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Field Trips
Olympia, the capital city of the state of Washington, is named for the beautiful snow-capped mountainsthat form the northern background of the peninsula. Olympia is located at the southern most point of Puget Sound, an elaborate system of interconnected marine water ways of the Pacific Ocean. Surrounded by mountains and sea, this phenomenal corner of the world known as the Pacific Northwest is not lacking for outdoor opportunities to explore and learn about all of its natural beauties.
We have a wide variety of field trips being offered to help you explore the rich and natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. As you are signing up for these opportunities, please note: The weather here is incredibly variable, even during the summer! Temperatures can range from as low as 40 degrees, to as high as 98 degrees. It could be pouring rain (this is how we get our lush rainforest!) or, quite hot and sunny. It is very important that participants come prepared for any weather, especially a raincoat, warm clothes, and good walking shoes. Some trips will specify if more gear is needed. We want you to be as comfortable as possible in order to enjoy the day!
Sunday July 10th
Half Day Trip: Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. 1:00 pm-5:00 pm
Within 20 minutes of our conference location lies the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge(http://www.fws.gov/Nisqually/) . Established in 1974, the refuge encompasses the Nisqually River Delta, a diverse estuary rich in wildlife. In 2009 dikes were removed to reconnect 700 acres with the saltwater tidal flows of south Puget Sound.
Four miles of trails allow visitors to view the abundant wildlife in their natural habitat. With both freshwater and saltwater habitats, there are over 300 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, and amphibians that use the refuge as a stopover on migration routes, or as a permanent home.
For a 4 hour field trip there is plenty of opportunity for field sketching, and a good chance of seeing bald eagles and other raptors, great blue heron, otters, and waterfowl. A visit to the Environmental Education Center will provide more in depth learning about the refuge and its wildlife. Local fieldguide TBA.
Driving Time One Way: 20 minutes. Degree of difficulty: Easy walking along boardwalks and trails; choose to do a longer or shorter walk. Please bring: raincoat, comfortable walking shoes, sunhat, sketching materials, your own water bottle, and binoculars if you have them.
Thursday July 14th.
Half Day Trip: Taylor Shellfish Farms Field Trip. 8:00 am-12:30 pm Canceled
Ever wonder how oysters and other shellfish are grown? Washington State has been farming shellfish for over 60 years. Visit a working farm to see how the animals are raised, from seed to adult. Get a boat tour of mussel farming methods, learn about the different aquaculture techniques: bags, singles or clusters, raft and ground culture. Find out about a goeduck (aside from it being the Evergreen College mascot!), see how oysters and shellfish are harvested and processed. http://www.taylorshellfishfarms.com/
Driving Time One Way: 20 minutes. Degree of difficulty: Easy. Please bring: raincoat, comfortable walking shoes, your own water bottle, and a sunhat.
Half Day Trip: Squaxin Island Museum. 1:00 pm-5:00 pm
Learn about the history and culture of one of the many Northwest Native American tribes, “the People of the Water”. http://squaxinislandmuseum.org/ This contemporary museum shares how the Squaxin Island tribe has related to their natural environment, through exhibits showing art, basketry, history, legends and culture. Culturally aquatic centered, they show how the tribe interacts with the seven inlets of Puget Sound, both past and present.
Driving Time One Way: 20 minutes. Degree of difficulty: Easy. Please bring: raincoat, comfortable walking shoes, and your own water bottle.
Full Day Trip: Downtown Seattle: Octopus Presentation and Sketching at the Seattle Aquarium, and Seattle’s Famous Pike Place Market. 7:30 am-5:30 pm
This full day trip will take participants into the heart of downtown Seattle. The morning will be spent at the Seattle Aquarium http://www.seattleaquarium.org/ , where the group will be given a private presentation at the sizeable Octopus exhibit from a Cephalopod expert. Afterwards, there will be time to make sketches of one of the Pacific Northwest’s greatest wonders of the sea before the aquarium opens to the public, or tour the aquarium itself. Following the Octopus visit, participants will be able to explore the colorful and lively Pike Place Market (local food, local merchants…an absolute must-see of Seattle!) and other downtown attractions. Or return to the aquarium for more self guided exploration of the fascinating exhibits
Driving Time One Way: 1 hour 15minutes. Degree of difficulty: easy. Please bring: raincoat, comfortable walking shoes, sunhat, sketching materials, and sack lunch or money for dinning out and souvenirs.
