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Recent Articles

The Outdoors is for Every Body
Help Shape the Future of the North Cascades!
Spring 2025 Institute Photo Round-up!
Joy in the Outdoors: A Juneteenth Reflection
The Trees are Speaking: Lynda Mapes’ Dispatches from the Salmon Forests

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Happy Mushroom Monday! Morels are a pretty special

Happy Mushroom Monday! Morels are a pretty special mushroom and are a prized find out in the wild.

🍄 Morels are very difficult to cultivate so they are mainly foraged in the wild making them a treasured find.

🍄 They are known for their distinctive honeycomb-like cap and hollow stem. They are related to truffles and share a close evolutionary relationship.

🍄 Morels grow in specific conditions. They prefer damp woodlands, river bottoms, and areas with disturbed soil, like burn sites.

🍄 They are a short-season mushroom and only appear for a few weeks in the spring, adding to their mushroom mystique and culinary allure.

🍄 Morels are known for their earthy, nutty, and rich umami flavor, especially when dried, but before you go chomping into one; they must be cooked! Raw morels can contain toxins, so they should always be cooked before consumption.

🍄 Always remember, never eat anything in the wild, especially mushrooms, unless you are 100% positive of the identification. Always forage with an experienced forager and use field guides to help with identification.

Have you ever had a meal made with morel mushrooms? How would you rate it 👍 or 👎?

📸: Hannah Black

Planning to visit North Cascades National Park thi

Planning to visit North Cascades National Park this summer? Be sure to say Hi 👋🏽 to us in one of the Institute-operated shops in the park and check out our eclectic selection of souvenirs and gifts, including apparel, books, maps, jewelry, toys, art by local Washington artists and much more.

And if you can't make it to the Cascades, you can still shop online at ncascades.org/shop

#NorthCascadesNationalPark #NorthCascadesInstitute #shoplocal

We all have our moods. The Pacific Northwest is

We all have our moods.

The Pacific Northwest is known for being quite moody from its misty forests, foggy coastlines and dramatic landscapes. But that fog, mist, rain and overcast skies doesn’t stay forever.

Summer is the perfect time to soak up that extra sunshine to save for winter, longer daylight and mostly snow free mountains.

Where will you be adventuring this weekend?

📍Ancestral homelands of the Nooksack & Coast Salish people
📸: @lostinwashington

July is Disability Pride Month – a time to refle

July is Disability Pride Month – a time to reflect on the achievements and daily experiences of the disabled community, and learn how we can work together to co-create outdoor spaces that are welcoming and accessible for Every Body.

📌 Read more in our latest blog post at https://blog.ncascades.org/odds-and-ends/the-outdoors-is-for-every-body/

#DisabilityPrideMonth #NorthCascadesInstitute

Grrrrr 🐯. Happy #WildflowerWednesday!! Columbia

Grrrrr 🐯. Happy #WildflowerWednesday!! Columbian Lily (Lilium columbianum) is also know as a tiger lily and they’re pretty neat.

🐯🪷 Columbian lily occurs in western North America primarily British Columbia, California, Montana, Idaho, and Washington.

🐯🪷 Originating from a large white ovoid bulb, it is a widespread native perennial with one strong unbranched stem reaching as high as four feet and is identified with its orange or orange-red flowers with dark spots.

🐯🪷 Its habitat is broad ranging from coastal scrub to prairies, meadows, coniferous forests, open woodlands, and roadsides.

🐯🪷 Coast Salish and other western Washington peoples steamed, boiled or pit-cooked its bulbs. With a peppery flavor, they were mostly used as a flavoring, often in soup with meat or fish.

Have you ever seen a tiger lily in the wild? Leave a 🐯 in the comments.

📸: Hannah Black

YOU can help shape the future of the North Cascade

YOU can help shape the future of the North Cascades!

The National Park Service is inviting public input on a new frontcountry planning process for the Ross Lake National Recreation Area along State Route 20—the most accessible part of the North Cascades National Park Complex. This is an opportunity to express your support for North Cascades Institute as the operator of the Environmental Learning Center and encourage National Park Service support for our operations and programs in the future.

📌 Learn more about this planning process, find suggested comments to support the Institute, and access a link to submit comments by AUGUST 11th on our blog at https://blog.ncascades.org/institute-news/frontcountry-planning/

And MARK YOUR CALENDARS for in-person public meetings this month:
📌 July 15th | 5-7pm at The Mountaineers' Seattle Program Center
📌 July 16th | 5-7pm at the Burlington Public Library

Thanks in advance for your input and support!

There was so much happening last week with not one

There was so much happening last week with not one but two road openings and the holiday that we forgot to share and celebrate the 41st anniversary of the Washington State Wilderness Act!

🌲 Signed on July 3, 1984 the act permanently protected over one million acres of Washington State land, designating them as wilderness areas.

🌲 This act established or expanded 23 wilderness areas, including notable locations like Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, and Henry M. Jackson. It also created the Mount Baker National Recreation Area and the North Cascades Scenic Highway.

🌲 The act aimed to preserve these areas for their natural character, offering opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation while prohibiting development, motorized and mechanized equipment, with some exceptions for managing agencies.

Let's continue to celebrate and care for our Washington wilderness areas!

📸: @erin.hikes.pnw/@artsyhiker

Why does spring seem like the most “blink and yo

Why does spring seem like the most “blink and you miss it” of seasons?!

Here at the Institute it’s when things are really revving up: adult field excursions have launched, the Learning Center is bustling with Mountain School (three cheers for 35 years!), the Youth Leadership Adventures team is prepping for summer trips, and we’ve started registering what will amount to thousands of participants for Skagit Tours. As programs barrel full speed ahead into summer, we'd like to say a hearty thank-you to everyone who paused to snap these photos and document how we work, learn, and play together!

🌸 See all the happy spring memories in our latest blog post at https://blog.ncascades.org/institute-news/spring-2025-institute-photo-round-up/

📸 Photo Credits
no. 1 | Hannah Heiss
no. 2 | Hannah Black
no. 3 | Jeff Brennan
no. 4 | Britt Coy
no. 5 | YLA team

All roads lead to adventure…. At least that’s

All roads lead to adventure…. At least that’s our motto. Speaking of roads did you know that both Cascade River Road AND the road to Artist point (SR 542/Mt. Baker highway) both opened last week!!!!

For Cascade river road that means you can now access Cascade Pass Trailhead for the season! A few more things to know:

🚗 Be prepared for early summer conditions and come with the knowledge and proper equipment for possible snow travel.

🚗 Bears are and can be present in wild areas. When not storing food properly (bear can) keep your pack, food, and scented items secure and with you at all times.

🚗 Visit nps.gov/noca for current conditions and more information

For the road to Artist Point (SR 542/Mt. Baker highway)

🚗 All trails accessed from Artist Point remain under deep snow. Be prepared with the knowledge and proper equipment for snow travel.

🚗 If you are planning to recreate in the area, know there is limited cell service and the area is remote with the possibility for long emergency response times.

🚗 Expect heavy traffic now that the road is open.

🚗 For more information visit the Heather Meadows Visitor Center now open for the season daily from 10am-4pm.

Who’s ready to hit the road, but which one first?! 🤔

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