LAY I N G C H A U F F E U R AT T H E L E A R N I N G C E N T E R , L E E A N D D E B E N J OY A LA U G H TO G ET H E R A N D J E F F D I GS O U T F R O M LA ST W I N T E R ’ S S N O W AT H I S H O M E I N R O C K P O RT.

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www.ncascades.org

NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD The Learning Center is located in the the heart of the North Cascades ecosystem, which includes one national park, two national recreation areas, three national forests, nine wilderness areas and the Loomis State Forest in Washington, as well as seven provincial parks, one protected area and one recreation area in British Columbia. This region is the largest contiguous body of protected lands along the 4,000-mile U.S.-Canada border.

In the heart of these wildlands lies North Cascades National Park—a 684,000-acre classroom.

With 93 percent of its area designated as wilderness, the national park is known for its steep mountains, ever-flowing streams and tremendous biological diversity. East and west of the Cascade Crest, several major watersheds flow from the North Cascades, including the Skagit River, the largest basin draining into Puget Sound. With more than 300 glaciers and countless snowfields, the park is one of the most rugged and heavily glaciated areas in the United States outside of Alaska.

Plant life in North Cascades National Park is extremely varied, reflecting differences in rock and soil types, exposure, slope, elevation and rainfall. Eight distinctive life zones support more than 1,627 vascular plant species. Estimates of nonvascular plants and fungi could be more than double the total number of plant species. Researchers have also identified 75 mammal species in 20 families, 21 species of reptiles and amphibians in at least four orders, approximately 200 species of birds in 38 families, more than 500 types of land insects, approximately 250 aquatic invertebrate species and 28 species of fish. The Skagit River harbors eight species of anadromous fish, including five species of native salmon, comprising more than one third of the salmonid population entering Puget Sound.

Today, these wildlands are formally managed as the North Cascades National Park Service Complex, which includes the national park and the Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation areas. In addition to waterborne journeys, visitors can enjoy several car-accessible campgrounds, as

LE AR NIN G CE NT ER

well as 386 miles of maintained trails and more than 200 designated backcountry campsites.

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Š J O H N S C U R LO C K

In the heart of it all sits the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center.

North Cascades Institute is a proud partner in education with North Cascades National Park. www.n cas cades .o rg

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www.ncascades.org

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JUNE 2 AT THE LEARNING CENTER YOU’RE INVITED TO CELEBRATE WITH US! Don’t miss our annual picnic at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center on Saturday, June 2.

You’ll enjoy a free day at our field

INSTITUTE NORTH CASCADES INSTITUTE

www.ncascades.org/events

ANNUAL PICNIC

810 State Route 20, Sedro-Woolley, Washington 98284

(360) 856-5700 ext. 209 www.ncascades.org

♼

campus with sustainability tours, children’s activities, naturalist walks, canoe trips, a picnic buffet and live music. Come find out more about the Institute and our many diverse programs at this popular annual event.

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BY CHO OSI NG REC YC LE D FIBE R WE SAVE D 80 TR E ES , 34, 101 GAL LONS OF WATE R AN D 3, 618 POU N DS OF S OL ID WASTE