To be in an old-growth forest is to feel cloaked, as if walking in a living terrarium, padding around a soft kingdom of green. Sitka spruce, western …
Read More of The Trees are Speaking: Lynda Mapes’ Dispatches from the Salmon Forests
It is the last day of February, a no-jacket-needed, blue sky afternoon. The Twin Sisters Mountains, white with snow, highlight the horizon to the east. Within the …
Read More of Answering the Call of the Oregon Spotted Frog
Guest post by Amanda Colbert Spring in the central Salish Sea is one of my favorite times of year to get out on the water and look …
Read More of Birding the Salish Sea: Scoters, Loons & Harlequin Ducks, oh my!
SEA VEGGIES BOOST YOUR HEALTH AND FLAVORS! The first time I tasted wild nori, it was served up in crispy handfuls from a recycled cereal box in …
Read More of Pacific Harvest: Watermelon Kelp Salad
I’m looking forward to leading a native plant exploration in Larrabee State Park in April! We’ll begin our day by framing ecosystem ecology in the Pacific Northwest …
Read More of Native Plant Spotlight: Osoberry
By Alma Busby-Williams, Director of Inclusion and Community Partnerships As we celebrate the final days of Black History Month, I want to share the story of someone …
Read More of A Life of Resilience and Purpose
In the summer when the earth pulls down the night like a blanket, I stand in warmth imparted from the sun into my paved driveway, and gaze …
Read More of “Acknowledgement Five” ~ a poem by Kara Briggs
After months pitching Youth Leadership Adventures (YLA) trips to classrooms of stoic students, sending countless emails and texts,and watching our enrollment numbers tick up, students rolled into …
Read More of Eva’s Window into Youth Leadership Adventures
By Alma Williams, North Cascades Institute’s Director of Inclusion and Community Partnerships As I sit at my desk, I often think about the incredible experiences and stories …
Read More of Affinity Weekend at the Learning Center
When I hugged my mom goodbye and stepped onto the Youth Leadership Adventures (YLA) van for the first time this July, leaving my phone behind, I had …
Read More of “My Summer with YLA” — Student Reflection
