Spring is officially stirring in the valley, and at WRI, we are leaning into the energy of the new season with one of our busiest months yet! March is packed with opportunities to connect with the budding natural world and your community—from Speaker Events spanning Wenatchee to Leavenworth to the excitement of Youth Summer Camp Registrations and signing up for Community Garden plots.
This month is full of "don't miss" deadlines from Youth Camps, Bird Fest registration (March 25th) and Community Garden (March 18-29th). Continue reading below for all the specific dates, program details, and even more events on our calendar that aren't highlighted here! |
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Red Barn Event: Wolf Land Film Screening (in-person ONLY!) Friday, March 6th 7:00PM-8:30PM |
Wolf Land is a film about finding common ground in unlikely places. The team spent 2.5 years documenting the lives of “wolf protecting cowboy” and range rider Daniel Curry and rancher Jerry Francis in the remote wilderness of northeast Washington.
We hope that this hyperlocal film, produced in the Northwest, has themes of coexistence that can touch audiences with a range of perspectives on this issue.
Courtesy Cascade Public Media. |
| Science on Tap: Weather Whiplash
Tuesday, March 10th 7:00PM-8:00PM Wenatchee, WA |
Chelan County went from drought to wildfire to flooding in 2025, seeing extreme variations in temperature, wind, and precipitation that managed to surprise even seasoned meteorologists with its wild weather. Brock Burghardt presents why our region is prone to weather whiplash, what atmospheric patterns drive our extreme swings, and what it means for anyone trying to plan anything outdoors here. |
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Family Bird Walk Saturday, March 14th 10:00AM-12:00PM Wenatchee, WA |
Go birding with staff from the Wenatchee River Institute by the Columbia River! All birding skill levels are welcome. Need binoculars? We have loaner binoculars that you can borrow. Trail difficulty level: beginner. Walk will be on paved and grassy level pathways. Travel up to 1 mile round trip at an easy-going pace with frequent stops.
Meet at Walla Walla Point Park Playground. |
| Wildlife Tracking: Searching for Nature's Stories Sunday, March 15th 9:00AM-3:00PM |
Join generations of trackers who have learned to tell the stories of our animal neighbors by studying the signs they leave behind. Even when we don't see the critters that move through the landscape, their tracks, scat, scratch marks, and more can tell us what they're doing.
Ages: Second grade and up. Adults without kids welcome too! |
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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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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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| 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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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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2026 Summer Camps Lottery |
The Summer Camp Lottery window is now closed. Our goal with the lottery system is to provide more equitable access to WRI Summer Camps and reduce the stress often associated with high-demand registration. We are now moving into the notification and final booking phase.
Summer 2026 Key Dates: - March 6th: Lottery results will be sent via email by 5:00PM.
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March 13th at 8:00AM: Deadline for lottery winners to officially register for their offered spots.
- March 16th at 5:30PM: General registration opens! Any remaining spots not filled during the lottery process will be available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
Note: If you entered the lottery, please keep an eye on your inbox (and spam folder) on March 6th. For a full breakdown of the registration process and to view the camp schedule, please follow the link below. |
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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 this spring? Join us for a week of outdoor discovery, hands-on learning, and plenty of fresh air at the WRI Spring Break Camp.
Mark your calendars! Spots for this age group fill up fast, so be sure to head to our website on March 9th at 5:00PM to register. |
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2026 Bird Fest Youth Art Contest Due this Sunday, March 8th |
LAST CALL! The 2026 Bird Fest Youth Art Contest is accepting submissions! Participating students have the chance to win a prize and have their art featured on the 2026 Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest Poster. To participate you must: - Be in grades K-8
- Focus on a bird in your art piece (preferably a species found in North Central Washington)
- Submit a full color piece
- Submission deadline is Sunday, March 8th at 11:59PM
Check out the Bird Fest Youth Art Gallery for inspiration! Follow the link below for more details and submission instructions. If you have any questions, email Michaela.
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Recap of Mid-Winter Break Camp Session 2
Grades K-3rd |
During the "Ecosystem Adventurers" mid-winter break session, students immersed themselves in the natural world through a vibrant blend of outdoor exploration and creative artistry. Whether they were engineering riverside forts, testing log buoyancy in the Wenatchee River, or mapping out imaginative ecosystems filled with "candy trees," the campers embraced the spirit of discovery. Inspired by Where the Wild Things Are, the group donned handmade animal masks for a spirited "wild rumpus" in the lower meadow, where they spent hours building, exploring, and even experimenting with natural charcoal drawing. The week was rounded out by hands-on projects, from nature-inspired clay sculptures to the grand finale: painting and erupting custom paper-mâché volcanoes.
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Community Garden Lottery and Registration |
Plots for the E. Lorene Young Community Garden will soon be opening up! Returning gardeners can expect an email today (March 4th) asking to return for the 2026 season. New gardeners can sign up for our garden lottery from March 18-29th. Once returning gardeners have claimed their plots, remaining plots will be opened to the lottery. You will be informed by April 1st about your lottery status. Lottery registration will go live on the Community Garden page. |
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After seven months working at WRI, I finally saw my first river otter in the Wenatchee River. It started with a tip-off from our neighbors at Upper Valley MEND: a river otter was sunbathing on a rock right below the River Haus. My meeting was quickly interrupted as the office scrambled onto the porch to catch a glimpse, but by the time I got my bearings, the rock was unoccupied. I went back to work feeling completely bummed.
I couldn’t let it go that easily, so after my meeting, I grabbed binoculars and my camera and headed down to Barn Beach. I scanned the river for what felt like ages and was actually in the process of giving up. I saw a flash of movement on the distant bank and the river otter was climbing up the far shore. It was a special moment that will be in my memory, especially since WRI's logo boasts the river otter. Written by Angela Crampton, Outreach Coordinator |
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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 Susan Han Dave and Nancy Bartholomew - Sustaining Kurt and Celeste Peterson - Sustaining Alexaus Hardy Lisi Ott - Sustaining Ludwig's German Restaurant Cashmere Mountain Bed and Breakfast South Restaurants Jeremy and Maria Howell - Sustaining Lynn Dickinson - Sustaining
Christine Emmel - Sustaining Laura and Greg Reichlin - Sustaining
Karen and Curt Haire - Sustaining Melissa Roe - Sustaining
Mall Boyd - Sustaining
Jen O'Neill Diane and Herb Young - Sustaining
Orin and Lisa Melvin - Sustaining
Mandy Maxwell and Bill Riedel - Sustaining
Mark Weick and Carole Ann Borshard - Sustaining
Lisa and Brian Koblenz - Sustaining Waste Management Martha Bean and Ralph Haugerud Crunch Pak LLC Connie Cogburn and Andy Day - Sustaining ZTEK Impressions Keith McEvoy Glen Peterson Larry Glickfeld
Anne and Robert Fuchs |
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