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Wild Connections
Winter 2017
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Hello Wild Whatcom families,
Did you know that Wild Whatcom is serving more kids than ever, for deeper impacts in our community? All year long, we mentor youth outside to explore, learn, and become their best selves: vibrant, curious, and engaged!
Each winter, we ask you - our amazing and visionary community - to join our team and make a contribution so all kids have the chance to connect with nature. Our goal is $20,000 to ensure that more youth in need experience the fun, inspiration, and wonder of the outdoors.
With your support we will serve:
- 1,000 students learning outdoors during the school day on multiple outings
- 300 students exploring their neighborhood’s nature after school
- 400 explorers diving into weekend outings for deeper immersion and fun
- 300 summer campers and backpackers discovering the wonders of the Northwest
Your gift to Wild Whatcom makes all the difference, inspiring kids to love nature, lead collaboratively, and serve their communities. Thank you for changing the world for the better, child by child.
Please donate today to help all kids thrive naturally!
Warmly,
Emily Barnett Highleyman
Executive Director
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Exploring outside during school. Photo Credit: Jeff Lewis
Wild Whatcom school programs continue to grow! Partnering with schools to provide in-school Wild Whatcom outings is a key strategy for decreasing barriers and getting more kids outside. We have had a great time exploring nearby natural spaces while introducing 1000 kids to all that Wild Whatcom has to offer! Mentors integrate WW mottos with hands-on educational experiences, developing comfort in nature that will allow them to get outside! Kids are building resilience and necessary skills to brave the elements!
Speaking of braving the elements, after a successful pilot winter session at Wade King elementary school in Bellingham last year, we are offering a 6-week winter Neighborhood Nature session at 5 Bellingham elementary schools beginning in late February through March. Is your school on the list? Registration opens mid-January so watch for information from your school!
If you are interested in Wild Whatcom outings at your school, email schoolprograms@wildwhatcom.org for more information.
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Field Programs - Explorers Club, Summer Adventures + More
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Making the most of an unexpected snow day. Photo Credit: Girls Explorers Club
At Wild Whatcom, we follow plenty of mottos that help our participants guide their way through life. When we were hit with the sudden and wacky snow storm in early November, Explorers Club decided to Turn Problems Into Possibilities. We were due to have service projects and high-mountain outings that would have been too dangerous given the wind and snow, so instead we decided to host a couple of winter wonderland outings.
Our Explorers went snow crazy! We had snowball fights, built snow sculptures, played games, made cocoa, and overall, just enjoyed the fact that our changed outing brought so many Possibilities. One girl even exclaimed, "This is the best Wild Whatcom outing EVER!". Though we're deep in the throes of winter in Whatcom County, Wild Whatcom Field Programs staff are dreaming of warm, sunshine-filled days -- Wild Whatcom Summer Adventures programs are in the works! Look for the Summer 2018 schedule of camps and backpacking trips on our website by mid-December with registration beginning March 1st.
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Joining us next summer on a backpack trip?
For backpacking trips lasting longer than 36 consecutive hours, a tetanus booster within the last 5 years AND a current copy of your child's Immunization Record showing a full primary tetanus vaccine series is required to participate. No exceptions! If you are planning to backpack with us next summer, please note a seven (7) month window is needed in order to get the full tetanus vaccine series. Questions? Contact us at info@wildwhatcom.org. |
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Fall Fundraiser Follow-up + Gift Certificates for the Holidays!
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A big SHOUT OUT to our community partners, Binyon Vision and Casa Que Pasa! Dr. McEathron and his staff at Binyon Vision selected Wild Whatcom as their Non-Profit of the Month in September and Casa Que Pasa, a favorite Bellingham restaurant, chose Wild Whatcom for a Potato Burrito Fundraiser Tuesday in October. Together we raised over $500! We are so grateful for their support. Please remember Binyon Vision when you are thinking about that next pair of glasses or contacts and Casa Que Pasa when you get a craving that only a potato burrito can fill!
Kulshan Brewing and friends of Jon Greenwood hosted the first annual Jon Greenwood Poker Tournament in November to honor Jon, have some fun, and raise money for Bellingham Youth Paddlesports and Wild Whatcom. Thanks to their efforts, a great deal of fun was had, and $950 was donated to both BYP and Wild Whatcom. What a wonderful way to remember Jon and support the organizations he loved. Many thanks to Adam Nelson and Kulshan 2 for making it possible!
Thinking about gifts for the holidays, but not excited about buying more stuff?
How about an experiential gift that connects kids to nature? Wild Whatcom has Gift Certificates in any amount that can be used toward any of our programs. It is perfect for kids who already love the outdoors, and for those that need a little nudge. Email info@wildwhatcom.org to order.
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Nature Notes - Holly Roger
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Douglas squirrel. Photo credit: Joe Meche
Douglas squirrel (also called Chickaree, Tamiasciurus douglasii) - You may have heard this woodland creature before you spotted it. The spunky, chittery native Douglas squirrel scolding you as you walk through its territory is sometimes confused with a chipmunk, possibly because its rather diminutive in size when compared to introduced Gray squirrels. A close look reveals the lack of stripes down their dark backs, the orangey "skirt" of their undersides, and the distinctive white ring around their eye. Look for evidence of this squirrel's larder in big piles of cone scraps at the base of trees, and for their football shaped nests near the trunks of trees this winter.
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Licorice fern. Photo credit: Holly Roger
Licorice fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza) - To find this fern, look up! It's most often found climbing up Broadleaf maple trees or sprawling across boulders wearing a thick blanket of moss to protect its root stalk or rhizome. Known for its sweet and soothing medicinal qualities, licorice fern is a favorite forest treat and frequent ingredient in tea during Wild Whatcom outings. Mentors enjoy making tea from small quantities of the rhizome, nettle leaves gathered in the spring and rose hips harvested in fall. And yes, we carefully employ Leave No Trace (LNT) principles and the 1 in 20 rule when harvesting (there must be at least 20 in order to harvest a single plant or an inch of root).
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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
Summer Adventures preview available. Note: Registration Opens March 1
Sat., Dec. 30 8:30-2:30PM - NCAS December Holiday Family Bird Count
JANUARY
Every Friday 9:30-11:00AM - Wild Things at Lake Padden Park (East)
Mon., Jan 1, 3:30-5:30PM - Ladies Night Out - Moon of the Crackling Branches
Mon., Jan. 15 - Neighborhood Nature Winter Registration Opens
FEBRUARY
Every Friday 9:30-11:00AM - Wild Things at Interurban Trail
No full moon in Feb - Join Ladies Night Out in March
Week of Feb. 20, Neighborhood Nature Winter Session Begins
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