Nature Menders Wednesdays 8:30AM-10:30AM |
As Nature Menders, we work collaboratively with the landscape to foster a healthy, balanced ecosystem.
Join us every Wednesday. We’ll gather weekly to enjoy the morning cool until the summer heat sets in. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or a curious neighbor, come help us support our native habitat and give the garden the care it deserves.
Questions? Email Tiffa.
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| Cascades Track and Sign Evaluation with David Moskowitz Saturday, June 13th & Sunday, June 14th
8:00AM-5:00PM |
Spend two full days in the Cascades around Leavenworth, with professional wildlife tracker, naturalist, educator and author, David Moskowitz. This wildlife track and sign evaluation is offered through CyberTracker North America. |
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Dog Days of Summer Saturday, July 11th
4:00PM-7:00PM |
Join WRI and the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society for a dog-friendly block party! This free event will feature a guided dog walk, free food, pup first aid demonstration, scavenger hunt, and more! Stay tuned for more information! |
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| River Discovery Tours Coming Soon! |
River Discovery Tours coming up in July—stay tuned for dates that you can get out on the Wenatchee River by paddleboard or kayak with our naturalists! These tours include boat rental and shuttle from Leavenworth Outdoor Center and give folks a chance to explore the plants and animals of our diverse river ecosystem.
Photo by Dave Masuda. |
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As the school year winds down, we are excited to transition into our Youth Summer Camps! Check the camps page to see the current list of camps with open spots. If the camp you are interested in is full, there’s a waitlist for each camp. From the calendar event, click the link to join the waitlist. See the recaps of some of the programs WRI Educators have been partnering with local schools. |
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Wild Bird Program Vale Elementary 3rd Grade |
Five classes visited for a half-day Wild Bird Program, diving right into our famous ‘What’s that bird?’ activity. The students did a fantastic job practicing with binoculars to spot our wooden birds, working in pairs and communicating clearly to color them in for identification. They also learned what an arthropod is before heading out to the Community Garden, putting their new knowledge to the test to see how many different kinds of bugs and critters they could find. |
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| Traveling Planetarium Sterling Junior High
8th Grade |
We captivated 108 students with our Traveling Planetarium program. During the presentation, the students saw exactly how the sun appears in our sky during Earth's orbit and learned the mechanics behind both solar and lunar eclipses. They wrapped up their cosmic journey by looking at constellations and learning about the different types of galaxies in our universe. |
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Kids in the Forest and Near the River Cashmere Middle School 6th Grade |
In partnership with the Cascadia Conservation District and the Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center (CBFIC), we hosted over 100 students for a two-day Ecosystems program, with students rotating between locations. On our campus, they explored the Hydrosphere by testing the Wenatchee River's water quality, examining global water cycles, and looking at Washington's precipitation patterns. They also investigated the Geosphere and Biosphere by conducting a mini Ecosystem Inventory at two sites and taking an exploratory hike to spot key ecosystem components.
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| Traveling Naturalist Field Days 4th & 5th Grades |
Our Traveling Naturalist program had an incredibly active spring, engaging both 4th and 5th grade students in immersive outdoor learning. We had over 250 4th graders from 6 different schools take flight with our Wild Bird Program, while around 80 5th graders from 2 different schools dove into hands-on science during our Earth Explorers Field Days. In addition to these dynamic on-campus programs, the season featured an extensive series of interactive classroom visits that brought nature education directly to local schools.
Photo of 5th graders from Mountain View Elementary. |
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WRI After School Program Wrapped |
We just wrapped up an incredible nine weeks of our Spring After School Program with 13 students! We spent almost all of our time outside, fully soaking up this lovely season by playing games, digging at the beach, and getting creative with nature-inspired arts and crafts. One of the biggest highlights was watching our young gardeners tend to the soil, which rewarded us with a beautiful harvest of fresh radishes and vibrant flowers.
