Happy Summer! There is still time to become a member for the year. When you donate $45 or more, you instantly gain full membership benefits. Support our mission today! Thank you to all who have already renewed their support! |
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Nature Menders Wednesdays 8:30AM-10:30AM |
We're making a great impact on the Native Plant Garden this season! We’ve cleared out a lot of sulphur cinquefoil, chicory, and plantain, giving our newly planted native species room to thrive.
We’ve been focusing on one species per session. Plantain is our current target, and next up is removing the rose campion creeping into the forest. Come enjoy a morning outside before it gets too hot; the plants appreciate it!
Questions? Email Tiffa.
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| Wenatchee Bird Walk Wednesday, July 8th
10:00AM-11:30AM at Walla Walla Point Park |
We're partnering with Wenatchee Public Library for a guided bird walk! Join one of our educators and library staff to stroll along the Columbia River and look for and learn about local birds.
We will be meeting at the Walla Walla Point Park playground. Binoculars will be available to borrow during the program. |
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Dog Days of Summer Saturday, July 11th 4:00PM-7:00PM |
Join WRI and the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society for a dog-friendly block party! This free event will feature a guided dog walk, free food, pup first aid demonstration, scavenger hunt, and more! Stay tuned for more information! |
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| River Discovery Tours Coming Soon! |
River Discovery Tours coming up in July—stay tuned for dates that you can get out on the Wenatchee River by paddleboard or kayak with our naturalists! These tours include boat rental and shuttle from Leavenworth Outdoor Center and give folks a chance to explore the plants and animals of our diverse river ecosystem. Once the dates are confirmed, you can find them all at the link below.
Photo by Dave Masuda. |
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Just Added! We’ve just added another camp to our summer calendar, perfect for your little explorers. - When: August 10–14
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Who: Campers entering 1st–3rd grades
- Registration Opens: Monday, June 29 at 5:00 PM
Set your alarms: Spots fill up fast, so be ready to grab your place when registration goes live! |
Want to get outside sooner? We have a few remaining spots left in these incredible July and August camps:
Creativity Camp (at Icicle Creek Center for the Arts)
- Status: Only 1 spot left!
- When: July 13-17 | Who: Students entering 4th-6th grades
River Wild 2 Camp - Status: Only 1 spot left!
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When: July 13-17 | Who: Students entering 4th-6th grades
Pathfinders Outdoors Camp (at Lake Wenatchee YMCA Camp) - Status: Spots available - now expanded to include 3rd graders!
- When: August 3-7 | Who: Students entering 3rd-6th grades
Plans Don't Match Your Schedule?
If these dates don't work for your family, you can always view our full summer calendar online. If your preferred camp is full, we highly recommend signing your child up for a waitlist spot—plans change, and spots do open up! |
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River Recon: Ready for Summer on the Water! |
Six of our WRI staff members recently took to the water for our annual river reconnaissance trip to prepare for a fantastic season ahead. This vital excursion is all about safety, scouting current river conditions, and ensuring our team is fully equipped to guide and support our upcoming seasonal programs. Thanks to this refresher, our staff are officially ready to launch into a summer full of safe, hands-on learning for WRI's Summer Camps, as well as inspiring, ecology-focused adventures for our community River Discovery Tours. We are absolutely thrilled to get out on the water with you this season (see 'The Ultimate Guide to Floating & Paddling Leavenworth's Rivers' Instagram post)!
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Wrapping up the School Year |
See the recaps of some of the programs WRI Educators have been partnering with local schools before we transitioned to summer programming. |
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Habitat Detectives & Earth Explorers Damman School K-5th Grades |
We were thrilled to welcome 35 K-5 students from Ellensburg’s Damman School for their very first inaugural Field Days at WRI! Our younger K-2 adventurers became "Habitat Detectives," diving into the natural world with a lively bug hunt, a trail scavenger hunt, and a game of camouflage hide-and-seek with hidden stuffed animals before building cozy habitat homes for them. Meanwhile, the 3rd-5th grade "Earth Explorers" tackled big ecological concepts, examining how the Earth's spheres interact by engineering mini-models to control soil erosion and using matchstick models to investigate fire ecology. They capped off their experience by exploring our trails to connect it all back to the local landscape.
