October 14th E-Newsletter |
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Parking lot is closed on Saturday, October 17th for Fall Fungi Field Trip with Puget Sound Mycological Society. Plan ahead if you plan to attend Oktoberfest! |
Check out the events below or head to our Event Calendar to see what's on the horizon! We hope to see you soon. |
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Red Barn Event: Recovering Endangered Plants Thursday, October 22nd 7:00PM-8:00PM |
Join us for an inspiring presentation with Tara Callaway, Assistant Field Supervisor with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service! Tara will share federally listed plant species native to Central and Eastern Washington, including local treasures like the Wenatchee Mountains checker-mallow and Umtanum Desert buckwheat.
Presented in partnership with the Wenatchee Valley Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society. |
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| Make a Difference Day Saturday, October 24th 9:00AM-1:00PM |
We’ll be gathering woody debris across the WRI campus and piling it up to prepare fuel for an upcoming biochar burn day. It’s a great opportunity to spend the morning outdoors, help prep our campus for sustainable land management, and make a tangible difference! If there are native plants remaining from Bumblebee Habitat Restoration Day work days, we will also be planting and mulching! - See below. |
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Spooky Stroll and Moonlit Skies Sunday, October 25th 5:30PM-8:30PM |
Join WRI for an evening of festive fall fun under the stars! Take a guided nighttime walk through the woods on a illuminated trail, learn about nocturnal creatures like owls and bats, and gaze at the autumn night sky through telescopes with Wenatchee Valley Astronomy Club. Costumes are encouraged for all ages! |
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| Red Barn Event: Range of Fire and Ice Tuesday, October 27th 7:00PM-8:00PM |
Join author and naturalist, David B. Williams, for a fascinating exploration of the Washington Cascades! Drawing from his new book, In the Range of Fire and Ice: A Human and Natural History of Washington's Cascades, David will dive into the rich stories, natural forces, and deep human history that have shaped the mountains right in our backyard. Books will be available for purchase at the event. |
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Wenatchee Bird Walk Thursday, October 29th 10:00AM-11:30AM |
Join WRI for a relaxed morning bird walk at Walla Walla Point Park! Co-hosted with Wenatchee Public Library, this guided stroll is a great way to explore local habitats, spot resident and migratory birds along the Columbia River, and learn identification tips from WRI naturalists. Binoculars are available to borrow, making this a perfect outing for beginners, experienced birders, and families alike!
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| Red Barn Event: "Coiled" Book Launch Thursday, November 5th 7:00PM-8:00PM |
Join us for an inspiring evening with local author Ana Maria Spagna celebrating a brand-new essay collection that explores the intersections of nature, community, and resilience during disorienting times. Come early for a community social before hearing the author read from her latest work about urgency, kinship, and the natural world.
A Book for All Seasons will be at the event in case you want to purchase a copy! | |
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Fall Camp Thursday, October 22nd and Friday, October 23rd Grades K-3 |
Spend next week's no school days at the Wenatchee River Institute! Give your kids two unforgettable days filled with outdoor play and nature exploration. Secure your spot at the link below before it's too late! |
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Peshastin-Dryden Recap: Fall Fun and Outdoor Learning! |
It has been a wonderfully busy season connecting local students with the outdoors! Power Hours at Peshastin-Dryden: -
Kindergarten ("Nature Explorers"): Three kindergarten classes welcomed us to their school grounds to learn all about the ABCs of an ecosystem: Abiotic (non-living), Biotic (living), and Community (human-made)! Students put their new knowledge to work with a fun matching relay game, followed by a fall scavenger hunt right on their school property.
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1st Grade ("Nature Detectives"): Three 1st-grade classes kept their outdoor learning rolling by searching for nature items that fit into opposite categories, followed by a thrilling game of hunting for hidden, camouflaged beanie babies.
Field Days at WRI: -
Transitional Kindergarten ("Sensory Scramblers"): Our TK friends visited the WRI campus to put their senses to work! Armed with fall paint swatches, they searched for matching nature items to share with classmates, explored our campus for signs of autumn, and had a blast exploring down by the river.
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2nd Grade ("Habitat Detectives"): Four 2nd-grade classes visited WRI for their Field Day to discover what makes a good habitat, trying their hand at building animal habitats near the river. Students also tried to identify a leaf in a bag from an unknown tree or shrub starting with their sense of touch, and then they were able to look at it and finally try to find it in its natural habitat.
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Did you join us for our 5th annual Sunset & S'mores or wish you had? Catch all the highlights in our newest blog recap celebrating our incredible community, hands-on environmental education stations, and a special look ahead at nearly 20 years of impact here at WRI! Photo by Dave Masuda. |
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The Red Barn Transforms Into a Community Resiliency Hub |
Over the past few weeks, a dedicated installation team has transformed the Red Barn into a Community Resiliency Hub thanks to a generous grant from state Climate Commitment Act funds. Now featuring a state-of-the-art solar microgrid, battery system, and new heat pump, the building is actively powered by clean, renewable energy. This exciting upgrade means that whenever severe weather or grid power outages strike, our community will always have a safe, dependable haven that stays warm, dry, and lit.
The Community Resilience at the Red Barn Project is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.
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Bumblebee Habitat Restoration Days Recap |
Our recent Bumblebee Habitat Restoration Days were a massive success! This truly was a community-powered effort, bringing together native plant and pollinator lovers of all ages—from elementary school students and retired grandparents to the Cascade High School Natural Resources class, our WRI After School Program kids, and our wonderful Nature Menders regulars.
Across five volunteer days, more than 40 incredible volunteers pitched in to plant, weed, mulch, and water. Our Native Plant Garden is looking fantastic, and we can't wait to see how it blooms and fills out over the coming year!
We still have over 100 plants ready to go into the ground. If you'd like to help us cross the finish line, join us for our upcoming planting sessions:
Special thank you to the Xerces Society and Derby Canyon Natives for the donated plants! |
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Natapoc Ridge Saunawagen Coming to WRI |
We are thrilled to begin hosting the Natapoc Ridge Saunawagen to bring custom sauna and cold plunge experiences directly to our community! Starting Thursday, October 15th from 3-7 pm you can sweat and reset right here on our lower campus near Barn Beach. The Saunawagen team will be hosting regular pop-up sessions on-site, in addition to their location at Lake Wenatchee State Park. Whether you are looking to recover after a day on the trails or simply unwind by the river, this mobile wellness experience offers the perfect local retreat.
To join in on the fun, visit them at www.natapocridge.com where you can book your next Saunawagen session. You can also follow them on Instagram for real-time notifications, and pop-up announcements so you never miss a Saunawagen session at Barn Beach!
Photos by Dave and Taylor Summers. |
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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 Jennifer O'Neill Greg Harris and Judith Huett-Harris
Mark Weick and Carole Ann Borshard - Sustaining
Lisa and Brian Koblenz - Sustaining
Connie Cogburn and Andy Day - Sustaining
Stevie Clifton and Hannah Kwon- Sustaining
Stephanie Ward and Kevin Kay
Hillary and Chris Clark - Sustaining
Molly and Jeremiah Johnson - Sustaining
Annette Jouard and John Taylor - Sustaining
Chuck and Candace Egner - Sustaining
David Stoller and Diane Patterson - Sustaining Kamuron Gurol - Sustaining Lisa and Jim Osse - Sustaining
Jill and Joel Martinez - Sustaining All Seasons River Inn |
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