Birding by the River
TOMORROW, June 26th 8:00AM-10:00AM |
Go birding with knowledgeable WRI staff around the WRI campus on the last Thursday of each month through October. All birding skills are welcome and we have loaner binoculars available. This is a FREE activity and no registration is needed. |
| River Discovery Tour
Select Fridays from June 27th - July 25th 5:00PM-7:30PM |
Starting this Friday, explore the Wenatchee River on this relaxing paddle with WRI and the Leavenworth Outdoor Center. This guided trip will introduce you to the plants and animals of our diverse river area. Expect a great introduction to river travel and nature observation along your float. Paddleboard or kayak, and life preserver rental are included with registration.
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Paint and Stroll Friday, June 27th, Thursday, July 3rd, Thursday, July 10th, and more! 1:30PM - 2:30PM |
Get inspired by the amazing artists at the Village Art in the Park, then join us for a short walk down to the river and take some creative time for yourself. This free program is great for children and adults. Simple art supplies are provided. No registration required - just show up ready to create. Click the button below for a full list of dates throughout the summer!
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Step Into Nature Tuesdays in July 5:00PM-6:00PM |
Do you want to take your family hiking or camping but feel unsure where to start? Experts from WRI are here to help! Learn about recreation in the Wenatchee area at these indoor, hands-on, events at the Wenatchee Public Library. There will be information for grown-ups and interactive games for kids. Come to one or all of the sessions!
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Bat Night Tuesday, July 8th 7:30PM-10:00PM |
Bats are far from the "flying rats" many people mistakenly call them. These unique mammals serve many important purposes in lots of different ecosystems! Learn more about bats and how biologists study them in the field at this interactive event in the Red Barn. This event is in partnership with Bats Northwest, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Happy Valley Bats.
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| Wenatchee Bird Walk
Thursday, July 10th 8:00AM-10:00AM |
Enjoy a guided bird walk with knowledgeable WRI staff along the Columbia River. Meet near the bathrooms at Walla Walla Point Park for a 1-mile bird walk at an easygoing pace. This is a free event with no registration. Just show up and get ready to bird! |
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After School Program Spring Highlights & Fall Registration |
School is out, and our last session of After School Program of the 2025-2026 year has finished! This spring, students got to learn about native plants by taking tours and helping pull weeds with Land Steward, Tiffa. They played at Barn Beach, and went on nature scavenger hunts and bug hunts! In addition to WRI's After School Program, WRI staff visited Lincoln, Lewis and Clark, and Orondo Elementary Schools weekly with lessons about environmental education. It was a great spring, and we look forward to our next session in the fall. Registration for After School Program in the fall is opening this summer! Follow the link below for more information: -
If you participated in After School Program at WRI in the 2024-25 school year, you can hold your spot for September-December ASP beginning now!
- If you are a new participant in After School Program at WRI, you can hold your spot for September-December ASP beginning July 1 at 4:30pm.
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We have 5 more spots in WRI's Middle School Adventure Camp NEXT WEEK from June 30th-July 3rd! Camp adventures include a day of hiking, participating in the High Ropes Course at Tierra Learning Center, paddle boarding or kayaking on the Wenatchee River, and climbing at Riverfront Rock Gym! Learn more and register by clicking the button below. |
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Spring Traveling Naturalist Program |
Thanks to funds from Williams International Grant and Outdoor Learning Grant, WRI staff visited 8 different schools across North Central Washington for monthly classroom visits. That's over 400 students! Additionally, there were 11 Field Days this spring at various locations, including WRI, Confluence State Park, Bridgeport State Park, and Lake Chelan State Park. For many students, this was their first time visiting a state park, hiking, being in the woods, and visiting Leavenworth. We are so thankful for our Indigenous educators, Julie Edwards and Amanda Keewatinawin, who taught about their culture and skills of basket weaving and beading.
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Thirty one K-2 students were Habitat Detectives for a full day at WRI! These Habitat Detectives went searching for critters (beanie babies) hiding along the trail, and explored the area looking for signs of the animals. They also got to make bracelets with Indigenous educator, Amanda Keewatinawin, and learned more about her culture! |
| Seeds Learning Center and Learning Academy |
For the first time ever, students from Seeds Learning Center and Learning Academy in Wenatchee joined us for a Field Day! There were 45 early learners and their families who joined us to be Habitat Detectives. They learned about animals’ habitat by looking for hidden beanie babies, explored trails looking for signs of animals, and did an activity where they adopted a tree to observe it more closely. |
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Volunteer Appreciation BBQ |
A couple weeks ago, WRI had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate our volunteers! Over 50 volunteers, board members, and staff gathered on the lawn to celebrate our volunteers and the countless hours they invest in WRI's programming. We truly couldn't connect people, communities and the natural world without the help of our volunteers! In 2024, there were 100 volunteers who donated a total of 2,714 hours of their time. Thank you to all who have spent any time volunteering at WRI whether that be helping with Field Days, Bird Fest, Snowshoe Strolls, serving beverages, and more. You are truly appreciated!
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WRI's entrance got a makeover! |
You may have noticed some improvements to the WRI campus in the last few days! Last summer, WRI invested time and energy into learning how our programs and campus can be more accessible to all, with major thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of North Central Washington, and the advice and research from Erin Keeley Consulting. Since last summer, we have been making small improvements to increase accessibility. Last week, we broke ground on a new accessible entrance to WRI's River Haus with thanks to the hard work of our volunteer, Mike Bedard, and staff, Brandon and Tiffa. Last weekend, the parking lot also got repaved and striped. Next time you're at the campus, come check out the makeover! We look forward to sharing more improvments coming this summer.
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Thank you to our donors from the past 2 weeks! |
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Steve and Betsy Backstrom in honor of Arne Backstrom - Sustaining Gene Irvine Jochen Mezger
Mary Guthrie in memory of Dr. Thomas F Guthrie Kamuron Gurol - Sustaining Lisa and Jim Osse - Sustaining
David Zazzo - Sustaining Donna Hill Robes Parrish and Crissy Hill Dave and Pat Notter - Sustaining Heather and Ole Bore - Sustaining
Tracy Brulotte - Sustaining Jackie and Tom Andrewjeski - Sustaining Drew and Cathy Gaylord Penelope and Larry Tobiska Helen and Carl Kjobech Jean and Russ Speidel |
| Gro Buer and Bruce Williams - Sustaining
Carolyn Griffin-Bugert and Bob Bugert - Sustaining Katherine Bloss Zack and Justin Hambleton Ric Escobedo Jill Brennan in honor of Bob Stroup
Dave and Nancy Bartholomew - Sustaining Kurt and Celeste Peterson - Sustaining Lisi Ott - Sustaining Suzanne Hartman and Barry Storer - Sustaining Rhodri Thomas and Liz Marzolf
Sheila Harris Judy Clark Christine Benita Sharon and Greg Lunz Margareta and Marc Dilley |
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Many of these donors are supporting WRI through Membership! Learn more about how to become a member here. |
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