Resources
At the back of Cascadia Field Guide, we include selected resources for furthering your engagement: 
  • Field guides we love
  • Places to learn more about First People and Traditional Ecological Knowledge
  • Great nonfiction books about Cascadia
  • Cascadian conservation and educational organizations
  • and more...
Tools for Exploring Cascadia
Your best tools for enjoying Cascadia, in addition to this special guide, are time and attention. That said, a few simple items can enhance your experiences.
  • Binoculars: Good binoculars are no longer a break-the-bank purchase. Look for 8x40 or 10x42 binoculars. The editors particularly appreciate waterproof, warrantied, barrel-shape binoculars (we drop things and hike in the rain).
  • Hand lens: A small loupe like a jeweler uses is helpful for looking closely at plants, lichens, and rocks. Seek a sturdy 10x lens and put it on a string so you can wear it around your neck as you walk.
  • Notepad and pencil: So old school! But it’s true. Taking notes, making lists, and sketching can help focus your attention. A smartphone is a good tool too. ​​
Learn Together with a Hugo House Class: Writing with the Cascadia Field Guide with Sierra Nelson
When: Saturdays in August (Aug 5th to Aug 26th, 4 sessions total), 1:10-3:10 p.m. PST
Where: ONLINE via Zoom
Dive into the poems and naturalist insights in Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry--learning about fascinating creatures and plants living in "Cascadia" (Alaska to California, land and ocean). Then we'll generate our own writing (open to any genre) using in-class prompts inspired by the readings and diverse authors. Your writing can connect to any ecosystem; you don't have to live in Cascadia. https://hugohouse.org/product/writing-with-the-cascadia-field-guide/

Teaching with this Guide
We have a few suggestions for ways this book might be used as a teaching tool, whether on the trail or in the classroom.... this section will grow over time.

For Younger Students:
  • Write a Community Poem for a being:  For first grade and up. Get a pdf of the lesson plan
  • Cascadia Critters: Younger children (or playful adults!) learn about some of the beings who live in Cascadia and roleplay becoming that being. Get a pdf of the lesson plan.
  • Be a Bioregion Detective. Use all of your senses to hone observation skills and experience and make special connections to Cascadia/your place. Get a pdf of the lesson plan.

For Older Students:
  • Reading for Wonder: Use Cascadia Field Guide to teach close reading to high school or college students.  Get a pdf of the lesson plan.
  • Make your Own Guide: Write or find a poem; research and write your own being story; find or create art that honors these beings. Get a pdf of the lesson plan.  
  • Giving Back to Cascadia: Support vibrant habitats and communities by developing or taking part in an action project to address an environmental issue in Cascadia. Get a pdf of the lesson plan.
  • "Other" the Field Guide: Consider poems, artistic approaches, and more to think about how we can welcome more voices and visions. Get a pdf of the lesson plan.
  • Interview a Cascadia Being: Write a script and present a creative interview that will captivate the audience and reveal more about the hopes, dreams, hardships, and daily life of that being.  Get a pdf of the lesson plan.
  • Create Imaginative Empathy: Write a poem that embodies imaginative empathy for a being other than Human.  Get a pdf of the lesson plan.
Want to share a lesson plan or suggestion?  Click the "Connect" tab and reach out. We're interested in how folks can use this guide in K-12 classrooms, on the trail, in universities, in community writing centers, in adult learning environments of all kinds.