Explorers Club Year 2
We look forward to exploring with these groups in Explorers Club Year 2!
Beach Carrots | Coastal Strawberries | Sea-Watchers
Standard outings and curriculum are below. Individual Explorers Club group schedules and curriculum may vary based on group needs, mentor discretion, previously canceled outings, group progress with technical skills, etc.
Outing dates, times, and locations for all groups are subject to change.
SKILLS FOCUS | YEAR 2
Safety and Preparedness | Navigation | Ethical Harvest | Collaborative Decision-Making
OUTING 1 | EXPLORATION
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!
Whatcom Falls park
OUTING 2 | SKills
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.
Stimpson Family Nature Reserve
OUTING 3 | Exploration
Located just south of Bellingham, Chuckanut Mountain is 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.
North Chuckanut Mountain
OUTING 4 | EXPLORATION
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!
Cornwall Park
OUTING 5 | Skills
Our community is incredibly lucky to have the extensive forest and lake access that Lake Padden Park provides. This southside gem is Bellingham’s oldest park and hosts 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!
Lake Padden Park
OUTING 6 | SERVICE
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 Nature Area 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 one hundred 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 one hundred 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 sign the City of Bellingham Parks Department Risk and Liability release form at drop off.
Connelly Creek Nature Area - Restoration Sites
OUTING 7 | SKILLS
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. Our snacks may consist of maple blossom fritters, nettle tea, nettle pesto, or dandelion salad. Please make sure your Explorer packs an empty mug for tea.
Hoag’s PonD
OUTING 8 | EXPLORATION
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.