Sea-Watchers 2023-2024

Welcome to Explorers Club Season 1! Mentors are excited for a season filled with nature exploration and group connection. The technical skills that we will be focusing on this year are camouflage, outdoor safety and preparedness, and plant identification. Our socio-emotional skill focus will be on developing a group identity, forming new friendships, and learning Explorers Club routines, such as Opening Circle, Peaceful Place, and Attitude of Gratitude.

All outings, including dates, times, locations, and staffing are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances and without notice. We will notify you of any changes as soon as possible.

RESOURCES

EXPLORERS CLUB PACK LIST

MENTOR CONTACT INFO

Sarah McHugh (they/them) | sarah@wildwhatcom.org

Natalie Schmidt (she/they) | natalie@wildwhatcom.org

OUTING 1 | Sunday, September 17 | 10:00-3:00PM

EXPLORATION | Larrabee State Park

For our very first outing together, we’ll meet at Larrabee State Park for a day of games, exploration, and getting to know each other. Explorers’ inspiration, mentors' teachings, and nature's surprises will direct our day’s wanderings. We'll revel in autumn leaves, explore tide pools, and spot crabs, herons, and sea stars. By playing games and following hidden trails, we'll begin to discover all the ways we can explore our connections to nature and one another.

Please anticipate always packing lunch, a snack, water, and appropriate outdoor gear for EC outings. See our Explorers Club Pack List here. Please also pack a bathing suit, towel, and closed-toed water shoes for this day.

Directions: 245 Chuckanut Dr, Bellingham. From I-5, take exit 250 (Old Fairhaven Parkway/Chuckanut Dr.). Head west on Old Fairhaven Parkway to 12th St. Turn left at 12th St and then veer left onto Chuckanut Dr. for approx. 5.0 miles. Turn right into the main park entrance and follow the road around to the left to the day use/amphitheater parking lot. Map.

Reminder: A Discover Pass is required for all parking at state parks. If you do not have a Discover Pass, please stay with your vehicle and plan to make drop-off and pick-up quick.

OUTING 2 | Saturday, October 21 | 10:00-3:00PM

SKILLS | Mushroom Hunt | Hundred Acre Woods via Fairhaven Park Entrance

This southside forest has been prime exploring territory for many Explorers over the years. On this misty autumn day, we'll seek shelter under the fir and cedar canopy, discovering hidden treasures in this 89-acre preserve. Specifically, we aim to find as many cool, weird, and interesting mushrooms as we can! We will spend lots of time getting to know our fungi neighbors and the important role they play in the forest. Additionally, we’ll use this outing as practice for winter: talking about and learning through experience what we need to be prepared to explore outside in the cold and wet season! We'll no doubt learn that exploring and learning can be fun in any weather, as long as we're prepared.

Please anticipate always packing lunch, a snack, and water for EC outings. As the days grow colder, please also pack appropriate rain and cold weather gear, guidelines for which can be found on the Explorers Club Pack list.

Directions: 107 N. Chuckanut Dr, Bellingham. From I-5, take exit 250 (Old Fairhaven Parkway/Chuckanut Dr). Head west on Old Fairhaven Parkway. Turn south at 12th St, then east again at the next light onto Chuckanut Drive. Turn north into the Fairhaven Park entrance. Turn right into the first parking lot. Map.

OUTING 3 | Sunday, November 12 | 10:00-3:00PM

SKILLS | Art of Camouflage | Whatcom Falls Park

A mixture of towering cedars, friendly ferns, and other native plants, this forest is a perfect spot for natural disguise. We'll begin our practice in the Art of Camouflage by learning about the ways that forest creatures stay quiet and hidden. One game begins with an "H" and it sends everyone flying into the bushes! We’ll also spend time continuing to learn Explorers Club mottos, getting to know each other, and practicing how to be safe while having fun outside!

Directions: 1700 Silver Beach Rd. From I-5, take exit 253 (Lakeway Dr.). Head east on Lakeway Dr. for approx. 1.4 miles. Turn left onto Silver Beach Rd. and drive for .4 miles until you reach the parking lot near the playground and fish hatchery. Map.

OUTING 4 | SUnday, February 11 | 10:00-3:00PM

EXPLORATION | Nature Art | Lake Padden Park

Following in the footsteps of many great natural artists that have come before us, Explorers will spend this outing creating natural art installations in the forest. We will gather dead, down, or brown leaves, branches, stones, and other natural materials along the trail, talk about concepts of beauty, perspective, and art, and each make our own, unique work of art. Some Explorers may choose to make mandalas, while others may build sculptures, and some may even create floating leaf wreaths. There will be no wrongs or rights as we work together to create pieces of ephemeral, natural art. Please remember to send your Explorer with lots of warm, dry layers and filling food to this outing!

