April 2nd E-Newsletter

Programs

A person wearing an outfit made of upcycled trash

Trashion Show Team Registration Deadline Extended

We are happy to announce that the Trashion Show Registration deadline will be extended until April 9th. Whether you've been planning your garment or are suddenly struck with upcycled inspiration, this is your opportunity to showcase your creativity on the Green Carpet. There are open slots in all age categories! Follow the link below to register.

Red Barn Event: Stories from the Trail

Wednesday, April 9th

7:00PM-8:00PM

Hear from four women and hikers and their contributions to the anthology, Stories from the Trail: Field Notes on Moving Through the Wild. We'll hear from Ana Maria Spagna, Abby Braithwaite, Iris Graville, and Claire Thompson as they share their combined trail experiences. This event is hosted in partnership with A Book For All Seasons. Copies of the anthology will be available for purchase.

Wild Out Here

Wenatchee Bird Walk

Thursday, April 10th

8:00AM-10:00AM

Wenatchee Birding is back with a brand new schedule! Enjoy a guided bird walk with knowledgeable WRI staff along the Columbia River. Meet near the bathrooms at Walla Walla Point Park for a one mile bird walk at an easygoing pace. This is a free event with no registration. Just show up and get ready to bird! Excited to do more birding? Keep an eye out for more trips through June!

Bird Here

Spring Trash Cleanup Day

Friday, April 11th

12:00PM-2:00PM

A lot of litter has accumulated on the banks of the Wenatchee River over the winter! Join WRI staff and volunteers to participate in a community river cleanup. It's time to give back to the river. We will have gloves, bags, and snacks available for all participants. Meet at the WRI parking lot to take a walk around the trails and pick up any trash that we find. Please RSVP for this volunteer activity at the link below.

Give Back Here

An orange movie poster with a character who has a yellow mustache and eyebrows

Youth Film Series: The Lorax

Saturday, April 12th

9:30AM-12:00PM

Enjoy a screening of the Lorax at the Snowy Owl Theater! This movie screening, partnered with Icicle Creek Center for the Arts, is open to all. The lobby will open at 9:30 with snacks and concessions for sale. The movie begins at 10:00AM. There will be an intermission with a fun activity as well. Tickets are $5 at the link below or Pay What You Can at the door.

Watch Here

Yellow flowers on an off white background

Fire Film Fest

Wednesday, April 16th

6:00PM-8:00PM

Meet in the Red Barn to watch 3 curated films about fire and forest health. Between films, we'll have Q&A sessions with guest speakers to learn more about our forests. This event is part of Fire Fest 2025 hosted in partnership with the Cascadia Prescribed Burn Association.

Watch More Here

Salmon Release Party: Make Crafts with WRI!

Friday, April 18th

2:00Pm-6:00PM

Celebrate the release of juvenile salmon into Icicle Creek at The Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery. WRI will have a fun crafts booth where we will be making Gyotaku (fish) prints with rubber fish.

Get Fishy Here

Spring Saunters

Saturdays, April 19th - May 10th

10:00AM-12:00PM

Take a two-hour Spring Saunter with one of our knowledgeable naturalists. Walk with us through Waterfront Park as warm weather returns to the valley. You will learn about the natural and cultural history of Leavenworth with many scenic views along the way! What are plants and animals doing as everything wakes back up after winter? Find your date and register below.

Saunter Here

A man leaning on his forearms in front of different sizes of animal dung

Red Barn Event: Tracking the Kalahari

Tuesday, April 22nd

7:00PM-8:00PM

Hear from local tracker and community member, Kirk Beckendorf, as he tells us about his travels to the Kalahari Desert. He spent his time tracking animals with the San Bushmen and is excited to share photos and stories from this experience. He will also enlighten us about his journey into learning about wildlife tracking - starting with a tracking class at WRI!

Track Here

Youth Programs

A line of children supervised by 2 adults

After School Program

We are so excited to continue the After School Program (ASP) for the rest of the 2024/25 school year thanks to a generous donation from a local family. Thank you!! Field Educators will meet students at Alpine Lakes Elementary and meander to WRI for a fun afternoon. Pickup is at 5:30PM on the WRI campus.

Registration for ASP is now open! This program will be Pay What You Can. Registration for the Tuesday/Thursday sessions is still open.

Tues/Thurs Registration

Traveling Naturalist

A group of people learning from 2 teachers

Eastmont School District 4th Grade

Yesterday marked the end of this year's spring programming with Eastmont School District. WRI Educators visited all 15 fourth grade classrooms across 5 schools. Students learned about animal's adaptations to survive winter, did some crafting to discover more about the subnivean zone, and did experiments to learn about the structure and function of bird bills. Each class visited WRI for a field trip as well. We can't wait to see you next year!

Field Days

Alpine Lakes Elementary 5th Grade

Students from Alpine Lakes walked down to WRI to learn about lichen and the stars. Four 5th grade classes spent time out in the field doing experiments to learn about lichen. They ended their time in the planetarium for a much beloved lesson on the stars.

Waterville Elementary 1st Grade

New school alert! WRI Educators had a great time being Habitat Detectives with 23 first graders. They explored the trails of WRI, looked for bugs, searched for beanie babies in their habitats, and then made their beanie babies suitable homes for survival.

Place

A photo of a garden with plots full of green plants

Community Garden Lottery

Open until Friday, April 11th

If you're looking to do some gardening this spring/summer, we have open plots available in the E. Lorene Young Community Garden. Available plots will be awarded via lottery. Follow the link below for more information and lottery form instructions Joshua will contact winners the following week.

Garden Here

A blue background with the words ''we are hiring'' in brown font

We're Hiring - After School Program (ASP) Educator

We are hiring for an After School Program (ASP) Educator. The ASP Educator will work with WRI’s Youth Programs through our new After School Program. The ASP Educator will work alongside the ASP Lead Educator to facilitate After School Program for 12 students in grades K-3. The daily work schedule will be approximately 2:00pm-6:00pm for a minimum of 2 days every 2 weeks. This position run through the end of the 2024-2025 school year. There would be a possibility of summer work with WRI. We hope the ASP would continue at the start of the next school year.

Learn more at the button below.

Apply Here

A group of smiling children in lifejackets of different colors

You've Got Mail!

Check your mailbox! WRI's 2024 Annual Report is out now. Flip through to see what we got up to in 2024 and get a feeling for what we have in store for 2025. You can also view the Annual Report online below.

Want to be on our mailing list? Contact Mason to update your contact information.

See it Online Here

Thank you to our donors from the past 2 weeks!

Dave and Nancy Bartholomew - Sustaining

Gro Buer and Bruce Williams - Sustaining

Kurt and Celeste Peterson - Sustaining

Puget Sound Mycological Society

Bob Bugert and Carolyn Griffin-Bugert - Sustaining

Inside and Out

Ruth Shelly

Robin Bonser

Valina Chandler