August 9th E-NEWSLETTER

Programs

Red Barn Event:

A Diverse Celebration of our Trails

TONIGHT, August 9th

7:00PM-8:00PM

Join WRI and A Book for All Seasons to welcome Ilyssa and Dave Kyu, editors 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

Worm Composting at the Garden

Tuesday, August 15th

2:00PM-3:00PM

Join WRI, Waste Loop, and the Cascade Garden Club for a FREE vermiculture workshop at the E. Lorene Young Community Garden. Learn to utilize red wigglers to compost scraps from your kitchen and create compost for your garden and plants! No registration is required. Treats provided!

Compost Here

Beer & Bots:

Adult STEM Night

Thursday, August 17th

6:00PM-8:00PM

Calling all curious adults, unleash your inner scientist with a twist! Join our Adult STEM Program with NCW Libraries in the Red Barn, mingle with other community members, and explore various STEM activities - from coding robots, to exploring the night sky in an immersive planetarium experience. This is a FREE event with beverages available for purchase.

Discover Here

Cascades Track & Sign Evaluation with David Moskowitz

Saturday, Sept. 16th AND Sunday, Sept. 17th

Spend two full days in the greater Leavenworth area, with professional wildlife tracker, naturalist, educator and author, David Moskowitz. This class is a wildlife track and sign evaluation through CyberTracker North America. This class is an excellent way to learn and investigate, with the chance to achieve a wildlife tracking certificate!

Track Here

Summer Camp Highlights

Can you believe summer camps are nearly over already? We can't! Check out some highlights from the summer camps that happened in the last couple of weeks.

Forest Friends Camp

(entering grades 1-3)

Campers had fun exploring the forest! They went on adventures with friends along wooded trails and down by the river. They had an impromptu salmon lesson at Lake Wenatchee and learned about the biology and importance of salmon! They made many new discoveries and played many games.

Rock On! Camp

(entering grades 4-6)

Campers took themselves to new heights while rock climbing! They spent one day developing their skills at Riverfront Rock Gym and then spent two days outside climbing with Northwest Mountain School. They also got to know the cool rocks around the area!

Kids in the Wild Camps

(entering grades 1-3 and 4-6)

There were 2 sessions of Kids in the Wild in the last 2 weeks! Campers focused on hands-on skills for outdoor survival. They learned how to be prepared for the wilderness and learned important skills like plant knowledge, shelter-building, navigation, and more! Campers went on a tour at the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery and did some archery, too! They also got to go fishing with Trout Unlimited.

Place

Welcome to the WRI Team!

We are very excited to welcome Mandy Maxwell to WRI's Board of Directors! Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Mandy’s life has centered around nature. Whether by proximity or as a concerned citizen, she has always worried about the social and environmental impacts of modern society and dreamed of being part of the work to restore and protect the natural world and empower those who depend on it. She is finishing a Master of Environmental Sciences and Policy at Johns Hopkins, volunteering for organizations dedicated to climate action, and incubating a community-focused environmental collaborative. You can learn more about Mandy here.

Building WRI's Development Office

WRI is building our development office! With a grant from the Icicle Fund, we are growing our team from within. We are excited to announce that Randee Zerger is our new Development Associate! After 2+ years as Outreach Manager, Randee is excited to build her skills in this new role. In her new role, she is dedicated to leading the philanthropy and membership programs, and continue to be an advocate and representative of WRI to stakeholders and supporters like yourselves.

Meet WRI's New Land Steward

With the addition of 3 new acres to WRI's campus from the E. Lorene Young properties, it has become clear that we need a strategic landscape plan to make sure we are fulfilling our commitments to wildlife, habitat, and this land. We are excited to have Sean, one of our Summer Camp Educator Interns, transition into the permanent role of Land Steward! Sean brings a unique set of life experiences and passions for permaculture, native landscapes, and community education. You can learn more about him here.

Creative Reuse Community Survey

What is creative reuse? It is the upcycling or repurposing of otherwise unwanted materials into something new. Creative reuse can include the exchange of physical materials, the sharing of ideas and knowledge, and the borrowing of tools and supplies. Creative reuse centers are physical locations dedicated to reuse and can inspire creativity, provide community gathering space, and conserve resources!

The information gathered by this survey will help plan the next steps for a new creative reuse center in Cashmere called Cascade Creative Reuse. Let them know what you'd like to see!

Take the Survey Here

Thank you to our donors from the last two weeks!

Lynn Dickinson - Sustaining

Crissy Hill and Robes Parrish

Harry and Beth Stovall

Nancy and George Dunn

Jeremy and Maria Howell

Gary and Pat Willett

Barbara and James Brink

John and Mary Schramm

Laura and Greg Reichlin - Sustaining

Woody Wheeler and Lori Cohen