Just when we were about to trade our snow boots for hiking shoes, winter decided to remind us that spring isn't "official" until Friday! It’s been a beautiful (if slightly unexpected) surprise to see the snow return to the WRI campus just as we were getting ready to welcome the new season.
Despite the last-minute winter encore, we are full steam ahead with our community events and youth programming. Whether it’s seeing kids connect with nature or gathering neighbors for a shared experience, we love seeing this place buzz with life.
The 5th annual Trashion Show is coming up on April 24th, and there is still time to register a team! The Trashion Show is open to the public to watch the runway and vote for the People's Choice.
We have some very exciting news for our birders! We are starting to populate the Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest page with this year's field trips. Take a look at the schedule now to start planning. Registration opens on Wednesday, March 25th at 5:00PM.
We have so many upcoming events and happenings that we simply can’t fit them all into one email. Check out the calendar to look ahead! |
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Red Barn Event: Taking Better Plant Photos
Thursday, March 19th 7:00PM-8:00PM |
Join avid hikers and photographers Jack Mynatt, Tracy Maynard, and Mike Power for an evening dedicated to capturing the beauty of the outdoors. The trio from the Wenatchee Valley chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS) will share stunning imagery and practical tips for both iPhone and DSLR photography to help you level up your own nature shots.
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| Red Barn Event- Enchantments: What Comes Next? Tuesday, March 24th 7:00PM-8:00PM |
After a summer of overcrowding in The Enchantments, local experts are exploring new approaches to day use management. Join Seattle Times reporter, Gregory Scruggs, TREAD's Mat Lyons, and Wenatchee Outdoors' Sarah Shaffer for a discussion on lessons learned and potential solutions for sustainable access along the Icicle Creek corridor.
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Note: over 100 people have RSVP'd! Up to 90 chairs are available. If you haven't RSVP'd already, you are more than welcome, but be prepared for standing room only or sitting on the floor, or tune in on YouTube. |
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Red Barn Event: Shifting Currents of the Alsek River
Wednesday, April 1st 7:00PM-8:00PM |
Join local packrafting enthusiast and instructor, Jon Strahl, for an immersive slideshow presentation exploring the raw beauty and shifting landscapes of the Alsek River. As a free-flowing wilderness river cutting through the Yukon, British Columbia, and Alaska, the Alsek offers a profound lens through which to view climate change and the resilience of wild places.
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| Upcycled Craft-ernoon at Eastside Rebuild Saturday, April 4th 1:00PM-3:00PM |
Inspired by WRI's Trashion Show, this Craft-ernoon is suitable for anyone who wants to turn "trash" into wearable or usable treasure! Take home your crafts, or donate them to our Decorations Committee and you might see your design at the April 24th, 2026 Trashion Show! Drop in or stay for the whole time!
Projects best suited to ages 8 and up, but younger children are welcome. Anyone under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult. |
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Black Bear Bonanza Saturday, April 11th 9:00AM-8:00PM |
We're teaming up with the Washington Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service, and the City of Leavenworth to host an all-ages educational event. Black Bear Bonanza will feature practical bear conflict-prevention education, bear biology and population insights from local experts, live demonstrations, youth activities, and conversations about the cultural, ecological, and conservation role of regulated bear hunting. |
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International Dark Sky Celebration Sunday, April 19th 3:30PM-10:00PM |
Join Wenatchee Valley Astronomy Club and WRI for a Dark Sky Celebration to close out International Dark Sky Week! If you've been to our Red Barn Events, this is like a Red Barn Event Plus- with two fantastic speakers, trivia, family-friendly crafts, and star-gazing! Join us for all or part of the festivities. For a full schedule of talks and activities, head to the event page.
Full week of events with WVAC can be found here. |
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Explore the Red Barn Archive |
WRI's past Red Barn Events are available to stream anytime. Head over to WRI's YouTube channel to dive into our library of recorded presentations. |
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Spring Break Camp March 30th - April 3rd, 2026 Grades K-3 |
Looking for a way to keep your young explorers engaged and inspired during the upcoming Spring Break? Join us for a week of outdoor discovery, hands-on learning, and plenty of fresh air at the WRI Spring Break Camp. |
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| WRI After School Program Students in grades K-3rd |
We still have 4 spots available for our Monday/Wednesday Spring After School Programs! It is not too late to sign your kids up for a season of exploration and outdoor fun at WRI. This spring session runs from April 6 through June 4, offering a consistent way for your children to connect with nature as the weather warms up. Be sure to grab one of these final openings before they're gone!
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Summer Camp Update: General Registration is Open! |
Whether you have already secured a spot through the lottery, missed the lottery window entirely, or are looking to add more weeks of outdoor fun to your schedule, now is the time to dive in.
What You Need to Know: - Open Access: Registration is now open to everyone. You can view all available spots and waitlists across our various camp sessions.
- Multiple Camps: During this open registration period, feel free to sign your campers up for multiple camps to keep them engaged and exploring all summer long.
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Waitlists: If your preferred week is currently full, we highly recommend joining the waitlist. Plans often change, and we work through our waitlists as spots become available.
