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Wild Connections
Winter 2017
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This winter, we are asking you to make a financial investment in a positive future. You will be helping kids explore outdoors, sometimes for the very first time, learning about stewardship, collaboration, and the wonders of nature.
Our goal is $16,000. Please consider a stretch gift this year and know that it will be put to great use changing the world -- child by child!
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Dear Wild Whatcom families and supporters,
I have rarely been more convinced of the importance of our impact -- nurturing connection, engagement, and an open, curious mind -- than over this past month.
I see this from so many angles: helping a child find joy and expansion through time in nature; nurturing a future steward to conserve our precious natural areas; hearing a young person find their voice about social justice; watching a group of youth transform an area through their service. Through each child and each program, Wild Whatcom generates positive change in our community.
And the good news is, with your support, Wild Whatcom is poised to reach more kids than ever through our school programs. We are effectively removing all barriers of participation to ensure every child has the chance to get outside to learn. This year we will connect nearly 2,000 youth to nature in meaningful ways, thanks to our incredibly talented mentors. Now that is something to be hopeful about!
A funder from Seattle captured this optimism perfectly after spending an afternoon exploring with Wild Whatcom: “I so enjoyed joining the girls last weekend…. The way your instructors work with the girls is incredible – eliciting questions, supporting them, leading by example, showing up as warm and loving and gentle and strong. I was beyond impressed, and wish more of these opportunities existed for girls and for women. I would sign up! …I drove home feeling grateful and once again optimistic for our future.”
Together, we can give children a rooted sense of self, a deep connection to nature, and skills for a collaborative future. Your donation to Wild Whatcom this holiday season, large or small, contributes meaningfully to people and our planet.
Please donate today and invest in our tomorrow!
With gratitude,
Emily Barnett Highleyman
Executive Director
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Hey kids, are you ready to go exploring?
Get out in nature with Wild Whatcom! Wonder and adventure await as you expand skills, make new friends, and have fun!
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Eagle Watching & Tracking
Deming Eagle Park
Sunday, December 11, 10:00-3:00PM
$70/person (scholarships available). Grades 2-5. Register now!
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Photo Credit: Wild Whatcom staff
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Nature Notes - Holly Roger
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Photo credit: Holly Roger
What can you learn from lichen (pronounced like-n)?
Oh, something about differences bringing us together. The word symbiosis just means “living together”. The term was applied to humans living together in community, before it was used in the study of lichens.
Why? A lichen is comprised of different organisms living in a long-term and mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship. Each lichen you encounter is a biological phenomenon; it is two or three organisms operating as one. It consists of fungus and an individual photosynthetic organism (usually algae but sometimes cyanobacteria), working together to become something completely different. The fungal bodies provide structure and protection, while the photosynthetic partner makes food. The individual species are so interwoven that many cannot exist on their own. There are an estimated 16,000 different kinds of lichens, 5,421 in North America. And those are only the ones we know about! New research has discovered that lichens are made of TWO different kinds of fungal bodies and a photosynthetic partnering algae or cyanobacteria.
What? Now if they can get along, so can we.
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Like Lichens?
Join the Licheneers! Meets the 3rd Thursday most months at WWU.
Contact Fred Rhoades for info!
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Mark your calendar - join us this winter!
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DECEMBER
Every Friday 9:30-11:00AM - Wild Things at Connelly Creek Nature Area
Sun., Dec. 11, 10:00-3:00PM - Kids OUT! Eagle Watching & Tracking at Deming Eagle Park
JANUARY
Every Friday 9:30-11:00AM - Wild Things at Lake Padden (East Entrance)
Fri., Jan. 13, 10:30-11:30 PM - Nature Outings Moonlight Tidepooling at Marine Park
Sun., Jan. 22, 11:00-4:00PM - Kids OUT!, Art of Fire Building at Hundred Acre Wood
FEBRUARY
Every Friday 9:30-11:00AM - Wild Things at Interurban Trail
Sat., Feb. 11, Ladies Night Out - Moon of Deep Snow
Sun., Feb. 26, 8:00-5:00PM - Kids OUT!, Snow Play Day & Winter Survival Skills at Mt. Baker Ski Area
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