Coastal Strawberries 2024-2025

Welcome to Explorers Club Season 2! 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 navigation I, ethical harvest, and edible plants. Our socio-emotional skill focus will be on continuing to develop a group identity, collaborative decision making, and refining 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

Stormie Romero (she/they) | stormie@wildwhatcom.org

Evie Boland (she/her) | evie@wildwhatcom.org

Anna Phippen (she/her) | annap@wildwhatcom.org

OUTING 1 | Sunday, September 15 | 10:00 - 3:00 PM

EXPLORATION | Whatcom Falls

For our first outing of the season, we’ll be exploring the place of noisy waters, otherwise known as Whatcom Falls Park. This park is rich in history, meaning, flora, and fauna. We will play games on the lawn, dip our toes in the creek, and revisit some good mottos, safety guidelines, and our group agreement. Don’t forget to pack your closed-toed water shoes, nature journal, and plenty of good food for this first outing back in the field!

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 2 | Saturday, October 12 | 10:00 - 3:00 PM

SKILLS | Navigation I | Lookout Mountain Preserve

*Please note that the location for this outing has been changed to Lookout Mtn due to closures at Stimpson Reserve*

We'll wander and wonder in this epic forest of cedar and fir, letting our imagination and curiosity set the course. Along the way, we’ll do a few activities that teach about the wilderness skill of navigation. Where are we and how do we know where we're going? How do we prevent becoming lost, and what can we do if we lose our way? Fun games and activities will help us explore these questions. We will also practice trusting our inner and outer compasses and learn about how natural landmarks, tools, maps, and our senses can help us find the way.

Directions: Lake Louise Rd at Gate 9. From I-5, exit 253. Drive east onto Lakeway Dr for ~3.4 miles. Turn R right onto Austin Street and drive for ~.5 miles. Follow onto Lake Louise Rd and drive for ~2.5 miles. Lookout Mountain Preserve parking lot will be on the right. Map.

OUTING 3 | Sunday, November 17 | 10:00 - 3:00 PM

EXPLORATION | Salmon Scent Navigation | Woodstock Farm Via N. Chuckanut Trailhead

Located just south of Bellingham, the Chuckanut Mountains are a rare and amazing gem for our community. The north foothills of this mountain provide endless trails, expansive ravines, lush forests, and most importantly for us, a spawning habitat for Chum salmon. We will spend some time learning about this amazing and important member of our more-than-human community before we honor and witness their journey.

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: From I-5, take exit 250 (Old Fairhaven Parkway/Chuckanut Dr.). Head west on Old Fairhaven Parkway. Turn left onto 30th St. for approx. 1 mile. Turn right at Old Samish Rd. to Chuckanut Dr. then turn left onto Chuckanut Dr. and the North Chuckanut Mountain Trailhead parking lot will be on your left. Map.

OUTING 4 | Sunday, January 26 | 10:00 - 3:00 PM

EXPLORATION | Winter Wonder | Cornwall Park - Rose Garden Entrance

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 anticipate always packing lunch, a snack, and water for EC outings. With winter in full swing, please pack appropriate rain and cold weather gear, guidelines for which can be found on the Explorers Club Pack list.

Directions: 3000 Cornwall Ave. Drop off and pick up will be at the Cornwall Ave cul-de-sac. From I-5, take exit 255 for WA-542 E/Sunset Drive. Turn West onto Sunset Drive and follow for ~1 mile. Turn north onto W Illinois St and then turn east onto Cornwall Ave. Pass the Cornwall Rose Gardens on your left and Turn north into Cornwall Park. Follow the road until dead ends at the cul-de-sac at the south end of Cornwall Park and park in the adjacent lot. Map.

OUTING 5 | Saturday, February 15 | 10:00 - 3:00 PM

SKILLS | Art of Harvest | Lake Padden

Our community is incredibly lucky to have the extensive forest and ocean access that Larrabee State Park provides. This southside gem is one of Bellingham’s oldest parks and most significant cultural and historical sites and as such, is a perfect place to dive into the Art of Harvest. After discussing the basics of ethical harvesting and learning introductory methods, we’ll search for one specific plant friend. Once we identify this plant, we’ll spend the rest of the day seeing what it has to offer us. Of course, there will be time for games, challenges, and open exploration.

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 6 | Sunday, March 16 | Time TBD

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 | Saturday, April 19 | 10:00 - 3:00 PM

SKILLS | Edible Plants | Hoag’s Pond

On this day, we will continue to explore the gifts that plants have to offer by learning about which wild plants are good for eating! We’ll hike into the woods, pausing to put on our "owl eyes" and talk about how plants can both help and hurt us, and how to know the difference. We'll learn to always “meet before you eat," and work on our plant identification skills. Along the way, we’ll keep our eyes out for the noble nettle. After we find a sizable patch, we’ll learn how to harvest nettle safely and respectfully. Some of the other plants that we might munch on are dandelion, salmonberry flowers, licorice fern, and fir tips. Please make sure that your Explorer packs an empty mug for tea.

Directions: From I-5, take the Fairhaven Parkway exit (250) west. Turn south on 24th St (Fairhaven Veterinary Hospital on right). Pull to the side of the road near the Veterinary Hospital and look for mentors waiting and waving. Map.

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

EXPLORATION | Mud Gushing | Clark’s Point

On our last outing of the year, we'll learn about shorelines, geology, marine life and conservation in our explorations along this jut of land that remains pristine thanks to the Clark family. We'll clamber over sandstone boulders, discover what lives along the rocky edge and in blue-green tidepools, and likely get our feet in some mud! Then we'll head back up through a fir and cedar forest to sit with sweeping views of the San Juan Islands. We'll share our attitudes of gratitude for all this place offers and for the people that helped preserve it.

Please remember to have your Explorer pack a bathing suit, extra water, sunscreen, a towel, and mud gushing shoes (we recommend closed-toed water shoes or old sneakers - the important thing here is making sure the shoe can be tightened). Pro Tip: Your Explorer will likely come to pick up quite muddy. We recommend having a spare set of clothes and a plastic bag ready at pick up to save your car seats.
Directions: From I-5, take exit 250 (Old Fairhaven Parkway/Chuckanut Dr). Head west on Old Fairhaven Parkway to 12th St. Turn south on 12th St. then veer east onto Hawthorn Rd., and then slight south at top of hill onto Fieldston Rd. Wind through the Edgemoor neighborhood to the road end and intersection with Arbutus Pl. Trailhead is just past the intersection. Limited parking and small turn-around. Map.