Inside Passages: Northwest Rivers and Seas

REVISED

Spring 2012 quarter

Faculty

Robert Smurr Russian history, environmental history , Ted Whitesell geography, environmental studies

Fields of Study

environmental studies, field studies, geography, history and sustainability studies

Preparatory for studies or careers in

conservation, environmental history, geography, and land-use planning.

Description

This is a place-based program centered on the Salish Sea and the major watersheds of Washington State. Students will learn about our region of North America through the lenses of environmental history and cultural geography, examining changing human/environment relations over time. We will study aspects of Native culture, non-Native settlement, and modern challenges to sustainability and justice throughout the region. Particular attention will be paid to exploring our local corner of the Salish Sea region, so that students can understand their place at Evergreen within the context of broad, historical changes and the possibilities for constructing sustainable communities for the future. Multiple field trips will develop firsthand knowledge of the region's people and environments, where rivers and seas are surrounded by such diverse ecosystems as rain forests, arid basins, high mountain ranges, and wetlands. Field trips will include a canoe trip on the Columbia River, a visit to the largest dam removal project in history (in-progress on the Olympic Peninsula), and visits to inspiring restoration projects along both rural and urban shorelines and rivers. Students will be challenged to identify unifying features as well as variations in our region's environmental history and geography.

Location

Olympia

Online Learning

Enhanced Online Learning

Books

Greener Store

Required Fees

$200 for museum entrance fees and overnight field trips.

Offered During

Day

Program Revisions