There is a repatriation of sorts, happening in the wildest reaches of the Cascade Range. Gray wolves, long extinct from the region, have been spotted near Mt. Hood and as far south as the California Siskiyous. Plans to restore grizzly bear populations in the North Cascades, as well as new infrastructure to aid animal migration through connective corridors and highway underpasses have broad support. Even so, the Pacific Northwest faces a future of skyrocketing population growth and challenges from climate change. Will these efforts be enough?
Join Signal Fire for a week of backpacking in our home range, discussing the hope and challenges of rewilding in the Pacific Northwest through the lens of human and animal migration. Stories from the original inhabitants of this land will illuminate a landscape where animals and humans, long interdependent, are learning to live in proximity after many years of strife. Industrial mining, logging, and suburban sprawl threaten the integrity of the Northwest’s habitat for wild things. How are artists responding, reframing the discussions, and offering new possibilities? This is a gentle-to-moderate backpacking trip with a day or two of stillness in the middle. It is appropriate for anyone in good physical health, regardless of prior camping or backpacking experience. We probably won’t see any wolves, but you never know...
Participants: Amanda Brazier, Ali Haselbeck, Satpreet Kahlon, Su-Yee Lin, Kip Miller, Xi Jie “Salty” Ng, Jeremy Rotsztain, Mitsu Salmon, Anneke Wilder, Samuel Wildman.
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