Get to know the wild Cascades with wide range of classes

The North Cascades ecosystem is wild and complex.

Wolverines live there. Wolves are returning, and grizzly bears could be next. Yet this wild place is a short drive from big cities.

The North Cascades Institute takes advantage of this proximity. Each year, it offers courses that take people outside and let them experience the wild for themselves. Courses stretch from Puget Sound to the Methow Valley and topics range from poetry and painting to geology and biology.

Christian Martin, communications coordinator for NCI, is excited by two series of classes this year. NCI has expanded its offerings to include four photography courses and four geology courses. One of those courses focuses on landslides and flooding, a relevant topic after last year’s devastating slide in Oso.

Another course this year is on fire ecology. After the Carlton Complex fires last year, this class will explore burned areas and see how they are doing.

“We try to look around at North Cascades natural events and then use them as teaching tools,” Martin said.

A class on carnivores of the North Cascades is also taking advantage of current topics. It’s a particularly noteworthy topic for several reasons. Wolves are returning to the area; discussions have begun about whether grizzlies should be returned to the Cascades; and a decade-long study on wolverines in the region is wrapping up this year.

“Instead of a decline, we are seeing a rebounding of species. It’s happening here because it’s one of the wildest areas left, with lots of roadless areas,” Martin said. “It’s really only comparable to the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.”

Here are details on some of the classes coming up this year. For the full list check ncascades.org or call the institute at 360-854-2599.

Photography: Into the Forest

This class, taught by Mark Turner, will teach photographers how to take great photos in the challenging environment of the forest. Turner’s field guide, “Tree and Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest,” was published by Timber Press in 2014. May 22-24.

Citizen science

NCI offers citizen science courses this year on hawks and snakes. The citizen science courses get people out in the field to learn about the species. Then, students assist with counts that will help researchers. Students will often get a chance to handle the live animals, including birding hawks. Snakes Sept. 12; hawks, Sept. 19-20.

Poets on the Peaks

Saul Weisberg, the executive director of NCI, teaches this course along Gerry Cook. Weisberg has a collection of poetry coming out this year. Students will spend the first night at the learning center and then head out on Ross Lake before hiking up to Desolation Peak to visit the fire lookout where Jack Kerouac spent a summer. Aug. 13-16.

Wild Edibles of Lopez Island

This class, an old favorite, is led by Jennifer Hahn, the author of “Pacific Feast: A Cook’s Guide to West Coast Foraging and Cuisine.” Hahn is a leading expert on how to harvest your own food with an emphasis on the intertidal zones. Part of each day will be spent foraging for food and the rest will be spent cooking delicious meals. June 5-7.

Class schedule

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