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Friday, July 15th
Half Day Trip: Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. 8:00 am-12:00 pm
For those not able to attend the Sunday afternoon trip
Within 20 minutes of our conference location lies the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. http://www.fws.gov/nisqually/. Established in 1974, the refuge encompasses the Nisqually River Delta, a diverse estuary rich in wildlife. In 2009 dikes were removed to reconnect 700 acres with the saltwater tidal flows of south Puget Sound. Four miles of trails allow visitors to view the abundant wildlife in their natural habitat. With both freshwater and saltwater habitats, there are over 300 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, and amphibians that use the refuge as a stopover on migration routes, or as a permanent home.
For a 4 hour field trip there is plenty of opportunity for field sketching, and a good chance of seeing bald eagles and other raptors, great blue heron, otters, and waterfowl. A visit to the Environmental Education Center will provide more in depth learning about the refuge and its wildlife. Local fieldguide TBA.
Driving Time One Way: 20 minutes. Degree of difficulty: Easy walking along boardwalks and trails; choose to do a longer or shorter walk. Please bring: raincoat, sturdy walking shoes, sunhat, sketching materials, your own water bottle, and binoculars if you have them.
Half Day Trip: Museum of Glass. 1:00 pm-5:00 pm
For a unique experience, the Museum of Glass is a must see. http://www.museumofglass.org/. Leading contemporary glass artist Dale Chihuly partnered with the city of Tacoma, his hometown, and the museum, to build the Bridge of Glass, an outdoor exhibit leading to the museum entrance. Once inside, you can get a guided tour of the galleries, with exotic glass sculptures by current artists. One of the most exciting parts of the tour is the Hot Shop, where you can view artists in action, shaping and blowing hot glass. There are two furnaces that keep 1,000 pounds of glass heated to 2400 degrees F. The artists work the glass, adding colors, shaping and reheating as necessary in Glory holes, or smaller ovens, which keep the glass malleable. It is amazing to watch them work!
Driving Time One Way: 30 minutes. Degree of Difficulty: Easy. Please bring: weather appropriate attire, comfortable walking shoes, and your own water bottle.
Full Day: Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument: 7:30 am-6:30 pm
In 1980, Mt. St. Helens erupted in a cloud of smoke and ash, literally blowing its top off. Today, more than 30 years later, you can still see the effects in the blast zone, trees lying like matchsticks. http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/ Travel to the visitor center near this active volcano to see the crater, lava dome, pumice plain and landslide deposits. Witness spectacular changes, as the flora and fauna have gradually invaded blast areas to regenerate life. At Coldwater Valley, learn how Coldwater Lake was formed by the eruption. At Johnston Ridge, hike the Boundary Trail with an interpretive guide to learn about the geology and ecology of the changing landscape.
Driving Time One Way: 2 ½ hours. Degree of Difficulty: Moderate. Please bring: raincoat, rainpants, layered clothing, sturdy walking shoes, sunhat, sketching materials, your own water bottle, and binoculars if you have them. Lunch provided.
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Saturday, July 16th.
Full Day Trip: Willapa Bay: 7:30 am-8:30 pm
Take a tour of the southwest Washington coast, and Willapa Bay, considered the cleanest estuary in the continental US. http://ekoneoyster.com/, http://funbeach.com/. First stop at Ekone Oyster Company in Bay Center for a guided tour of their oyster processing plant. Learn the details of oyster aquaculture, one of Washington’s leading industries. See the oyster hatchery, where 1 million baby oysters look like a handful of sand, and view them under the microscope. Have a picnic lunch at the Bush Pioneer Park in Bay Center (or eat at the local restaurant, Dock of the Bay), before going on to the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. Check out the outdoor sculpture along their nature trail, a project of University of Washington art students.
Then, head to Beard’s Hollow and the North Head Lighthouse in Ilwaco for a guided tour by botanist Kathleen Sayce, included breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. At the Cape Disappointment Interpretive Center, learn about Lewis and Clark and the early settlers. Finish with a BBQ at Cape Disappointment State Park at the mouth of the Columbia River, with views across the river to Oregon. Hike along the 25 miles of beach with huge piles of giant driftwood, search for sand dollars, or watch for seabirds and seals from the North Jetty.
Driving Time One Way: 1 ½ hours. Degree of Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. Please bring: raincoat, rainpants, warm clothes, sturdy walking shoes, sunhat, sketching materials, and your own water bottle. Lunch and dinner provided.
