When I say “subalpine meadow monitoring,” I can guess the image that appears in your mind. The first time I heard about our season-long project, I was picturing rolling green Sound of Music hills, complete with frolicking and wildflowers and birdsong. And while we do...
Is tonight a clear summer moonless sky? Yes? Then if you’re in Seattle, stand outside at night and look directly above you. If you’re in the dark skies of one of Washington’s three national parks, do the same but just at sunset. This will make...
Almost all of us have picked up enough facts about how our world turns through space just by existing. Most of us forget our observations–for example, we see the Sun every day, so we never pay enough attention to know where it will be in...
And just like that, summer of 2022 has come and gone! We have entered the beautiful autumn, where the morning air is cool and crisp, and the deciduous trees are starting to show us their unmistakable autumn colors. Just like how each season can teach us...
Photo of myself halfway to Sourdough Lookout! This season there has been a lot of growth. Not only by the plants here at the native plant restoration program, but myself too. I have expanded current skills, and gained new ones. I have learned more about...
Summer is in full swing here at the North Cascades. We have had many weeks where temperatures have been in the high 90s or low 100s! Fires are throwing smoke in the air, and the warmer weather is attracting more visitors. Luckily, we have yet...
I didn’t realize how much I would miss the mountain until I left for a few days. The quiet, the green, the omnipresence of the mountain watching over us even when we can’t see her. The people, the simplicity of the daily routine, the distinct...
The catalyst Picture this: You’re at the front desk of the Port Angeles Visitor Center a day after hearing that one of your favorite coworkers, Ashley, is leaving in two weeks to go back to school. You feel it then, the impending doom of summer is ending....
Growing up in the PNW means growing up with huckleberries. The small stretch of woods behind my house in Snoqualmie had a path which led to a bog, and along that path grew those tiny, sour, red huckleberries all August long. I never walked the...
PART 1: FRAGILITY When you visit Mount Rainier, odds are that you go up to the Paradise area of the park. Known for its showy wildflowers and mountain views, it is one of the most highly visited sections of the park, and has the impacts to...