Introduction to the Natural World Course - 2025

Naturalist Course

Introduction to the Natural World Course

An introductory course for people interested in learning more about Washington's rich and varied natural environment.

The Introduction to the Natural World course is designed for hikers, climbers, photographers, scramblers, and conservationists who want to learn more about the mountains, trails and parks they enjoy. Using information from the lectures, homework and various smartphone apps, charts, and guidebooks, you will learn some basic ecological concepts and geologic principles, some natural history, and start to learn how to identify flowers, shrubs, trees, birds, tidal creatures, butterflies, fungi and other forms of life found in the Pacific Northwest. Instructors are volunteers, eager to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for nature.

The course includes a half hour required introductory session and five required classes every 2 weeks in the evening from 7:00-8:30PM, given online in zoom format.

The lecture topics relate to the Pacific Northwest and include:

  • April 3 - INW Orientation and self study module on ecoregions in Washingtons state
  • April 10 - Trees, and flowering plants
  • April 24 - Ferns and geology principles
  • May 8 - Birds and fungi
  • May 22 - intertidal life and  urban mammals
  • June 5 - Insects, bumblebees and butterflies.

Each class will cover a different ecology topic such as abiotic gradients, life-history trade-offs, food webs, habitat diversity and pollination ecology.

All of the lectures will be recorded, for students who are not able to participate in the live Zoom sessions. 

Google Classroom will be the platform used for Course materials, recordings, assignments and quizzes. The link to it will be available for registered students and instructors after close of registration on March 20.  Viewing the  Washington ECOregions video and taking the quiz prior to the field trips is also required. A short quiz is assigned after each class to help review the lecture material, to give you some practice and prepare you for the field trips. Completion of all 6 quizzes is a requirement for graduation.

We will offer two local field trips. Field trip 1 will take place on April 26,27&30. Field trip 2 will take place between May 10-18 (weather permitting) Specific dates, times and locations will be found under the Course listing and are open only to students. Signups for Field Trip 1 & 2 will be open as soon as you are registered for the course. The local field trips are about 3-4 hours long, during the day or the evening, and attendance is required for graduation. Additional Naturalist Activities will be posted throughout the spring and summer and are highly encouraged but not required. These may take place in local parks, at tidal beaches, south Puget Sound area, in the Teanaway region, in the shrub-steppe of central Washington and in alpine trails on Mount Rainier or Mount Baker National Park. Naturalist trips are offered with a mix of terrains and distances to accommodate most fitness levels.

Each student will track progress on completing course assignments using Google Classroom…and we will show you how to do that. The Naturalist group has also compiled multiple Resources and "Taking it Further" study guides for participants who wish to go beyond the basics and get more practice, and these will be available in Google Classroom.

Goals for this course are:

  • Use a variety of resources and tools to recognize, identify, and appreciate the wonders of the natural world.
    • Develop skills necessary to use various apps and resources on field trips, to identify characteristics of plants, birds, and more.
  • Explore the natural world and observe components of habitats that influence what lives there
  • Look and listen actively in everyday life
  • Plan to participate in further naturalist activities and demonstrate appreciation of the natural world’s various habitats and ecological regions of the PNW
  • Follow “Leave No Trace” principles

The overarching goal is to have fun, meet some like-minded folks, and to learn!

This course is for adults only, please.

Course Requirements
Course Activity Date Availability Leader
Introduction to INW
Online Classroom
Thu, Apr 3, 2025
Registration closes Mar 20
8 participants
17 instructors
Lecture 1 - Seattle Naturalists Intro Natural World Course
Online Classroom
Thu, Apr 10, 2025
Registration closes Mar 20
8 participants
14 instructors
Lecture 2 - Seattle Naturalists Intro Natural World Course
Online Classroom
Thu, Apr 24, 2025
Registration closes Mar 20
8 participants
13 instructors
Field Trip 1 - Seattle Naturalists Intro Natural World Course
Wolf Creek Nature Trail
Sat, Apr 26, 2025
Registration closes Apr 24
0 participants
1 instructor
Carkeek Park
Sat, Apr 26, 2025
Registration closes Apr 24
0 participants
0 instructors
Scatter Creek Wildlife Area
Sat, Apr 26, 2025
Registration closes Apr 24
0 participants
0 instructors
Carkeek Park
Sat, Apr 26, 2025
Registration closes Apr 24
13 participants
0 instructors
Wolf Creek Nature Trail
Sat, Apr 26, 2025
Registration closes Apr 24
4 participants
0 instructors
Wolf Creek Nature Trail
Sun, Apr 27, 2025
Registration closes Apr 25
8 participants
0 instructors
Carkeek Park
Sun, Apr 27, 2025
Registration closes Apr 24
6 participants
2 instructors
Carkeek Park
Sun, Apr 27, 2025
Registration closes Apr 25
5 participants
1 instructor
Wolf Creek Nature Trail
Sun, Apr 27, 2025
Registration closes Apr 25
10 participants
1 instructor
Carkeek Park
Wed, Apr 30, 2025
Registration closes Apr 28
2 participants on waitlist
0 instructors
Lecture 3 - Seattle Naturalists Intro Natural World Course
Online Classroom
Thu, May 8, 2025
Registration closes Mar 20
8 participants
16 instructors
Field Trip 2 - Seattle Naturalists Intro Natural World Course
Marymoor Park
Sat, May 10, 2025
Registration closes May 8
4 participants
0 instructors
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
Sat, May 10, 2025
Registration closes May 8
1 participant on waitlist
0 instructors
Juanita Bay Park
Sat, May 10, 2025
Registration closes May 8
7 participants
0 instructors
Stillwater Natural Area
Sat, May 10, 2025
Registration closes May 8
0 participants
0 instructors
Stillwater Natural Area
Sun, May 11, 2025
Registration closes May 9
7 participants
1 instructor
Juanita Bay Park
Sun, May 11, 2025
Registration closes May 9
10 participants
0 instructors
Theler Wetlands & Twanoh State Park
Thu, May 15, 2025
Registration closes May 13
1 participant
0 instructors
Center for Urban Horticulture
Sat, May 17, 2025
Registration closes May 14
0 participants
0 instructors
Center for Urban Horticulture
Sun, May 18, 2025
Registration closes May 15
1 participant
0 instructors
Lincoln Park
Sun, May 18, 2025
Registration closes May 15
3 participants
0 instructors
Lecture 4 - Seattle Naturalists Intro Natural World Course
Online Classroom
Thu, May 22, 2025
Registration closes Mar 20
8 participants
15 instructors
Lecture 5 - Seattle Naturalists Intro Natural World Course
Online Classroom
Thu, Jun 5, 2025
Registration closes Mar 20
8 participants
13 instructors

Additional badges needed to graduate

Completed

Roster
Required Equipment

A smartphone to use free apps

Course Materials

You must register for this course to see course materials.