|
Field Science and Leadership
7TH - 12TH GRADE
Students gain firsthand experience with scientific forestry equipment and field study techniques while learning how National Park Service researchers design field research projects and make land management decisions in our national parks. Working in small field groups, students investigate the habitat potential of the forest community surrounding the Learning Center by examining soil texture, tree age, growth and diversity, coarse woody debris, ground cover and canopy cover in forest plots. Students then compile and anaylze their data to draw conclusions about the suitability of the forest as habitat for different animals. The final day of the program includes a symposium-style discussion where each group presents their findings. Our Learning Center is located in North Cascades National Park in the heart of the North Cascades mountain range. The 16 building facility includes classrooms, labs, library, dining hall and lodges. It is located on the shores of Diablo Lake with numerous trails and three trailside learning shelters. Our foodshed program focuses on offering appealing and wholesome food choices that are local, organic and sustainably produced. Mountain School participants stay in three dormitory-style lodges, which sleep a total of 69 participants. Each room sleeps two to three participants with two shared bathrooms in each lodge. Weather at this site varies greatly depending on the season, so we ask participants to be prepared for all conditions. Travel time to the Learning Center from Burlington is approximately one hour and thirty minutes and three hours from Seattle. Where is Mountain School? Mountain School is surrounded by 7,000,000 acres of protected public lands in Washington and British Columbia. In the middle lies 684,000-acre North Cascades National Park – our neighborhood. With 93 percent of its area designated as Wilderness, the Park is known for its steep mountains, ever-flowing streams and tremendous biological diversity. With more than 300 glaciers and countless snowfields, the Park is one of the most rugged and heavily glaciated areas in the United States outside of Alaska. The North Cascades are a national treasure and living laboratory awaiting discovery. Instruction
With one to two classes per session, students break up into small hiking and learning groups with approximately a one to five adult/student ratio. Teachers and chaperones are an integral part of Mountain School, participating fully in all activities. North Cascades Institute education staff design lessons, provide leadership and train instructors at Mountain School. Mountain School instructors include North Cascades Institute staff members, graduate students enrolled in the Masters in Environmental Education program through Western Washington University and Institute and National Park rangers and interpreters. All instructors have CPR and first aid certification. In addition, many instructors have Wilderness First Responder (WFR) training, an advanced 80-hour first aid certification. Curriculum
While at Mountain School, students spend the majority of their time outside, hiking on trails and exploring mountain ecosystems first-hand through interdisciplinary activities. Experiential, hands-on activities in science, math, art, social studies and conservation fill days to the brim. Program activities extend through the evening. Mountain School curriculum is aligned with the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements, Grade Level Expectations and the Washington Asessment of Student Learning (Download EALRs as a PDF). With pre-trip and post-trip lessons included in the teacher’s guide, teachers have ready-to-go, useful tools to help prepare their students for Mountain School and make connections in the classroom following their field experience.
 Program Pricing and How to Schedule
|
