You see that fin slicing up through the surface—tall, tall, taller—until at last the body follows and an exhaled plume of breath huffs up? You know you’re …
Read More of Meet the Bigg’s Killer Whale (Orcinus orca)
Connecting to the natural world was tough when I was younger. I was taught that understanding the natural world was the domain of a scientist, …
Read More of Submarine Parents: How Orcas use Social Strategy in Parenting
It was two in the afternoon on a Friday in July and I had just gotten off work. I stopped in town for a sandwich, where I …
Read More of Endangered Orcas: An encounter on San Juan Island
Summer is well underway, though it is a bit cooler in Cascadia than we’ve gotten used to in recent years — no complaints, we’re enjoying the clean air …
Read More of July 2019 Photo Round Up!
This week marks the start of a very special cultural celebration here in the Pacific Northwest: Paddle to Lummi: Sqweshenet Tse Schelangen/”Honoring our way of Life.” The …
Read More of Canoes on the move across the Salish Sea for the Paddle to Lummi
Since time immemorial, the Skagit River has been a life-giving watershed for countless organisms that live in and along the banks of its milky-blue waters. The river’s …
Read More of Donut Hole: Threats to the Skagit Loom North of the Border
This year marked the 50th anniversary of the formation of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex, a sprawling reserve that includes North Cascades National Park and …
Read More of North Cascades Love: Highlighting the 50th Anniversary Photo Contest
Bright blue camas flowers, yellow buttercups, scarlet paintbrush, chocolate lilies, and tall grasses swayed back and forth from the wind across the hillsides of Yellow Island. Phil …
Read More of A San Juan Adventure on Orion: Exploring Yellow and Jones Islands by Boat and Boot
By Aly Gourd, graduate student in the Institute’s 15th cohort. Imagine a world that makes sense. Mentally erase all of the tangled lines on the old, industrial-age …
Read More of Mapping a Sense of Place
If you are new to or unfamiliar with the North Cascades Institute, there are a few bits of jargon that need to be explained: Western Washington University has …
Read More of An Open Letter to the 16th Cohort
