North Woods Field Guide

Thank you for your interest in the North Woods Field Guide! Modeled after the Cascadia Field Guide, this project seeks to combine science, traditional ecological knowledge, creative writing, and art to create an expansive and layered guide to the North Woods at the University of Rhode Island.

Entries can include natural history, cultural knowledge, and/or creative expression to introduce a specific species, habitat, or ecological feature from the North Woods. Entries selected for publication will inform, delight, and deepen readers' connections to the North Woods.

This project works to develop a larger shared interest in the North Woods as an environmental commons and democratize environmental communication. Likewise, we hope to demonstrate how other communities can develop their own field guide projects through this process. 

You can learn more about the fortes on the North Woods website. This project is connected to other ongoing work in the DWELL Lab:

The North Woods Project 

The North Woods Project (NWP) blends art and science through an immersive multimedia “classroom in the forest” experience for the North Woods. You can learn about the project on the lab website: https://web.uri.edu/dwell/projects/north-woods/, and you can find more information in our recently published web article: https://kairos.technorhetoric.net/30.1/topoi/jones-et-al/

Our annual Write Out! event

In partnership with the National Writing Project and the National Parks Service, we host a local Write Out event each October. We have opportunities for students to get outside, connect to local places and ecosystems, and engage in scientific and creative writing. There are also opportunities for students to share their writing in their classrooms and with others across the country using the hashtags #uri and #writeout on most social media platforms. Learn about this year's event here: https://web.uri.edu/dwell/write-out-2025/