Beyond our own beautiful backyard, we took some fantastic field trips into the community to expand our horizons. The kids had a wonderful time exploring the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, learning and playing at the Tierra Learning Center, and diving into stories at the Leavenworth Public Library. It was the perfect blend of connection, curiosity, and fresh air, and we are so proud of the community these kids built together over the last two months.
Thank you to Hotel Pension Anna for subsidizing one student with their Pension Anna Scholarship. PARENTS: Please help us prepare for next year by filling out the 2026-2027 After School Program Interest Form. Your input ensures we create the best possible programming for our students and community. |
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Apply for the Board of Directors |
Wenatchee River Institute is looking for passionate leaders to join our Board of Directors! As a board member, you’ll help guide our mission, support environmental education, and strengthen connections between people, community, and the natural world. We welcome applications and nominations from individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences. |
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The Red Barn and Outdoor Classroom that were reinforced earlier this year due to damage in the December storm will soon be officially rebuilt.
Contractors will be on campus working on the Red Barn roof throughout the months of August and September. During this construction window, there will be limited to no access to the Red Barn for rentals and programs.
We greatly appreciate your patience and flexibility as we complete these much-needed repairs to secure our campus spaces for the future! If you have any questions about upcoming scheduling, please reach out the the WRI Staff. |
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The mock orange is blooming! This lovely native shrub is one of my favorites, though its blooming stage is famously ephemeral. The scent it gives off is intoxicating—historically used to make both perfumes and tea. Reminiscent of orange blossoms (hence the name), these plants are actually related to hydrangeas. The leaves and bark can be used to make soap, elk love to browse the twigs, and the shrub vigorously resprouts after wildfires. They are just a fantastic plant all around. Get out there and give them a sniff before it's too late!
Written by Tiffa Theden, WRI Land Steward |
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Thank you to our donors from the last 2 weeks! |
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Steve and Betsy Backstrom in honor of Arne Backstrom - Sustaining Gro Buer and Bruce Williams - Sustaining Patrick Ryan in memory of Karen Ryan Anonymous Donor in memory of Lee Ardess Payne Haley and Scott Simmons
Richard Szeliski and Lyn McCoy
Laura and Greg Reichlin - Sustaining Mall Boyd - Sustaining Bonnie and Victor Reddick Bill Jenkins
Tina Mason
Patty Ostendorff
Karen Jensen Mike and Sally Power
Timothy and Mary Gallagher
Christine Emmel - Sustaining Forrest and Nancy Allard
Ed and Julianne Martinez Melissa Roe - Sustaining Diane and Herb Young - Sustaining
Orin and Lisa Melvin - Sustaining
Mandy Maxwell and Bill Riedel - Sustaining
Carolyn Blair - Sustaining
Karla Gustafsson - Sustaining Jessica Kendall and Colin Forsyth - Sustaining
Karen and Curt Haire - Sustaining
Claire Oatey and Cam Deamer-Phillips William Napier Myrene and Tom McFarland John Day |
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| Jeff and Eileen Hambleton
Beth and Dan Lenoski Keith Vonvreckin Kurt and Celeste Peterson - Sustaining Spencer Kennedy Larkin
Mark Weick and Carole Ann Borshard - Sustaining
Lisa and Brian Koblenz - Sustaining Kristian Hamilton
Pyrce Weber Jessica Kocian and Christopher Cox Monica Gerber Carol and Shaun Seaman Lyra Pierotti - Sustaining Connie Cogburn and Andy Day - Sustaining Ephrat Baradel Stevie Clifton and Hannah Kwon - Sustaining
Hillary and Chris Clark - Sustaining
Annette Jouard and John Taylor - Sustaining Mari Miller Mila and Paul Hart Jochen Mezger Maggie and Scott McManus
Calla and Peter Crowley
Yvonne and Bradley Poe
Robert and Pat Strand Chuck and Candace Egner - Sustaining
David Stoller and Diane Patterson - Sustaining Kamuron Gurol - Sustaining Anonymous Donors |
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