We can’t wait to see your kids back on campus for another season of discovery, friendship, and outdoor play. Head over to our camps page now to claim your spots! |
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Spring Volunteer Training Monday, March 30th
9:00AM-1:00PM |
Come learn more about the spring volunteer opportunities with the focus primarily on the Wild Birds Field Day Program. We will spend some time starting off with an overview of our spring opportunities followed by reviewing some of our main bird-focused lessons. Volunteers should be available for at least two youth Field Days if coming to the training.
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WRI Takes Science on the Road |
We’ve traveled across the region to bring hands-on science and nature exploration to local students and families. We kicked things off with two high-energy evenings featuring our ever-popular collection of animal pelts and skulls, starting with Vale Elementary’s Science Family Night on February 18th, where we connected with approximately 200 families. We kept that momentum going the very next night at Orondo Elementary and Middle School’s Museum Night, sharing those same natural history specimens with 55 families.
Our partnership with the Wenatchee School District After School Program also brought two unique, immersive STEAM nights to life. On February 26th, 78 participants were dazzled by the wonders of the cosmos inside the portable planetarium, while the focus shifted to the microscopic on March 5th. During that session, 67 participants got an up-close look at nature’s smaller wonders, using stereoscopes and hand lenses to examine intricate details often missed by the naked eye.
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Community Garden Lottery and Registration |
Ready to get your hands dirty? We’re officially opening the Community Garden Lottery for new gardeners! If you're looking to claim a plot of your own, you can register directly through the Community Garden page between March 18th and 29th. Once the sign-up window closes, our team will process the entries and notify you of your lottery status by April 1st. We can’t wait to see what you’ll grow this season! |
Community Garden Planter Box Rebuild on Wednesday, April 15th: Beyond the lottery, our wonderful community is invited to a volunteer event to finish rebuilding the remaining planter boxes at the E. Lorene Young Community Garden! For the last two Make a Difference Days, WRI has worked with dedicated volunteers to dismantle and replace old planter boxes with new cedar ones built right onsite. Now, there are only 12 boxes left, and we need your help to cross the finish line! These new boxes will serve our community for the next decade of growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
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Science on Tap: Request for Presenters! |
Do you have a fascinating science topic you’d love to share with the community? We’re looking for presenters for Science on Tap in Wenatchee at Ground Control! Presentations are about an hour long and will take place throughout the winter and spring seasons.
If you have a topic idea, please reach out to Virginia so we can get your presentation on the calendar. |
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Main Entrance Window Restored |
The main entrance of the River Haus is finally restored after being boarded up since the heavy wind gusts last December. The damage occurred when a powerful draft caught the door and shattered the glass, but as of early this week, the new window is officially in place. This update replaces the plywood with a flood of natural light and brings a bit of history with it, as contractors believe the pane that was lost was actually an original feature of the building. |
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The corvids are a group of birds I am particularly fond of because they are incredibly smart, highly talkative, and maintain deep family bonds. Local members of this group include crows, ravens, magpies, grey jays (also known as Canada jays), Clark’s nutcrackers, and the iconic, noisy Steller’s jays. Personally, I like to call them "stellar" jays, because they really are quite stellar! ✨ Since the big snow a couple of days ago, these jays have been extra vocal and conspicuous around WRI. Many people don't realize they are actually wonderful vocal mimics. On the trails earlier this week, I was intently scanning the sky for a red-tailed hawk after hearing its call, only to realize it was a Steller’s jay pulling a fast one on me!
They can also imitate bald eagles with uncanny accuracy, which is a trick thought to help them scare other birds away from food sources. It’s a clever survival tactic that definitely keeps you on your toes while birdwatching. The next time you're out in the forest and hear a noisy friend up in the trees, see if you can catch a glimpse of one of our beautiful jay neighbors. Written by Tiffa Theden, Land Steward
Photo by zorthesosen · iNaturalist |
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Thank you to our donors from the last 2 weeks! |
Steve and Betsy Backstrom in honor of Arne Backstrom - Sustaining Gro Buer and Bruce Williams - Sustaining Bill Daniell Leavenworth / Pine Village KOA Syndicate Smith LLC Hillary and Chris Clark - Sustaining Anonymous Donors Google, Inc.
Jason Feinstein Microsoft Meg and Mike Borth Katie Clauswell
Susan Vennerholm
Amandarae Blake and Stuart Beckman
Annette Jouard and John Taylor - Sustaining Janet Alley Chuck and Candace Egner - Sustaining
David Stoller and Diane Patterson - Sustaining Matt DeVore
Jessica Kendall and Colin Forsyth Kamuron Gurol - Sustaining Lisa and Jim Osse - Sustaining
David Zazzo and Katie Jones - Sustaining
Jill and Joel Martinez - Sustaining Natalie Williams
Mary Scheibler
Bob Bugert and Carolyn Griffin-Bugert - Sustaining
Cashmere Valley Bank
Dave and Pat Notter - Sustaining
Heather and Ole Bore - Sustaining
Tracy Brulotte - Sustaining
Jackie and Tom Andrewjeski - Sustaining
Janet and Bob Frey |
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