December 24th E-Newsletter |
Please note: Our offices will be closed for the holidays from December 25th through January 1st. We will be back to full capacity on January 5th. |
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Thank you so much for believing in our mission to connect people, communities and the natural world. We are humbled to see the support from our community. There's still time to help make an impact on youth and adults alike as we enter the final stretch of our fundraising efforts. We couldn't do this work without you! Our goal is to raise $65,000 by December 31st. Thanks to our community, we are just over halfway to our goal! You can either donate directly through our website or through Give NCW. Thank you so much!
Even better, a generous local family passionate about Bird Fest has put forth a challenge for our community to raise another $5,000! Once we reach $5,000, they will donate the funds to WRI. Help us reach this goal today! |
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Join Virginia, WRI’s Community Programs Educator, for snowshoeing, paddleboarding, bird watching, or workshops like Bat Night. Most WRI programs are Pay What You Can (learn more below), and many are free! |
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Día de los Reyes Celebration
Saturday, January 3rd 1:00PM-7:30PM |
Celebrate community and culture at our Día de los Reyes Celebration with food, music, dance, and family fun!
¡Celebra la comunidad y la cultura en nuestra Celebración del Día de los Reyes con comida, música, baile y diversión familiar! |
We are still looking for volunteers for the WRI family activities from 1-3pm. Email Virginia if you're interested. |
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Benevolent Night at München Haus Tuesday, January 6th 4:00PM-8:00PM |
Join us at München Haus for a wonderful meal and drink, while giving back to your community. Your purchase will benefit WRI and will help connect people, communities and the natural world.
Special thanks to our longtime partner and sponsor, München Haus. You do so much good for our community! |
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Snowshoe Strolls Fridays & Saturdays in January & February 2026 |
Join us this winter for WRI’s Snowshoe Strolls on Fridays and Saturdays throughout January and February! These guided walks are a beginner-friendly and a great way to enjoy fresh air, explore the Wenatchee Valley in winter, and learn more about the local environment. Snowshoes are provided and registration is required. For all dates, visit the link below. |
Scroll to 'Place' to read more about Pay What You Can. |
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"Girl Winter" Film Screening with SheJumps Friday, January 9th 5:30PM-8:00PM |
Join SheJumps at the Wenatchee River Institute for an inspiring evening celebrating women in winter sports at the Girl Winter Film Screening. The six films highlight stories of perseverance, creativity, and connection to the mountains—told by and about women redefining what it means to thrive in winter. Registration required! |
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Science on Tap: Engineering a Mars Rover Tuesday, January 13th 7:00PM-8:00PM Wenatchee, WA |
Curious how a robot survives on a frozen desert millions of miles away? Join us to hear Amanda Gates, a Mechanical Engineer who worked on the nuclear power source for NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover, share stories of daredevil landings, nuclear batteries, and Ingenuity, the tiny helicopter that changed planetary exploration. Learn what Perseverance has been up to on Mars |
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Red Barn Event: Habitat Gardening Thursday, January 15th 7:00PM-8:00PM |
This event highlights the essential role native plants and insects play in supporting birds, mammals, and healthy ecosystems, and how planting natives can strengthen local landscapes. The talk is led by Ted Alway, founder of Derby Canyon Natives, who combines his passion for native plants and insects. |
This event will be in the River Haus as we're repairing the Red Barn. Live streaming the event will be available. Visit event page for more details. |
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Mid-Winter Break Camps – February 2026 |
Get ready for our Mid-Winter Break Camp! We’re offering two options this February: Registration opens Wednesday, January 7 at 5 PM. Visit our website to secure your spot! |
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Storm Damage & Campus Update |
Following the December 10 storm, we’ve made progress stabilizing campus facilities. All unsafe trees have been removed, trails and program spaces are passable, and damaged roofs on the Red Barn and Outdoor Classroom are protected for winter.
The Red Barn and Outdoor Classroom are being reinforced with temporary support walls so they can safely overwinter. Most of the Red Barn will remain usable for winter programming though some events will be moved to the River Haus. Full repairs, including roof replacement and structural work, are planned for spring. We’re working closely with contractors and our insurance provider to move repairs forward.
Thank you for your continued patience and support as we care for our campus.
We’re so grateful to everyone who came out to help clean up our campus after the storm! If you brought a chainsaw or any other tools that need sharpening or oiling, we’ve got you covered. We have an account set up at Napa to take care of these items—please reach out to Brandon for details. |
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To help make our programs accessible to all, many WRI events are free, and those with a fee are often offered as Pay What You Can. This means you can register at a price that works for your budget—we want everyone who wishes to participate to feel welcome. Costs for all programs are calculated based on time, supplies, and honorariums. For this reason, some programs may have a higher cost.
In addition, we’ve added RSVPs to many of our free events. As the season of inclement weather begins, we encourage everyone to RSVP so we can reach you quickly if an event or program changes.
In cases where program costs don’t allow for Pay What You Can pricing, we strive to offer discounts or sponsored support. If a fixed cost is a barrier, please fill out our Financial Access Form. |
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Recently, I went on a quick UV night hike with our After School Program kids. Recent storms brought down tree limbs covered in lichens we don’t usually see up close, and under UV light they were magical. Shield lichens (Parmelia) shift from grey-blue to yellow-green, sunburst lichen (Polycaulionia) glows a brilliant reddish-orange, and wolf lichen (Letharia) changes from neon green to a muted yellow. We also spotted lavender-colored sap and deep red moss and algae—living plants glow red under UV thanks to chlorophyll. Keep an eye out for upcoming winter UV hikes to experience this glowing world for yourself!
Written by Tiffa Theden, WRI's Land Steward |
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Thank you to our donors from the past week! |
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Steve and Betsy Backstrom in honor of Arne Backstrom - Sustaining Gro Buer and Bruce Williams - Sustaining Nadine Sanders Amy and Dayle Massey Jen O'Neill Robert Bencivenga and Bettina Sobey Dave and Nancy Bartholomew - Sustaining Kurt and Celeste Peterson - Sustaining Kate and Cliff Trent Ian Palmgren Lisi Ott - Sustaining Angela Curran Megan and Jason Kramer Cindy Crowder |
| Monica Gerber Mari Miller
John and Megan Schiefelbein Leesa Broker in honor of Lisa Therrell Judy Clark Scott and Jenny Wyatt Katie Fallon Heather and Ole Bore - Sustaining Nathan Beets Sherry Thompson Lysandra Donigian James and Rebecca Grandin Chris Parsons in honor of Mary Gallagher Reb Babcock in honor of Mary Gallagher Bill Davies and Tiffany Brine-Davies Gretchen Daiber |
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