Skip to content

Donate

Search for:

Search for:

Menu

Discover The Institute, Environmental Learning Center & Ecosystem
Sign Up Learning Adventures for all ages
Retreat Book your conference or gathering
- Overview
- Facilities
- Dining
- Activities
- Weddings
- Request Information
- Images
Blog Stories from the field
Shop Apparel, gifts & souvenirs
Support Become a donor
Directions & visitor info

Donate

Get updates

Trumpeter swans

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Name

Email (will not be published)

Message

Δ

Blog

Blog Home
Naturalist Notes
Life at the Learning Center
Institute News
Mountain School
Youth Adventures
Adventures
Field Excursions
Photography

Recent Articles

The Power of Trees
New books: “Jesintel” and “The Power of Trees” reviewed
Alma Busby-Williams: Why I Support Outdoor Education as a Mother
Walk Deep: Poetry of Place
Nature of Writing Speaker Series ⎸ Spring 2023

Follow us on Instagram

ncascades

Happy #WildflowerWednesday! While this plant isn’t one of Snow White’s 7 dwarfs, it could be confused with Happy because it has a talent for lifting peoples spirits and spreads warmth whenever people see it. It’s Dwarf dogwood (Cornus canadenis L.)!
🌼 Dwarf dogwood is also known as bunchberry, bunchberry dogwood and Canadian dwarf cornel.

🌼 This perennial sub-shrub is a smaller member of the Dogwood family (Cornaceae)

🌼 In North America, Dwarf dogwood is native to Canada, the northern United States, south down the Rocky Mountains to Colorado & New Mexico.

🌼 Growing to about 4-8 inches tall generally forming a carpet like mat. From May-early July, white flowers are produced and in late summer clusters of red fruit appear, hence the name bunchberry.

🌼 The fruits are not poisonous, but also aren’t particularly tasty. Unless you’re a bird who are the main dispersal agents of the seeds, feeding on the fruit during their fall migration.

📍Ancestral homelands of the Nlaka’pamux, Sauk Suiattle, Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla people
📸: @bluemrb

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”~ Ferris Bueller

Take a moment and enjoy the view. Weekends can be full of adventure, but not always full of peaceful, reflection time.

How do you bring reflection, calm and peace into your life?

📸: @_poojashilpi_

We're thrilled that Alma Busby-Williams, our Direc

We're thrilled that Alma Busby-Williams, our Director of Inclusion and Community Partnerships, is one of 3 finalists for the Outdoor Retailer Inspiration Awards in the Individual Category! 🎉

Other finalists are: Becky Rom, Volunteer National Chair of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters, retired attorney, and citizen activist; and Akunahikes, Triple Crown thru-hiker and recipient of the 2022 George Mallory Award

We applaud all the finalists for their unwavering dedication and inspiring contributions to the outdoor community. Winners will be announced at the Outdoor Retailer event on June 20th.

#OutdoorInspirationAwards #CelebratingExcellence #OutdoorCommunity

We love us some North Cascades alpenglow! Ever won

We love us some North Cascades alpenglow! Ever wonder how it works? So glad you asked.
🌄 Alpenglow, from the German word alpenglühen for “Alp glow”.

🌄 Alpenglow is the reddish glow often seen on the summits of mountains just before sunrise or just after sunset.

🌄 Unlike the direct sunlight around sunrise or sunset, the light that causes alpenglow is reflected off airborne precipitation, ice crystals, or particulates in the lower atmosphere. These conditions differentiate between direct sunlight around sunrise or sunset and alpenglow.

Have you ever seen this optical phenomena? 🙋🏻‍♀️

📍Ancestral homelands of the Nlaka’pamux, Nooksack & Coast Salish people
📸: @alpine_explorer

Trail groups from Little Mountain Elementary enjoy

Trail groups from Little Mountain Elementary enjoyed a beeeeeeautiful 3 days in Mountain School last week—hiking to Sourdough Falls, exploring Diablo Lake shoreline, playing Camouflage in the woods, and learning to “think like a naturalist.” This season, we have engaged almost 1,300 students in outdoor school at the Environmental Learning Center, including many whose visit was cancelled last Fall due to wildfire smoke. So happy these students didn't miss out!

A huge THANK YOU to our hardworking team and community of supporters who help create this incredible experience for young people!

💚 Learn more about this amazing program and how you can support youth education in the North Cascades > FOLLOW LINK IN BIO
.
.
.
📸 Kim Nelson

📍Mountain School takes place on the ancestral homelands of the Upper Skagit, Nlaka’pamux, Sauk-Suiattle and Swinomish peoples

Happy #WaterfallWednesday! With warmer temperature

Happy #WaterfallWednesday! With warmer temperatures on the way next week, you’re sure to see cascading waterfalls in the North Cascades. But don’t go chasing waterfalls. You might want to stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to.

There is still plenty of snow in the high elevations and with warmer temps comes more snow melt leading to fast moving water down our steep mountains.

Want to stay safe, dry and still check out the many waterfalls North Cascades has to offer? Visit the park’s website, https://www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm for suggestions. #recreateresponsibly

📸: : @lj_discovers

We are feeling all this greeeeeen! 🌿💚🌿 Im

We are feeling all this greeeeeen! 🌿💚🌿 Immerse yourself in the color of June in the North Cascades with a Base Camp Learning & Lodging reservation. Available dates this month are June 26/27/28 and include everything you need for a weekend adventure:

• private rooms in the guest lodges at North Cascades Environmental Learning Center on Diablo Lake

• delicious, scratch-made meals in our lakeside dining hall

• educational explorations and seasonal learning activities with Institute naturalists

SIGN UP >> Follow the link in our bio

📸: John Stoffregen

📍Ancestral homelands of the Upper Skagit, Nlaka’pamux, Sauk-Suiattle and Swinomish peoples

On this Memorial Day May we remember and honor all

On this Memorial Day May we remember and honor all those who lost their lives, reflect on their service and consider how to support those grieving the loss of loved ones.

June 17, 9am - 3 pm: Forest Bathing & Sketching at

June 17, 9am - 3 pm: Forest Bathing & Sketching at Rockport State Park

Forest Bathing is a practice adapted from Japanese culture and beyondd to develop a profound sensory awareness of the forest. Sketching is an easy way to record observations, expressively capture an experience, and reinforce the memory of a natural space. In this special dual-aspect workshop, we’ll learn how we can combine these practices to enhance our relationship to a place—even after we leave.

We’ll gather for a day among lush old growth trees at Rockport State Park where our instructors—forest bathing teacher, April Claxton and landscape artist, Beverly Choltco-Devlin—will guide us through mindful walking, sitting, and sketching to enhance our ability to see, listen, smell, and feel our way to a deeper relationship with nature and ourselves.

SIGN UP: Follow link in Bio
.
.
.

📍Ancestral homelands of the Upper Skagit, Nlaka’pamux, Sauk-Suiattle and Swinomish peoples

#springtimeinthenorthcascades #forestbathing #sketching #naturejournal #northcascades #northcascadesnationalpark #northcascadesinstitute #environmentaleducation #learnoutside #getoutside #timeinnature

Load More... Follow on Instagram

Enter your email address to be notified when a new post is published!

Discover
Sign Up
Retreat
- Overview
- Facilities
- Dining
- Activities
- Weddings
- Request Information
- Images
Support

Directions & visitor info

(360) 854-2599 info@ncascades.org Contact

Get updates

Careers Media

© North Cascades Institute|Privacy Policy