July 12th E-NEWSLETTER

Programs

Naturalists on the River

Upcoming Dates:

Friday, July 14th (5-8PM)

Saturday, July 15th (5-8PM)

Thursday, July 20th (5-8PM)

Friday, July 21st (7-10AM)

Join WRI and Leavenworth Outdoor Center for a new program this summer! Paddle down the river on a guided trip to get introduced to the plants and animals of our diverse river area. This is a great way to build your naturalist skills and confidence on the river. Find more dates and register at the link below!

Recreate on the River Here

Red Barn Event:

Both Sides of the Fire Line

Wednesday, July 19th

7:00PM-8:00PM

Join WRI, A Book for All Seasons, and Wenatchee Pride to welcome retired firefighter and author, Bobbie Scopa. In her memoir, she "shares her life as a man, a woman, and a firefighter. Each chapter of her life, and of this book, can help us to better understand what it means to be transgender." Come listen to her stories!

Listen to Her Story Here

Wednesday Wenatchee Birding

Wednesday, July 26th

7:30AM-9:30AM

Go birding with knowledgeable WRI staff around Walla Walla Point Park and the Horan Natural Area in Wenatchee! All birding skills are welcome. This is a FREE event and no registration is needed.

Bird Here

Red Barn Event:

A Diverse Celebration of our Trails

Wednesday, August 9th

7:00PM-8:00PM

Join WRI and A Book for All Seasons to welcome Ilyssa and Dave Kyu, authors of the beloved Campfire Stories books. Inspired by stories of America's national parks and trails, this event will celebrate the diversity of those who appreciate the natural world.

Hear Campfire Stories Here

NEW Summer Camps Added!

Good news! Two new summer camps have been added for campers entering grades 1-3!

Naturalist Camp (August 7-11)

Forest Friends (August 14-16)

Registration opens TODAY at 5:30pm for families currently on the summer camp waitlist. If you’re on the waitlist, check your email for access to registration. Beginning on Monday, July 17th at 5:30pm, any remaining spots will open for general registration.

2022-2023 School Year Reflection

This school year was a busy one! One of our goals was to broaden our impact to more communities throughout North Central Washington. Now, WRI staff drive as far as 2 hours each way to deliver environmental education programs to students. This school year, WRI staff delivered environmental education programs to 8 school districts. Not only that, but programs have bounced back to even higher levels than before COVID! In the chart below, you can see the trends of student contacts over the last 5 school years.

NOTE: This graph is stacked, meaning each line builds off of one another.

This school year, there was a total of 12,201 student contacts, including this summer's camp registrations.

A couple of other highlights from the school year:

Started a new program with high school students to develop another native plant garden on the WRI campus.
Brought back the Traveling Planetarium for the first time since the pandemic.
Added 3 new middle school programs in Wenatchee, including After School Program with 2 middle schools, a Field Day at WRI with 7th grade students, and we brought the Traveling Planetarium to 8th grade students.
Delivered a Traveling Naturalist Program to a Seattle school classroom visiting Lake Wenatchee State Park.

We can't wait to see what the next school year brings. Until then, summer camps will be keeping WRI busy this season!

Summer Camp Highlights

You know summer has really begun when WRI Summer Camps start! Check out some highlights from the camps that happened in the last couple of weeks below.

Middle School Adventure Trifecta Camp

In this 3-day camp, middle school students went on a new adventure each day. They went hiking, climbing with Northwest Mountain School, and paddleboarding on the river.

Cool Critters Camp

In this 3-day camp, campers entering 1st-3rd grade discovered critters around WRI! They got to know these critters, explored where they live and how they survive. They collected bugs, learned about local farm animals at Ridge 2 River Animal Haven, and played animal games!

Place

Welcome to our 2023 Summer Camp Educator Interns!

Sean Eriksen

(he/him/his)

Sean was born and raised in Seattle and attended the University of Oregon where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Over the past three years, he’s been entranced by permaculture and plants. Sean is excited to share with and learn from others about our local ecology and how to work alongside other species in our ecosystem. Sean is also a Land Steward for WRI, working to feed humans, wildlife, and the soil.

Christiana Schmer

(she/her/hers)

Christiana moved to Washington in 2011 and recently graduated from Gonzaga University with degrees in Environmental Studies and Biology with a concentration in research. In college, she participated in a program dedicated to teaching hands-on science-focused activities in local elementary schools. She is excited to continue encouraging kids’ curiosity about their natural surroundings.

Fern Lopez Cruz

(they/them/theirs)

Fern was born and raised in Central Washington, where their childhood farm and ranch taught them how valuable it was to nurture a strong bond between them and their surroundings. After 5 years in the food industry, they've returned to their passion for conservation. Fern is excited to learn and share alongside their fellow interns and educators in an attempt to foster a healthy environment.

Now's the time to get involved and renew or begin your WRI membership! As a WRI member, you join a community committed to putting people in touch with the natural world. You are not only doing good work, but you also get benefits! Your membership provides you with registration discounts on all of our education programs (including workshops, Bird Fest, and garden plots), day rentals of the facility, plus first access to popular programs like mushroom foraging.

With a donation of $45 or more, you automatically become a WRI member until May 31, 2024! WRI memberships run from June 1-May 31 and can be renewed yearly with a donation. Learn more and become a member here.

Developing WRI's Strategic Plan

This February began the long process of developing WRI's next 3-year Strategic Plan. Since then, 142 people shared their ideas about how WRI can deepen our impact in the community. These interviews included community members, volunteers, teachers, students, and more! Last weekend, the entire staff and Board of Directors gathered for a Strategic Planning Retreat to discuss values, strengths, challenges, opportunities, and aspirations for WRI. It was exciting to come together and imagine what the future may hold for the organization. The Strategic Plan is expected to be finalized this fall. We are excited to share this with you when it's completed!

P.S. Interested in being involved in processes like this? We are looking for more Board Members. Reach out to Canuche at cterranella@wenatcheeriverinstitute.org with your interest.