Full Day Trip: Burke Museum and UW Greenhouse: 8:30 am-5:30 pm
Take a morning tour of the public displays at one of Seattle’s most prized museums, the Burke Museum of Natural History at the University of Washington, http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/. Then, spend the afternoon exploring and sketching the research collections (with staff tour guide). With a collection of over 12 million(!) specimen and artifacts in the Burke research collection, including botanical, zoological, geological, anthropological, and more, choices are nearly limitless (available collections TBA)—a scientific illustrator’s dream! The collection comes from across the globe, but they specialize in discoveries of the Pacific margin. Prefer live botanical specimen instead of preserved? Field trip participants have an alternate choice of visiting the UW Greenhouse in the afternoon. Tour the unique plant specimens from around the globe and learn interesting facts about their collection of live plants and flowers from a greenhouse staff leader. Bring your sketchbook and favorite traveling color medium… Come discover what treasures are waiting for you on this fantastic field trip!
Driving Time One Way: 1 hour 15 minutes. Degree of difficulty: Easy. Please bring: weather appropriate attire, comfortable walking shoes, sketching materials, your own water bottle, and a sack lunch or money for restaurant dinning. Return to Evergreen campus no later than 6pm.
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OVERNIGHT ADVENTURE:
Overnight Mini-Conference in Port Townsend: Orca Whales, Pacific Northwest Marine Life, and Botany
Friday July 15th and Saturday July 16th.
Leaves 8:00 a.m. Friday morning, returns 8:00 p.m. Saturday night.
Are you interested in delving deep into the life of Orca Whales? We are offering a unique trip at the end of our week where participants will walk away from this 2-day ‘mini-conference’ with a wealth of scientific information and wonder for not only the Orca whale, but also the rich marine and plant life of the Pacific Northwest.
Friday: Participants will leave Olympia Friday morning and take in the scenic drive along Hood Canal’s Hwy 101 to Port Townsend, a small Victorian coastal town on the Olympic Peninsula known for its boating community. The day will include a picnic lunch, delectable evening dinner, and several interesting activities including: touring Finnriver Farm (http://finnriver.com/) that specializes in organic sustainable agriculture, Port Townsend Marine Science Center (http://www.ptmsc.org/), and a guided Pacific Northwest forest walk by local botanists, Pat Willits and Sharon Schlentner.
Learn about Finnriver Farm’s practices, on-site salmon habitat restoration projects, and sample some of the best local grown berries and ciders around! At the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, participants will be given a private presentation of a newly articulated orca skeleton, found along the coast, and just recently put on display in the Natural History Exhibit Building. Following this presentation, ample time will be given for sketching the skeleton, as well as the other marine life from the center's live Aquarium Exhibit.
Over night accommodations are provided at the Olympic Youth Hostel (http://www.olympichostel.org/), quaint lodging located in historical Fort Warden within a very short walking distance to sandy beach and many forested trails that lead to historic military bunkers built into the hillsides at the turn of the 20th Century to protect Puget Sound. For dinner, you won’t want to miss eating with the group…Feast on fine local foods and drinks that will tantalize your taste buds, prepared special just for us.
Saturday: After a breakfast together at the Hostel, participants will board the Puget Sound Express( http://www.pugetsoundexpress.com/whale-watching-and-wildlife-tours/san-juan-island-ferry/) for a full day of whale watching and exploring marine life in one of Washington State’s most visited areas: The San Juan Islands. The boat, The Glacier Spirit, will leave at 9:00 from Port Townsend, and, with the help of an on-board naturalist, will combine orca whale-watching and marine education. The boat makes a stop in the scenic town of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, where participants are free to roam downtown for 2 hours, finding lunch on your own at the handful of local restaurants, as well as make an optional trip to the impressive Friday Harbor Whale Museum (fee is $6). The Glacier Spirit returns to Port Townsend at 4:30. Participants will pick up dinner at The Food Coop (local natural foods market) to take on the road, and we will be back in Olympia by 7:30 Saturday evening (campus housing available for an additional $42 ($38 + sales tax) Saturday night). Don’t miss this trip!!
One way driving time: 2 ¼ hours. Level of difficulty: Easy to moderate. Cost per Participant: $245. Friday lunch and dinner and Saturday breakfast, plus snacks provided, with vegetarian options available. This cost also includes: All day whale watching fee, Marine Science Center fee, Olympic Hostel lodging, and transportation. Lunch and dinner on Saturday will be bought by the participant. Please bring: raincoat, sturdy walking shoes, sketching materials, and personal overnight necessities. Beds, linens, towels, eating utensils are all provided courtesy of Olympic Youth Hostel.
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