February 7th E-Newsletter

Programs

Snowshoe Strolls

Fridays and Saturdays

through February 2024

Join us for 3 weekly Snowshoe Strolls around the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery and learn about native ecology along the way. We will lead a stroll on Fridays and Saturdays at 10:00AM with an additional afternoon walk on Saturdays at 1:00PM. These gently paced strolls are suitable for snowshoers of all levels. Snowshoes, gaiters, and poles will be provided by WRI. Register online at the link below.

Stroll Here

Red Barn Event: Protecting Rare Plant Species

Tuesday, February 13th

7:00PM-8:00PM

Permanently protected lands, like National Parks, are safe havens for many species. However, not all are equally protected. How do we know what rare plant species are protected in the current system? Through a process called Gap Analysis! Join the Washington Native Plant Society and Dr. Walter Fertig from the Marion Ownbey Herbarium in the Red Barn to learn more about rare plants and how we protect them.

Analyze Here

Birding by the River

Wednesday, February 14th

8:00AM-9:30AM

Go birding with knowledgeable WRI staff around the WRI campus! All birding skills are welcome and we have loaner binoculars available. This is a FREE activity and no registration is needed.

Bird Here

Science on Tap with Neil Paprocki

Thursday, February 15th

7:00PM-8:00PM

Join WRI at Ground Control in Wenatchee for an awesome opportunity to gather and learn about science from a member of your community. No prior science knowledge is necessary for this casual gathering. This month, we'll hear from bird migration expert and PhD candidate Neil Paprocki about hawk migration patterns. Learn more about this free event below.

Migrate Here

Red Barn Event: Pushed - Miners, a Merchant, and (Maybe) a Massacre

Thursday, February 22nd

7:00PM-8:00PM

According to lore, as many as 300 Chinese miners were pushed off a cliff into the Columbia River. At this Red Barn Event, join WRI and A Book for All Seasons to hear from author Ana Maria Spagna. She'll enlighten us on her extensive research leading to this book.

Read Here

Fly Tying Workshop Series

Wednesdays starting February 28th

6:00PM-8:00PM

Feeling fly-curious? Learn to tie your own before you go out fishing next! Partnered with Wenatchee Valley Fly Fishers, WRI invites all beginners to this 5 week workshop series. Learn about fly fishing equipment, fishing philosophy, and fundamental fly tying techniques. All materials are included and you can expect to leave with 6-8 flies! Register online below.

Tie Here

Leavenworth Repair Cafe

Thursday, February 29th

6:00PM-8:00PM

Do you have a random item laying around that you always swear you're going to fix but never do? Me neither... Regardless, join Waste Loop at WRI for the first Repair Cafe of 2024. These events are a community space to connect you with skilled volunteer fixers and keep your items in your life and out of the landfill. Bring anything you may want to fix! More info below.

Repair Here

Webinar: Evidence of Horse Hunting on the Columbia Plateau

Tuesday, March 5th

7:00PM-8:00PM

Join WRI and the Methow Conservancy to learn about exciting new archeological discoveries on the Columbia Plateau. Terry Ozbun, Senior Archaeologist at Archaeological Investigations Northwest, will enlighten us about updated dating information and evidence of ancient horse hunting thanks to a re-analysis of cultural deposits. Join us online for this free event. No registration required.

Dig Here

Youth Programs

Mid-Winter Break Camp - Only 3 Spots Left!

Tuesday, February 20th - Friday, February 23rd

Hurry! Spots are running out for Mid-Winter Break Camp! K-3rd grade participants will spend 4 days exploring the outdoors and learning about the world around them through engaging activities. Mid-Winter Break camp is Pay What You Can. We hope that families can use our camp cost breakdown to understand how camp operates and contribute as they can.

Summer Camp Lottery Timeline

It's hard to believe we're already planning for summer! We are developing the 2024 camp schedule now and will share it prior to registration opening. Once again, WRI will be using a lottery system for Summer Camps. Our hope is that the system will offer more equitable access to WRI Summer Camps and alleviate stress around registration.

Campers can enroll in one week of camp through the lottery system. If there are spots in camp after the lottery, those will be open to everyone through general registration. Entering the lottery does not guarantee a camper a spot in camp. More details about the lottery system will be shared prior to the opening of the lottery.

Important Dates:
February 23rd - March 3rd: Lottery form available
March 4th - 8th: Process lottery and notification of results
March 8th - 17th: Accept and register for spots offered through the lottery (You will need to complete registration for the camp spots offered to you through the lottery.)
March 18: Remaining camp spots will open for general registration in the evening.

Snow Exploration Field Days

Alpine Lakes Elementary

Fifth grade students from four classrooms at Alpine Lakes Elementary visited the WRI campus for Field Days in the last two weeks. On their visit, students explored the campus on snowshoes. They also learned to measure the current snow pack and found the snow water equivalency (SWE). To find the SWE, students collected a snow sample and weighed it to figure out the percentage of water in the snow. This percentage shows how much water will melt from the snow come springtime. Students also participated in a stakeholders debate on the usage of water for when the snow melts.

Palisades and Orondo School Districts

Third through fifth grade students from Orondo School District and TK- sixth grade students from Palisades School District visited WRI's campus. All students donned snowshoes to explore the outdoors on a nature walk. Younger students participated in "Snow Exploration" exercises like building habitats for their beanie babies. Older students learned about the basics of snow science such as Snow Water Equivalency. While students from Orondo previously visited WRI through the Traveling Naturalist program, it was both these school's first time participating in a WRI Field Day.

Place

Volunteers Needed!

Are you a fly fishing and tying expert? WRI needs the help of our community anglers to help Wenatchee Valley Fly Fishers with an introductory fly tying class series starting February 8th. This 5 class series will meet weekly to give novice fly fishers an opportunity to learn about tying flies and discover the entomological connections between food and fish. We would like to have 2-3 volunteers per class. You can sign up for as many or as few as you'd like! If you are interested in volunteering, email Mason here.

Diary of a Land Steward - Entry #3

January was rainy, cloudy, dark, depressing, and seemingly lasted about three years. And that’s fact, not opinion. Now we’re at the good ol’ tipping point leaning toward spring, and the energy is starting to shift. The skiers are squeezing in more runs, the raft guides are looking for housing, and the gardeners won’t stop talking about the Baker Creek Seed catalog. Cottonwood buds are plumping and insects are performing pre-flight maintenance checks. If you listen carefully, you can hear the underground sounds of bear claws smashing snooze buttons and espresso machines. To all the humans (unless there’s other species reading this…), may your roots have spread deeper and wider this winter so that you may grow stronger and in abundance this coming spring.

Entry by Sean Eriksen, Land Steward

Thank you to our donors from the past 2 weeks!

Gro Buer and Bruce Williams - Sustaining

Steve and Betsy Backstrom in honor of Arne Backstrom - Sustaining

Julia Hansborough

Andrea Karim

Lynn Dickinson - Sustaining

Hillary and Chris Clark - Sustaining

Laura and Greg Reichlin - Sustaining

Wood Shop - Hat Shop

Leavenworth Properties Inc

Christine Emmel - Sustaining