We’re so lucky to have Ramon Shiloh coming back to the center on 2/2/2024, 2/3/2024, and 2/4/2024!

“Based in Portland, Oregon, Ramon is an award-winning author, illustrator, activist for Native youth, and multicultural chef. He was raised in Palo Alto, California amongst the Indigenous activist community of the bay area that was born from the Occupation of Alcatraz in 1970. His mother, June Legrand ‘Sukuybtet’ was a radio broadcaster, storyteller, educator, and social activist that surrounded him with Native perspectives and spirituality. Her gifts of guidance and education provided a foundation of connection that Ramon continues in his teachings today. His core values are focused on building healthy and empowering relationships which reflect our foodway systems and the need to share our Indigenous food knowledge in this ever-changing world.” -Ramon Shiloh & Native Arts and Culture Foundation

Our team here at the Skagit River Interpretive Center is looking forward to our opening day Saturday December 16th! The walks will leave our Interpretive Center in Rockport, WA at 11am and 1:30pm through mid-February. The schedule changes a bit through the holidays and so we wanted to share the dates and times with you here:

Saturdays and Sundays

• December 16th and 17th
• December 30th and 31st
• January 1st
• January 6th and 7th
• January 13th and 14th
• January 20th and 21st
• January 27th and 28th
• February 3rd and 4th
• February 10th and 11th

Additional Dates:

• Wednesday, December 27th
• Thursday, December 28th
• Friday, December 29th
• Monday, January 15th (MLK day)

The walks last from 1.5 to 2 hours and travel along a flat, well-maintained trail. The trail leads into the rainforest, crosses a bridge over a wetland and ends along the Skagit River. Be sure to dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes. There will likely be snow on the trail! The pre-season guide training sessions were led again this year by Joe Ordonez. Joe has over 30 years experience training natural history guides and bald eagle educators. Joe was last year’s Interpretive Coordinator. We were very lucky to have him come back for the training. This year’s interpretive Coordinator is Amanda Eisenberg. Amanda is a graduate of Western Washington University with a degree in Environmental Science. She has 3 years of guiding and environmental education experience.

From Amanda: We just completed our guide training this past Saturday. We were very lucky to have Joe to lead the training. We had a nice mix of veteran volunteers and some newcomers! Some are local to the Skagit Valley but we also had some who are traveling from Bellingham. Everyone is very excited to lead our nature walks this season!

It was a beautiful rainy day in the PNW. The rain let up right in time for our outdoor portion of training. During our training session we saw about a dozen Bald Eagles, some soaring above us and some perched in the Cottonwood trees. We saw spawned-out chum salmon along the channels of the river and heard a confrontation from a couple Steller’s Jays. Always as a reminder, conditions are variable so we don’t know and can’t guarantee how many eagles we will see on our walks this season. We can guarantee positive attitudes and smiling faces as we guide you and educate you on the importance of the Skagit River Watershed.

Photo Credit: Amanda Eisenberg
Caption: New Guide, Manny holding one of the center’s spotting scopes

Photo Credit: Amanda Eisenberg
Caption: A mixture of new guides, returning guides, and our Board President gathered near our replica of a bald eagle’s nest, listening to Joe Ordonez.

Photo Credit: Amanda Eisenberg
Caption: Our guides greet each other inside the center.