Photo Gallery: 24 hours in the field with the Salish Sea Biodiversity, Culture, and Conservation class
WWU students enrolled in the Salish Sea Biodiversity, Culture, and Conservation course started class Tuesday, Aug. 9, with high spirits and a much heavier pack than most imagined as they set off on a week-long hike through the North Cascades.
The hiking trip is just one portion of the four-week summer field school, where students have the opportunity to learn from ecologists, resource managers, Indigenous land managers, conservation professionals, activists, and each other as they experience the natural world.
The group hiked roughly five miles their first day and summited Tamarack Peak the next morning, all just a normal day of class for Thomas “Abe” Lloyd, the Department of Environmental Sciences instructor who leads the course.
WWU photographer Luke Hollister tagged along for part of the trip to give us a look at the first 24 hours on the trail.