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Blog

decay

Swimming with the Salmon

forest
Nov 11, 2011Jess Newley

“I think we’re going to the moon because it’s in the nature of the human being to face challenges. It’s by the nature of his deep inner …
Read More of Swimming with the Salmon

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Recent Articles

  • Why North Cascades Rivers Glow Turquoise Every Summer (And Why Diablo Lake Is So Iconic)
  • Guardians of Life: Vancouver Island Rebuilding Indigenous Sovereignty
  • “The Earth Said Remember Me” by Jason Dove Mark
  • Leave No Trace in the North Cascades: Protecting a Wild Place During Peak Adventure Season
  • Spring 2026 Field Programs Highlights

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ncascades

Inspiring environmental stewardship through education, exploration and connection since 1986.
⬇️ 🌲Help youth Take Root & Rise - DONATE TODAY🌲 ⬇️

Hey Bellingham, help support @ncascades youth prog Hey Bellingham, help support @ncascades youth programs when you dine & drink local during ROUND IT UP WEEK at Aslan! 

Starting today through Aug 29, round up your tab at Aslan’s Bellingham Brewpub and The Depot, and they’ll donate the difference to the Institute to fund immersive outdoor education for local youth. 

And mark your calendars for "Parks & Rec" trivia at The Depot on Thur, Aug 27 from 6-8 pm. Test your knowledge of local public lands and outdoor recreation for a chance to win great prizes like books, gear and more! $1 from every pint of Hop Water & beer poured on trivia night will be donated to the Institute. 

Thanks for your support! Cheers!
Sound on for the cutest lil MEEPS! Seen here is a Sound on for the cutest lil MEEPS!

Seen here is a pika alerting their friends to possible danger. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

🐰 The pika resembles their close cousin the rabbit, but with rounded ears. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🐰 Meep! Pikas emit high pitched alarm calls to communicate and to announce intruders into their territory. 

🐰Known far and wide for their cuteness pika are found in mountainous regions like the North Cascades, most often on rockpiles and talus fields.

🐰 Pika survive the cold winters by burrowing far under the snow where the deep snowpack acts as an insulator to keep them from freezing. They have difficulty thermoregulating their bodies to heat, so they rely on rock crevices and cavities for shade and cover. ⠀⠀⠀

🐰 Pika do not hibernate in the winter but remain active consuming grasses and plants they collect and store in crevasses under rocks during the warmer months.

🐰 They are unable to tolerate high temperatures, (>78 degrees Fahrenheit) for long periods of time, which is why they are an indicator species for climate change. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🐰Long term monitoring and studies are essential for their survival in places like the North Cascades.

📍Ancestral homelands of the Nlaka’pamux people⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This slug is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S 🐌 Banana slug This slug is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S

🐌 Banana slugs are pretty neat. They are mollusks and have two pairs of tentacles. The upper pair is the largest and are used to detect light intensity or lack of light, similar to the way human eyes detect light and dark.

🐌 The smaller pair of tentacles is used to detect and differentiate smells, similar to the way human noses detect and differentiate smells. 

🐌 For protection, both pairs of tentacles can be retracted inside the slug’s body in case of danger, but if bitten off by a predator they can grow new tentacles.

🐌 A slug like this one can top out at a speed of six-and-one-half inches per minute, and has a lifespan of one to seven years.

📍Ancestral homelands of the Nlaka’pamux, Sauk Suiattle, Upper Skagit & Swinomish people
🌲 What is forest bathing? 🌲 What are the benefits 🌲 What is forest bathing? 
🌲 What are the benefits of this simple practice? 
🌲 What will you learn about yourself and the world around you by breathing deeply, listening, noticing? 

Join certified Forest Therapy Guide Mileva Huljev in St Edwards State Park on Sept 12 to tune into the rhythms of the forest and learn more about this restorative practice. Sign up at https://ncascades.org/signup/programs/forest-bathing-a-mindful-connection-to-nature-pm
“When you feel on top of the world.” ~ @lj_discove “When you feel on top of the world.” ~ @lj_discovers 

This spot has one of the best views in North Cascades National Park Service Complex. You can probably see why. Epic mountains on mountains, mountain goats abound, glaciers and not many people (overnight). And one of the best camp toilet views around. IYKYK. 

Enjoy a look around without putting in the miles! 

📍Ancestral homelands of the Nlaka’pamux, Okanagan & Confederated tribes of the Colville reservation 
📸: @lj_discovers
Enjoy great local brews and help youth get outside Enjoy great local brews and help youth get outside! From Aug 24-29, round up your tab at Aslan’s Bellingham Brewpub and The Depot, and they’ll donate the difference to North Cascades Institute to support outdoor education for local youth. 

And mark your calendars for "Parks & Rec" trivia at The Depot on Thur, Aug 27 from 6-8 pm. Test your knowledge of local public lands and outdoor recreation for a chance to win great prizes like gear, books and more! $1 from every pint of Hop Water & beer poured on trivia night will be donated to the Institute. 

See you there! Cheers 🍻
As the sun sets on glacier-carved peaks of the Nor As the sun sets on glacier-carved peaks of the North Cascades, a new dimension of this wild landscape comes to life under starry skies.

On Sept 11-13, join photographer Kuria Jorissen to explore some easily accessible parts of North Cascades National Park and enjoy hands-on learning under the night sky—truly the best way to learn astrophotography. 

This workshop is designed to welcome participants and photographers of all levels! 

📆 : Sept. 11th - 13th, 2026
📍 : North Cascades National Park
🥾 : easy hiking/accessible trails

There are only 6 spots left, so act fast! Register today: https://bit.ly/3Rn2213

images by Kuria Jorissen @callofthemountainsart
Happy National Friendship Day! (Well last Sunday., Happy National Friendship Day! (Well last Sunday., August 2) Better late than never. 

With Washington summer in full swing, it’s a great time to get outside with a friend/s to enjoy all the physical, emotional and social benefits.

👯‍♀️ Spending time with friends can help prevent loneliness and isolation. Socializing also exercises the brain, which can help keep thinking and memory sharp.

👯‍♀️ Being outside and with other people is a double whammy of awesomeness! Spending time with people strengthens emotional connections and bonds  and being in fresh air can boost oxygen levels in the brain, which can increase serotonin levels and alter your mood. Hooray for happiness!

👯‍♀️ Spending time with friends can give people a sense of belonging and doing that outside provides people chance to connect with both the land and their community. 

👯‍♀️ TLDR: And you can take cool friend photos when you’re out adventuring to look fondly back on. 

Tag a friend you want to spend time outside with
Are these tiny Truffula trees for the Dr. Seuss bo Are these tiny Truffula trees for the Dr. Seuss book, “The Lorax”? Yes! Jk, we wish! They are actually pasqueflower.

🪻Pulsatilla occidentalis, white pasqueflower, western pasqueflower or western anemone is a herbaceous species of flowering plant in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. 

🪻 Native to Western states like Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California and Montana, it is found growing in gravelly soils on slopes and in moist meadows. 

🪻 Its large, showy flowers can be white or slightly purple-tinged and bloom from May to September. They can be important early spring good source to many types of pollinators. 

🪻 The flower is followed by a silky, plumed seedhead and wind helps to disperse the seeds. 

🪻 Western pasqueflower when fresh can be toxic especially to domestic animals if eaten in large quantities and should not be eaten by humans. 

🪻 Once the plant is dried and compounds break down it can be used medicinally. It is used traditionally by Indigenous people as analgesics, sedatives and for anxiety. 

Have you seen pasqueflower before? Leave a 🪻 in the comments.
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