Inspiring personal connection to community and the natural world
Fairy slipper found on a wildflower hike.
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Cascadia Wild is a volunteer-run, Portland-based non-profit (501)(c)(3) organization.
We continue to thrive because of strong community support which comes from the volunteers that put it all together, our generous members, and all of the participants and other supporters to whom we are forever grateful. Cascadia Wild offers:
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Our Mission
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The mission of Cascadia Wild is to connect people with the natural world, combining modern ecology with ancient practices of living with the earth. We do this by teaching naturalist skills, creating meaningful interactions with local natural areas, and providing stewardship opportunities for serving the wildlife, forests, and land of the Pacific Northwest.
We believe in balancing scientific study with heartfelt connection, creativity, and holistic awareness, combining the awareness of a native tracker with the knowledge of a modern scientist. Our teaching style uses hands-on experiential learning to engage all the senses. By tapping into a person's own natural curiosity, nature itself becomes the teacher. The goal of this style of learning is to instill a strong connection to the land and a passion for stewardship. Through our community science project, our goals are not only to inform research and management but to also offer an opportunity for stewardship. By providing a space where people can learn about and help protect the abundant life with whom we share the forest, we seek to instill a sense of belonging to a place and a recognition of the responsibility that comes with that, to inspire stewardship in the actions of everyday life. We hope to foster a community of trackers, foragers, naturalists, community scientists, stewards, and people more deeply connected with the natural world – a community that is also a part of the wild life and wild places of Cascadia, our home. It is our vision that people and communities everywhere will act with care and respect for the natural world, motivated by their understanding of their place in our interconnected ecosystems and their perception of their role in the cycle of life. |
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History
In 1998, a group of people joined together under the "CaWspices" of Cascadia Wild because they wanted to share their knowledge of the natural world with others. Since that time we have been able to offer many nature education programs to schools and independent groups, develop a partnership with the Mt Hood National Forest to spearhead rare carnivore monitoring efforts via the Wolverine Tracking Project, and mentor thousands of people in animal tracking, wild edible plants, and many other naturalist skills.
press and Media
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Cascadia Wild in the News
2019: The volunteer-run Wolverine Tracking Project Camera Survey captured images of two different wolves at separate locations. ODFW suggests that the two may be the breeding pair of the White River wolf pack. Read about it at The Oregonian. 2018: Cameras with the Wolverine Tracking Project caught some of the first footage of what is now designated the White River Wolf Pack! The Oregonian ran the story. 2017: Check out this story on KPTV about the Wolverine Tracking Project. 2012: Press about our detection of Sierra Nevada red fox on Mt Hood via our camera survey - the first verification of this rare mammal in our forest! |
Wolverine Tracking Project Video
This short video talks about what it's like to volunteer with the Wolverine Tracking Project's wildlife Camera Surveys: |
