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Blog

mountain biking

Joining the pack

forest
Jul 8, 2013Special Guest

I’ve spent two weeks at North Cascades Institute now, and I’m starting to feel like a member of the pack. But it took a while. I was …
Read More of Joining the pack

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Recent Articles

  • Welcome to our Fall 2026 Creative Residents!
  • The North Cascade Glacier Climate Project: Observing Glacier Change with Art and Science Since 1984
  • 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

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ncascades

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

Fall is approaching—a great time to reconnect with Fall is approaching—a great time to reconnect with and give back to the landscapes we love!

Sept 12 | FOREST BATHING at St Edward's State Park
Sept 16 | FIRE ECOLOGY of Western WA (online)
Sept 19 | GLACIER ART at Artist Point 
Sept 25 | FALL STEWARDSHIP WEEKEND at the Environmental Learning Center

🍂 Sign up & discover more ways to get outside with us this Fall at https://ncascades.org/signup/calendar
NOW HIRING! Up to $1200 bonus & low-cost housing a NOW HIRING! Up to $1200 bonus & low-cost housing available for positions on our Kitchen Team! 

Work in the heart of the North Cascades, helping prepare and serve delicious meals at the Environmental Learning Center in North Cascades National Park. You’ll be part of the team that fuels environmental education and outdoor adventures for students, families, and visitors from around the world—all from our lakeside campus on Diablo Lake.

This is a great opportunity for someone looking for a seasonal experience in the mountains, with potential for longer-term opportunities.

BONUS PAY — UP TO $1,200!
$400 in your first paycheck
$400 at a mid-season date
$400 in your end-of-season paycheck
Low-cost housing available.

👉 Learn more and apply at ncascades.org/jobs
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? 🙋🏻‍♀️

📸: @skandog
The Nature of Writing Speaker Series is back for a The Nature of Writing Speaker Series is back for another season! This series brings community together in conversation to celebrate the creative minds illuminating the natural world with the turn of a page. 

This Monday, Sept 7 the Institute and Third Place Books welcome author & journalist Miriam Horn with her new book "Homesick for a World Unknown"—a vivid and captivating account of the adventurous life of field biologist and wildlife convservation pioneer, George B. Schaller. In this riveting portrait, Horn captures the seventy years Schaller spent living among wild animals in the world’s remotest regions, forever altering how we see—and save—the natural world. 

📚 RSVP today and discover more Nature of Writing events at http://ncascades.org/now
The Nature of Writing Speaker Series is back for a The Nature of Writing Speaker Series is back for another season! This series brings community together in conversation to celebrate the creative minds illuminating the natural world with the turn of a page. 

This Sunday, Sept 6, the Institute and Village Books welcome author & journalist Miriam Horn, with her new book "Homesick for a World Unknown"—a vivid and captivating account of the adventurous life of field biologist and wildlife convservation pioneer, George B. Schaller. In this riveting portrait, Horn captures the seventy years Schaller spent living among wild animals in the world’s remotest regions, forever altering how we see—and save—the natural world. 

📚 RSVP today and discover more Nature of Writing events at http://ncascades.org/now
“To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us “To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.”~Terry Tempest Williams 

🌲 The Wilderness Act passed in 1964 and turns 62 today!! Wilderness designation not only protects wild landscapes, but protects thousands of years of humans residing on the land and strengthens the connections people have to the land. 

🌲 94% of North Cascades National Park is designated wilderness. The goal of the Wilderness Act designates areas to preserve and manage for future generations to use who seek solitude, retrospection and primitive recreation. 

🌲 Although Wilderness is a federal designation, the word can evoke thoughts, feelings, & emotions for many. 

What does wilderness mean to you? 

📍Ancestral homelands of the Nlaka’pamux, Upper Skagit, Swinomish & Sauk Suiattle people
📸: @lostinwashington
🫍 ONLINE CLASS ALERT | Wed, Oct 7 | Drawing & Pain 🫍 ONLINE CLASS ALERT | Wed, Oct 7 | Drawing & Painting Orcas

Join artist and educator Sara Shimazu for an online workshop exploring the beauty & biology of our region’s resident and Bigg’s (transient) killer whales. 

We'll begin with an introduction to the physiology and identifying features of these iconic marine mammals before learning how to sketch their majestic forms. Then, bring your drawings to life with watercolor as Sara demonstrates techniques, offers personalized guidance, and answers questions to help us gain a deeper appreciation for the whales that call the Salish Sea home. 

🫍 REGISTER TODAY at https://ncascades.org/signup/programs/drawing-and-painting-orcas-online

art by Sara Shimazu @hysazu
The Nature of Writing Speaker Series is back for a The Nature of Writing Speaker Series is back for another season! This series brings community together in conversation to celebrate the creative minds illuminating the natural world with the turn of a page. 

This Thursday, Sept 3, the Institute and Village Books welcome New York Times best-selling author & naturalist Lyanda Lynn Haupt for a conversation about her latest book, "Among the Birds." Haupt takes readers on a wandering journey through the Pacific Northwest's avian world, drifting intuitively among species, much like you encounter birds on a forest amble or windy shoreline. Her signature voice - lyrical, curious, gently humorous, and deeply observant - infuses each vignette with delight and insight, as she blends personal moments with natural history, offering a closer look at the habits, habitats, and captivating quirks of some of your favorite birds. Lyanda will be joined in conversation by North Cascades Institute's editor and lead writer Christian Martin. 

📚 RSVP Today: http://ncascades.org/now
The Nature of Writing Speaker Series is back for a The Nature of Writing Speaker Series is back for another season! This series brings community together in conversation to celebrate the creative minds illuminating the natural world with the turn of a page. 

This Thursday, Sept 3, the Institute and Third Place Books welcome author & naturalist David B. Williams for a conversation about his latest book, "In The Range of Fire & Ice." Blending human and natural history, this groundbreaking exploration of Washington's Cascades invites readers to see this range not only as mountains, but as a living, evolving realm of fire, ice, and hope. Williams will be joined in conversation by environmental journalist Lynda V. Mapes. 

📚 RSVP Today: http://ncascades.org/now
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