Exploring Sehome Arboretum with the Red Tailed Eyas

Even with the threat of rain, Red Tailed Eyas met at the bottom of Sehome Arboretum with gumption to have a great final outing of the season. We gathered together in a field of buttercups for opening meeting and to acquaint ourselves with folks who joined us for the day. Two boys from the Alevin Explorers, Kai and Cole, contributed to the group with their energy and friendliness.

A thank you goes out to the Explorers Mentoring Apprentice who volunteered his afternoon with us. Marcus, a member of the Firestalkersgroup in our Four Shields program, mentored younger boys throughout the day. And Red Tailed Eyas certainly garnered a lot from your being with us!

After review about safe knife usage, our first order of business was to “Ki-ai” the tent caterpillars on the Hawthorn tree at the edge of the field. It seems that we were too late in the season to make an impact on their colonies, but hopefully Explorers will remember to practice this technique next spring when the caterpillars first form in the trees.

Shortly after our journey began we met a fork in the road and had to make a decision about which way to go. Boys had the motto, It’s About the Journey, Not the Destination, in their head, so they weren’t quick to choose the path. But mentors kept pestering them to use the decision-making power they have. It is so important that we challenge them to make decisions and provide ample time for them to do so. This empowers them in the long run and gives them the practice they’ll need in the future to consider different opinions and then navigate their groups to the best route.

After one of our many rounds of Hide, a third of the group felt the urge to use the bathroom. As such, and being conveniently next to the university, they used flushing facilities. Next time you will have the chance to dig a cathole for yourself! The rest of us practiced our tracking skills by marking an area on the edge of the woods, going a good distance into the forest, and then walking out while trying to find the exact place we marked. Boys had fun exploring the hillside and Liam even found a Robin’s egg during the activity!

Our path wound upwards and onwards, and we came to an old landslide site. We saw some good examples of the Chuckanut Sandstone formations for which Sehome Arboretum is partially famous. Drew also showed us a debris shelter that we might be able to mimic in future outings as we practice the Art of Shelter. During the walk to the top Red Tailed Eyas received two important lectures/ points of wisdoms from their mentors:

Firstly, in Explorers Club sticks are tools and not weapons. Once we lower the stick toward another person our intent has changed. We have to remember the motto, The Difference Between a Tool and a Weapon is YOU!

Secondly, regarding knife safety, we have to know our tools and how to use them. Knives are meant for whittling wood. Knife tips are not the best tool for making holes nor for splitting a stick into multiple pieces. Explorers should consider the motto, Safety First and ask mentors, adults, and parents for advice about the best tool for a project. We all are here to guide and help you, boys!

Steve left us a note that Yucca grows at the top of the arboretum. So, we searched for it and bushwhacked through trailing blackberry, hawthorn, sword fern, and many other plants in our efforts to find the useful, although non-native, medicine plant. You got us this time Steve!

Saving the best for last, we set up Spiders Web to end season. With Drew and Dave as the Spiders, Explorers tried using their quickness and swiftness to win the game quickly. Unfortunately, their wily elders sent them back to the web over and over and over again. It wasn’t until they were nearly all caught that they truly realized the importance of the motto, Slow is Fast and Fast is Slow. Yes, our speed can be an ally. But our ability to move slowly may be more powerful at times. And it’s important that we practice our stealth and quietness in addition to the much practice we get moving fast and loudly.

We closed our day with a Circle of Thanks practicing our motto, Attitude of Gratitude. This Outing Report closes the same way:

Thank you Explorers for a great season together. Your curiosity in the forest led to many learning opportunities and fun games. We did some good "Coyote Stewardship" at Larrabee State Park and next season you’ll get to work at our new site at Connelly Creek! Parents, thank you for the support and encouragement this season. Your willingness to get Explorers to the outings truly makes your boys, and this program, flourish and shine.

If your son wants to explore with us this summer, we still have room. Please click hereto see our offerings. We also have a Summer Solstice Gathering on Thursday, June 20th. Please come out to Hovander Park if you want to connect with other Explorers and their families. You can see more pictures from the outing in the photo gallery too. We look forward to seeing you around town, at camps this summer, and for the fall season too!

Exploring Arroyo Park with the Red-Tailed Eyas

With snow having fallen the day before the outing, Red Tail Eyas reached the Arroyo Park trailhead prepared for any of the crazy weather that Spring was ready to dish out. They embraced the rain and were ready for a day of activities and connection.

Unfortunately, Mentors didn’t have the E.C. camera, so the pictures for this outing and blog posting are rather limited and not the best quality… please excuse us! Fortunately, however, the precipitation let up with every passing minute and only twenty minutes into our exploration, we were basking in sunshine! You know what it feels like.

