Into the North Cascades I Go!

Greetings from the North Cascades National Park! My name is Julia Dahlquist and I have gotten an amazing opportunity to be a Natural Resource Management Assistant here in the North Cascades.

Photo of Julia Dahlquist at Boulder River Trail outside of Arlington, WA

I studied at Washington State University (WSU) where I obtained my bachelors degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences with a major in wildlife ecology and conservation. Throughout my childhood, my mom, sister, and I took camping trips often which is where I grew to love the outdoors. As I got older, life got busier and we didn’t spend as much time outside, but that love never vanished. Attending university, I thought I was going to become a veterinarian, but within the first year that goal had changed.  My focus shifted from wanting to help people’s pets to wanting to help all animals that roam this earth. With that change in focus, it changed my whole career path and I haven’t looked back since. 

Last summer, I explored a lot of this park while being part of a Master Student’s thesis research team analyzing the spatial use of black bears (Ursus americanus), and have been dying to come back to learn more about this park! Although I live rather close by, I had not done much exploring of this national park up until last year. The featured image on this post was a photo I took last summer on a backpacking trip up Copper Ridge, and was one of my favorite hikes last year. I am thrilled to be back here to learn more of the native flora and fauna in this hidden gem, and see what other projects are in the works. 

This summer, I am part of the native vegetation restoration program where I am working under Stacy McDonough and Rebecca Rising. They are in charge of the greenhouse located in Marblemount, WA for the park, as well as manage many of the projects in terms of revegetation and restoration of native plants. I am super excited to get my hands dirty and be part of projects larger than myself, while giving back to the land that provides for all. I hope to broaden my botany skills, and understand more about the natural culture this park holds.

Stay tuned for all my adventures to come!