Directions: 4882 S. Samish Way, Bellingham. From I-5, take exit 252 (Samish Way). Drive south on S. Samish Way for approx. 2.4 miles. Turn west onto Lakeshore Dr. (same as Lake Padden Golf Course entrance). Continue to park and the first shelter near the playground. If you’ve gone to the dog park and road end, you’ve gone too far! Map.

OUTING 5 | Sunday, February 18 | 10:00-3:00PM

EXPLORATION | Winter Wonder | Cornwall Park

*Please note that this outing originally scheduled for January but was cancelled due to extreme weather conditions*

Get ready for a day full of creative fun, because this outing is all about the Art of Play. We'll dive into much-loved Explorers Club nature-themed games and activities, learn plenty of new ones, and perhaps invent a few as we go. As always, we'll practice leadership skills that build executive function, like active listening and collaborative decision-making (and play itself!) and finish our day tired, full of laughs, and more connected as a group. Please remember to send your Explorer with lots of warm, dry layers and filling food to this outing.

Directions: 3424 Meridian St., Bellingham. From I-5, take exit 256A (Meridian St). Head south on Meridian St. for three blocks and turn left at the Squalicum Parkway intersection entrance. Map.

OUTING 6 | Saturday, March 9 | 10:00-2:00PM

SERVICE | Connelly Creek Restoration Sites

Explorers Club has two official restoration sites that we work on every year in partnership with the Bellingham Parks Department. In the decade-plus that EC has worked at Connelly Creek trailhead and Happy Valley park, the landscape of each site has changed dramatically. Explorers of all ages have helped to remove Himalayan blackberries and dig out their persistent roots. We’ve planted over 100 native plants, shrubs, and trees. Existing plant life has been freed of ivy, reed canary grass has been covered in mulch, and morning glory has been dug out by the root. Explorers have removed hundreds of pounds of trash and hauled almost 100 yards of mulch.

With the help of Bellingham City Parks and Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA), we are contributing to the very important work of salmon habitat restoration. Salmon are keystone species of the Northwest, playing important roles in every ecosystem and community they interact with. They are economically, culturally, and spiritually significant to Indigenous peoples, including our Lummi and Nooksack neighbors. Our restoration work creates a positive ripple effect that is felt in communities beyond just salmon and gives us an incredible opportunity to be part of a legacy of stewardship and protection. Please remember to print, sign, & bring the Park and Recreation’s Risk and Liability form to drop off.

Directions: South Bellingham Park and Ride (West). From I-5, take exit 250 (Old Fairhaven Parkway/Chuckanut Dr). Head west on Old Fairhaven Parkway for 0.1 mile. Turn north onto 30th St for 0.3 mile. Turn east on Donovan Ave. and drive for 0.1 mile. Turn south onto 32nd Ave. and drive for 0.2 of a mile. Turn east into Bellingham Park & Ride (WSDOT) westside lot. Map.

OUTING 7 | Sunday, April 28 | 10:00-3:00PM

SKILLS | Tree ID | Fairhaven Park

Trees breathe new life into the air, their roots bind and protect riverbanks, their trunks and canopies create whole ecosystems, and they are utilized to make shelter, tools, and medicines. On this very special outing, the group will begin to learn how to distinguish the five most prominent trees in our area - Alder, Big Leaf Maple, Cedar, Douglas Fir, and Western Hemlock. In outings to come, we will use this knowledge to learn about the medicines, foods, and tools that all come from our friends, the trees.

OUTING 8 | Saturday, June 1 | 10:00-3:00PM

EXPLORATION | Clayton Beach via Lost Lake Parking Lot

There is just so much to see and do during our final outing of the season! Forests to explore, fossils to find, rocks to climb, giant hills of sand to play on, plus all the awesome plants and animals that call this area home. We will meet some new plant and marine friends, play games, and in general, follow our sense of curiosity! Depending on the weather, we may dip our toes in the ocean, so remember to pack a towel, sunscreen, bathing suit, and closed-toed water shoes!

Directions: 100-104 WA-11. From I-5, take exit 250 (Old Fairhaven Parkway/Chuckanut Dr). Head west on Old Fairhaven Parkway. Turn left at 12th St, then left again at next light onto Chuckanut Dr. for approx. 5.5 miles. The parking lot is a short distance past the main Larrabee State Park entrance. It will be on your left and is signed Lost Lake Parking Lot. Map.

Reminder: A Discover Pass is required for all parking at state parks. If you do not have a Discover Pass, please stay with your vehicle and plan to make drop-off and pick-up quick.