Matt put us to the test immediately and engaged our observation skills. He picked out a blooming salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) and asked us a series of questions about the plant and its neighbors. It was a great way to sharpen our naturalist skills!

Leo eventually caught up with us and we had opening meeting down by the creek. Dave told the story of the Red-tailed Juvenile that Sam and his friends had found in Boulevard Park during spring break. He shared that it wasn’t a Red-tailed Hawk but actually a Peregrine Falcon, like Sam and his friends had said! That led our EMA, Kyler, from the Firestalkers, to share a story about an accipiter he saw in his yard last week and we discussed bird prey and predator strategies.

Explorers decided to use this new knowledge of raptors and hunting to create a game. It is still in the prototype version and remains nameless but it will take form in upcoming outings. Please ask your son if he remembers anything about accipiters or the “bird-killing birds.”

Our journey took us to the bridge at Arroyo Creek where we explored amphibian habitat. Though we didn’t find any slimy herps, we still had a chance to poke around in the forest and underneath logs. We even saw some young horses that quite obviously had never seen Explorers before!

Up the hill we went. We made it to the junction in the road and mentors warned us about the dangers in the area. One of the dangers had very sharp leaves and branches and goes by the common name of Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridus). Despite the scary scientific and common names, this plant has very strong and beneficial medicine for us. As such, we are going to refer to it more affectionately by calling it, Medicine Club!

We took a water break but pressed upwards and onwards… to Cougar Rock! Please ask your Explorer why it is called Cougar Rock and what they did there! During that time, we practiced our motto, Stretch Your Edge through many different activities: climbing a huge slippery rock, learning how to spot our friends, being cougars and stalking Matt (who pretended to be a deer), and carving chopsticks and other items with our knives.

Red-Tailed Eyas then felt the time crunch as Mentors moved them downhill quickly towards “Grandpa Douglas Fir.” Fortunately, we still had precious moments for a Sit Spot and we all had a moment to commune with nature on our own. As important as our group outings are for building community, we also value strengthening individuals’ connections with the natural world.

Boys found many Trilliums (Trillium ovatum), as they were blooming in the understory. Please quiz your Explorer about this forest flower- he should know how many leaves and petals there are in addition to how long they take to grow before they bloom!

Though time had gotten away from us during this fun outing, we concluded with a Circle of Thanks, practicing our motto, Attitude of Gratitude. We’ll conclude this blog posting with the same motto:

Thank you Explorers for getting involved in so many different activities today. From game designing to carving and climbing, you really inspired us with your energy. Parents, thank you for your support of this program and the encouragement and love you give to the Explorers. It’s really enjoyable to spend our weekends together and watching them grow.

We look forward to seeing you at our next outing on May 12th from 12-4pm as the Red-Tailed Eyas deepen their stewardship ethic. We’ll return to Larrabee State Park and toil to keep the English Ivy at bay. Please look at the photo gallery for other pictures from this outing and sign up for summer camp if you haven’t already. See ya!

Exploring Lake Padden with the Red Tail Eyas

Clear and sunny skies greeted the Red Tail Eyases for their final outing of the season at Lake Padden. We would have stayed entirely dry except that the open field was saturated from the night before.  As it turns out, the cool, mildly damp forest was the perfect place for our exploration!

After greetings and opening meeting, we started out across the field toward the trail. Our journey started with an introduction into the art of tracking. Explorers discovered many prints in the muddy field and tracked large-pawed animals along the fence-line. We learned some basic differences between canine and feline prints. Ask your Explorer if he remembers what the “A” and “M” stand for.

We need to recognize Kyler, who was the Explorers Mentoring Apprentice (EMA) of the day. He is a member of the oldest group called the Firestalkers. He worked with younger Explorers throughout the day and took a lead role in detailing further challenges in the game of Hide. Also joining us for the outing was Kai, who is member of theAlevin E.C. group. His playful attitude kept spirits high as we ran around for hours in the forest.

In this exploration, boys were challenged to make decisions as a group. They practiced themotto, Let it Be Known (LIBK), to make sure their voices were heard. At a particular fork in the road, Explorers disagreed about which way to go. But everyone spoke his opinion; we all listened and some offered suggestions about how we should proceed. Though mentors stepped in after a while, Red Tail Eyases exercised their words and practiced compassionate listening. This type of behavior is admirable and should be celebrated!

At the trail junction Explorers came to a realization in the forms of yet another motto,The Map is Not the Territory. Boys dutifully studied the map and determined which trails corresponded with the trails presented before us. But the essential element is that those trail maps were only tools. The land is the territory on which our exploration was going to happen. So, we referenced the map and then left it behind as we motored up the hill toward a patch of older growth forest.

