Explore the natural beauty, biological diversity, history and culture of the North Cascades and Salish Sea region. Sign up for a field trip to connect, explore and get inspired!
Make your field trip selection/s on the Conference Registration Form either during or after registration. There is limited space available on all field trips. Reserve early as they may sell out quickly! You can add field trips to your registration at any time; directions are in our FAQs.
All field trips will take place on Thursday, July 27.
Bird Watching Cruise
Cost per person: Adult: $100; Youth (6-17): $50; Child under 6: Free
Time: 10:00 am–5:00 pm
Description: Depart from the Bellingham Cruise Terminal near WWU and cruise through the San Juan Islands on the way to Smith Island to search for tufted puffins. View birds from a unique vantage point! As you cruise, the captain and professional naturalist will discuss—and help you spot—the wide variety of birds that you’ll see on this cruise.
Bring your binoculars, a camera, sunscreen, and jacket/windbreaker. The vessel will have plenty of indoor seating, as well as ample outdoor viewing areas on two levels of the boat.
Lunch: Boxed picnic lunch provided
Transportation: Carpool/Uber (approx. 2 miles from WWU)
Age limit: All ages
Maximum #: 30 Adults, 5 Youth
Minimum #: 20
Morning or Afternoon Kayak Tour of Bellingham Bay
Cost per person: $65
Time: 9:00 am–12:00 pm OR 1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Description: {Morning paddle is sold out} Join us for a guided afternoon of sea kayaking! We will pick a destination as a group and start with a short introduction to equipment, paddle strokes and safety. Once we’re on the water we’re free to enjoy the glide! Keep an eye out for critters: the starfish are colorful and the seals are curious! With beautiful Bellingham to the north and luscious Larabee state park to the south, there is plenty to explore, all while silently slipping over riveting rock formations!
Lunch: No meal provided
Transportation: Carpool/Uber (approx. 2 miles from WWU)
Age limit: All ages
Maximum #: 15 for morning and 24 for afternoon
Minimum #: N/A
Coastal Ethnobotany
Cost per person: $25
Time: 9:00 am–12:30 pm
Description: This field trip will explore the ethnobotany and natural history of the coastal bluffs, gravel beaches, and salt marshes of Chuckanut Bay. Biodiversity is incredibly important to the traditional livelihoods of the Coast Salish. Nowhere is the myriad of life more apparent than an estuary, where river meets sea and land meets water. Trip leader Abe Lloyd is a senior instructor at Western Washington University and author of the book “Wild Berries of Washington and Oregon.”
Bring weather-appropriate clothes, sunscreen, reusable water bottle, and shoes you can get muddy.
Lunch: Boxed lunch on the estuary
Transportation: Carpool/Uber
Age limit: All ages
Maximum #: 30
Minimum #: 8
Deception Pass State Park and Padilla Bay NERR Natural and Cultural History Tour
Unfortunately, this trip was cancelled due to lack of registration.
Noisy Water: Whatcom Creek Field Trip
Cost per person: $20
Time: 9:00 am–1:00 pm
Description: This guided 4-mile walking tour tells the story of the death and life of an urban creek. Whatcom Creek was called the place of Noisy Waters by the indigenous Lummi people because of the iconic waterfalls. We will take the city bus to Whatcom Falls Park and join local environmental educators Glen “Alex” Alexander and Wendy Scherrer on the Whatcom Creek Trail, with a focus on water education. This trail starts in mature, lowland forest and ends at a newly restored estuary pocket beach in Bellingham Bay after winding through industrial, commercial, residential and urban neighborhoods. Learn the environmental history of this living classroom. The trail passes beautiful waterfalls, mature cedar/fir habitat, two hatcheries (trout and salmon), the city drinking water treatment facility and millions of dollars of restored riparian habitats. Whatcom Creek can be viewed as a classic example of what we can do to reverse the abuse that was part of the way things were done in the past, before we knew better. At the end of the trip we will return to campus on the city bus.
Bring weather-appropriate clothes, sunscreen, reusable water bottle, hiking shoes. Because most of this trip experience happens along the trail, participants must be able to walk 4 miles.
Lunch: Catered picnic lunch
Transportation: City bus (fare provided)
Age limit: All ages
Maximum #: 30
Minimum #: 10
Snow caps to White caps: How glaciers shape the PNW
Unfortunately, this trip was cancelled due to lack of registration.
Ocean Networks Canada will be hosting the IPMEN 2023 conference at the University of Victoria on Vancouver Island BC, Canada, from Tuesday July 18 to Thursday July 20. More information can be found on the IPMEN website.
