Fifty years ago, returning visitors to the Upper Skagit Valley may have asked the question “Where has the river gone?” With the 1961 completion of the 300-foot …
Read More of Adventure in the Gorge Lake draw-down
On my first teaching day of fall Mountain School I was terrified. I was completely smitten with the amazing North Cascades ecosystem I’d just spent all summer …
Read More of Learning to teach through the "what if…?s"
I got the opportunity to meet our newest cohort of graduate students on their first day of class last month and was able to spend some time …
Read More of Welcoming cohort 13 to the Institute family
I work in a room with no windows. All day I watch the refracted light from the skylight, which is made from those swirly glass blocks, dance …
Read More of Searching for the dream
Right now the Learning Center is transitioning from spring into summer, though the weather might not always show it. All of the graduate students in cohort 12, …
Read More of Seasonal transitions for a graduate student
ROBBY ASTROVE graduated from North Cascades Institute and Western Washington University’s M.Ed program in 2005 as part of the third Cohort of students. He is currently the …
Read More of Life after grad school for an environmental educator and naturalist
My cohort-mates have heard this a few times by now, but I’ve been to the Olympic Coast four times and despite its reputation for tempestuous weather, I’ve …
Read More of Graduate students explore natural history on the Olympic Coast
Thursday, March 21st dawned bright and snowy. The sun lit up a pale blue sky. Fourteen graduate students excitedly anticipated the start of their 2pm Graduation Ceremony.
Read More of A New Set of Graduates, Ready to Take on the World!
One of my favorite things about this particular Masters in Education program through Western Washington University and North Cascades Institute is that most of the time it …
Read More of What do those graduate students do all winter anyway…?
Three times during their year-long residency, the graduate students at the Learning Center venture outside for three days to learn about natural history. Our winter natural history …
Read More of Exploring Natural History on Whidbey Island