After the Red Tail Eyases enjoyed lunch in that secluded grove, boys organically formed a game of monster tag with Lucas leading the charge. Eventually that game pulled in the mentors and we modified it by converting the monster into a “predator” and making everyone else “prey.” Then we added another predator and another until the prey were running around frantically and hiding whenever they had a chance. This game mirrors the phenomenon of the Badger and Coyote, two seemingly unfriendly predators that work together occasionally in order to eat. Ask your Explorer how they work together!

Explorers had time for a sit spot in order to individually reconnect with the natural world and to give thanks for the “perfect playground.” Then we met together again to practice the motto, Attitude of Gratitude with our traditional Circle of Thanks. We ate apples and reflected on our first season in Explorer’s Club.

Continuing the gratitude: Thank you Explorers for your energy and enthusiasm on this outing and all season. Parents, thank you for your support and encouragement as well!

We hope you will consider the free Winter Solstice Gathering in December as well as a winter weekend outing in February to the Baker Lodge.

Thanks again for a great autumn and we look very much forward to seeing you in the spring!

Please check out more pictures from the recent outing and all previous ones in the Red Tail Eyases photo gallery.

Foundations of Service with the Red-Tailed Eyas

If we had to name three pillars of Explorers’ Club and of Wild Whatcom as a whole, they would be Exploration, Service, and Connection.  Service is at the foundation of all our work.  So, it was a great honor and privilege to greet the Red-Tailed Eyas and to welcome them into our tradition of serving.  These Explorers took to it like morning sun star (Solaster dawsoni) to water.

We began with a little mixer and review of our first skill of camouflage.  A few games of hide with an added twist and in a different location.  Explorers considered what worked in this place and why.  Then we came together and recognized some new faces.  We met Explorers’ Club mentor, Jon-Erik, and Explorers’ Mentoring Apprentice, Kyler, and decided it would be good to teach them our names.  We had another round of name game, but this had a new twist as well.  Do any Explorers remember the names of the animals their friends chose?

After few rounds with plenty of running and laughter, we decided to head up to the stage, have some lunch, and put our minds towards the day.  Service at Larrabee Park.  We took a few moments to consider who lives in this place.  We even recognized, by looking around, that we were right under a bird’s nest.  We then asked the question, do any of these beings ever give us anything?  Answers came flying forth from Explorers: oxygen, food, fun, beauty, wonder, etc.  We then asked what we, as individuals give.  Have we ever given anyone a present?  How did it feel?  Slowly, as we munched away and occasionally got distracted by the train or a passing flock of birds, we unfolded a little story of how everything is connected here, and how we depend on giving.

We then talked about ivy.  Is ivy bad and evil or is it out of balance in this place?  This is a big thought to unpack, and will take many outings to fully process this (maybe many lifetimes), but this Saturday was the day for laying foundations.  So we began this process.

With our food in our bellies and a better idea of what ivy is, what it does, where it grows, and how we can help restore balance by pulling it, we decided it was time for action.  On we went: up the hill and away.  Of course, it wouldn’t be Explorers’ Club if a few games of Hide weren’t called while we walked.  Soon enough, though, we came to a big pile of ivy left from our last group.  We told the story of how this hill looked when Kyler, who was there when Explorers’ Club first started, first came to it.  It was so covered in ivy that we didn’t even know there were rocks and other plants under it.  But now, after many groups have done service there, it is a place that can breathe again.  The few remaining native plants just seem relieved, and the soil seems ready for new seeds.

With enough talking, it was time for work.  We got right down to the business of pulling.  We yanked and tugged and learned new techniques along the way.  We definitely learned the power of many hands together.  Some of those vines were impossible to dislodge with one person, but with all of us together, they eventually came free.  Groans, laughter, panting, playing, and piling up a mass of those green invasives made for a good day’s work.  Check out the video below to see just a part of our “ivy train” at the end of the day.  Check out the pics to see just how much we went through.

Once we had spent ourselves, we realized that there was still time for exploration and enjoyment of this landscape.  It is important, actually vital, once you have served something or someone, to step back and just appreciate.  To celebrate that place or person for who they are and not fix or do anything.  So, we rambled down to the ocean and just enjoyed it.  We scrambled on the rocks and ogled at the wide sea.  Before we knew it, it was time for the final meeting and aCircle of Thanks.  Thanks is a great way to begin and end every day and every endeavor.

So, thank you, Explorers, for a wonderful outing and great service.  Thank you, Larrabee, for being one of the most amazing and inspiring natural communities in our area. Thank you, parents, for your ongoing support.

Don’t forget to check out pics of our outing in the photo gallery.