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| Habitat Detectives Seeds Learning Center and Academy Ages 3 to 7 year olds |
For the second year in a row, we were delighted to welcome 31 students from the whole school of 3-to-7-year-olds for a half-day of hands-on nature connection. Becoming true "Habitat Detectives," these young explorers adopted a special tree, using almost all of their senses to get to know it deeply, and investigated the unique differences between our local coniferous and deciduous trees. They also put their keen eyes to the test learning about camouflage by hunting for hidden stuffed animals, wrapping up their adventure with a lively scavenger hunt across our campus. We love seeing these young minds connect with the natural world year after year!
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Farewell and Thank You to Hillary Clark, Board Member |
Hillary Clark’s service on the Wenatchee River Institute Board was distinguished by deep commitment, thoughtful leadership, and an enduring connection to the Leavenworth community. As a member of the Community Inclusion Committee, Hillary (pictured center) helped advance WRI’s efforts to foster equity, access, and belonging across our programs and partnerships. Her longstanding support for outdoor education reflects a genuine passion for connecting people of all ages to the natural world. Hillary brought care, insight, and a collaborative spirit to her work, strengthening WRI’s impact and relationships. We are deeply grateful for her dedication, and her contributions will continue to shape our mission for years to come. We'll miss her!
P.S. If you want to serve on the Board of Directors, applications are now open. Learn more and apply here. |
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Celebrating Our Incredible WRI Volunteers! |
We say it all the time, but we truly couldn't do what we do without our amazing volunteer community. From helping out with Youth Programs to keeping our campus beautiful, our volunteers are the heartbeat of the Wenatchee River Institute. Read our latest blog post recapping our 2026 Volunteer Appreciation Dinner for a big, heartfelt thank you to everyone who dedicates their time and energy to connecting people with nature. |
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Behind the Binoculars: My First Bird Fest Experience |
What is it like to experience the magic of Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest for the very first time? One year into joining the WRI team, our Outreach Coordinator shares a behind-the-scenes look at the joy, community connection, and incredible wildlife that made this year’s festival so unforgettable. Read the full reflection on the WRI blog! |
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Happy Summer! To celebrate the new season, consider trying a unique plant food growing right here at WRI: orange daylilies! While they provide a sunny burst of color around campus, they are also entirely edible. Native to Asia, these plants are actually more closely related to aloe than true lilies. You can use the unopened buds like green beans in stir-fries, cook the tubers like nutty potatoes, or fry the open flowers. Because they can be invasive in wet areas, harvesting them for your next meal is a delicious way to help keep them in check!
Written by Tiffa Theden, WRI Land Steward |
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Thank you to our donors from the last 2 weeks! |
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Steve and Betsy Backstrom in honor of Arne Backstrom - Sustaining Gro Buer and Bruce Williams - Sustaining Kelly and Mark Hassinger Lauren Johnson and Barbara Rossing
Lisa and Jim Osse - Sustaining
David Zazzo and Katie Jones - Sustaining
Jill and Joel Martinez - Sustaining
Suzanne and Thomas Stanton
Maria and Zach Lutes
John and Lina Conrad
Richard Beckett and Hristina Popova
Dave and Pat Notter - Sustaining
Heather and Ole Bore - Sustaining Tracy Brulotte - Sustaining
Jackie and Tom Andrewjeski - Sustaining Larry and Carol Dreis
Chelsea Evans
Gene Irvine Mara and Brian Bohman Bob Bugert and Carolyn Griffin-Bugert - Sustaining |
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| Anonymous Donors Alex and Jenaleigh Fox - Sustaining Steven Alexander
Catherine Waterston Meg and Mike Borth Susan Purvis Dana Cook and Doug Moncrief Emily and Rob Egdamin
Skip and Linda Claeson
Dave and Nancy Bartholomew - Sustaining
Kurt and Celeste Peterson - Sustaining Nelson E Miller Lisi Ott - Sustaining
Sue Kane - Sustaining Suzanne Hartman and Barry Storer - Sustaining Melanie Merz and Monte Shalett Kirk Musselman Audrey and Mitchell Bacon - Sustaining Twila Wilkin |
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