Event image

WRI Volunteer Open House

calendar_today Thu September 24th at 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
link Website
local_activity Registration required

Want to get more involved in your community and support outdoor education and conservation? Join us for our Volunteer Open House at Wenatchee River Institute! Evening schedule: 5:00PM: Meet the WRI staff, connect with current volunteers, and learn about a variety of ways to give back Light snacks and drinks will be provided.

  • 5:30PM: A general presentation begins in the Bird Fest Room
  • 6:00PM: We will break into volunteer interest groups.

For anyone interested in Youth Education, it's highly recommended to stick around for the training. Other interest group trainings will likely be Community Programs and Campus Maintenance.

All are welcome—bring a friend!
Please let us know you're coming by RSVP'ing at the red button above.

Give Back Nature

Related Events

Sep

30

5th annual Sunset & S'mores

Wed · 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Save the date! Come gather with us at WRI for an evening of food and s'more fun! Jump into fall with us as the evening light fades and the stars come out. Join us for a meal, drinks, and immersive activities. Socialize with fellow WRI supporters, board members, staff, and students. This is a family friendly event. The evening's offerings will take place throughout WRI's campus, both indoors and outdoors. We look forward to gathering together and celebrating our special community! Tickets: Registration will open soon! The cost for this program Pay What You Can in recognition that not everyone can afford to pay for the full cost of the event. We hope that people who can, will pay to help those you cannot. On the next page, you will find 4 different levels. Please choose the level that works best for you and your family. We want to make sure anyone who wishes to come to this event can! Please provide any feedback on this process at the end of your registration, or email programs@wenatcheeriverinstitute.org. Children 5 and under do not need a ticket. Feel free to bring them with! Stay tuned for the delicious menu, catered by Ravenous Catering. You will be able to select any dietary restrictions in your registration once it opens. Thank you to our sponsors for making this event possible: Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort, South Restaurants, Ludwig's German Restaurant, Icicle Brewing Company, Winton Manufacturing, North Cascades Heating & Air Conditioning, and Goose Ridge Estate Winery.

Family

Oct

27

Red Barn Event: Range of Fire and Ice

Tue · 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

In the Range of Fire and Ice: A Human and Natural History of Washington's Cascades Blending human and natural history into a vivid portrait of one of North America’s most dynamic landscapes, award-winning author David B. Williams' newest book, In the Range of Fire and Ice is a lively, groundbreaking exploration of Washington’s Cascade Range. Drawing on conversations with anthropologists, park rangers, ecologists, and climate scientists, as well as firsthand experience, Williams brings readers into the mountains to uncover stories etched over millennia. Tonight, he will be in conversation with author Ana Maria Spagna as they explore how the Cascades are not only a unique and amazing set of mountains, but also a living, evolving realm of fire, ice, and hope. ## About David David B. Williams is an author, naturalist, and tour guide whose award-winning books include Homewaters: A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound and Too High and Too Steep: Reshaping Seattle’s Topography, as well as Seattle Walks: Discovering History and Nature in the City. His newest book, Wild in Seattle: Stories at the Crossroads of People and Nature is a best of collection from his free weekly Substack newsletter, the Street Smart Naturalist. He has been called an “evangelist for the practice of paying attention.” ## Logistics - Livestream the event or watch it later on YouTube. - No registration required, but RSVP to receive email reminders and updates about this event! - Doors to the Red Barn open at 6:30pm for a community social with beer and wine available for purchase. The presentation will start at 7:00pm.

Nature

Nov

5

Red Barn Event: "Coiled" Book Launch

Thu · 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Coiled Book Launch with Ana Maria Spagna Livestream the event or watch it later on YouTube at this link. No registration required, but RSVP to receive email reminders and updates about this event! Doors to the Red Barn open at 6:30pm for a community social with beer and wine available for purchase. The presentation will start at 7:00pm. ### About the presentation Local author Ana Maria Spagna returns to the Red Barn to launch her brand new book, Coiled: Essays on Urgency and Kinship. “Ana Maria Spagna has written more than a book," writes poet CMarie Fuhrman, "this is a compass for our disorienting times. With the eye of a naturalist and soul of a poet, Spagna leads us through landscapes of grief, political turmoil, and ecological wonder, ultimately leading us to what really matters: kinship. Whether witnessing the release of a wild fisher or navigating difficult waters of loss, Spagna writes with the kind of vulnerability that at once wrecks and heals. This collection is a howl. It is a prayer. Coiled is a warm hand on the shoulder reminding us that even on the ‘hairline fringe’ we are never alone.” ## About Ana Maria Ana Maria Spagna is a long-time resident of the North Cascades whose writing explores the intersections of nature, community, queerness, and social justice in the American West. She is the author of ten books, most recently, Coiled: Essays on Urgency and Kinship. Her work has been recognized by the River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Prize, Washington State Book Awards, Nautilus Book Awards, and the Society of Environmental Journalists. She teaches at Wenatchee Valley College and in the Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Western Colorado University. She lives with her wife, Laurie, and cat, Maybelle, in Stehekin.

Arts+Culture

Oct

22

Red Barn Event: Recovering Endangered Plants

Thu · 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Recovering Endangered Plants of Central and Eastern Washington. In partnership with the Wenatchee Valley Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society. Join Tara Callaway to learn about local endangered plants and their recovery. Take a closer look at several federally listed plant species found in Central and Eastern WA and what makes each plant special. We'll also have a chance to hear about the hurdles these species are up against, and some of the creative ways people are working together to recover them. Explore exciting new discoveries and developments that are contributing to their recovery. Maybe you have seen some of these species on your own walks and hikes around Leavenworth and Wenatchee- come find out! ##About Tara Tara Callaway is an Assistant Field Supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Washington Ecological Services Program in Wenatchee, Washington. She oversees a talented and passionate team of biologists in central and eastern Washington who implement all aspects of the Endangered Species Act. She assists in the recovery of all federally listed and at-risk species in this area including several plant species such as Eriogonum codium, Physaria douglasii ssp. tuplashensis, Sidalcea oregana var. calva, and more! ## Logistics - No registration required, but RSVP to receive email reminders and updates about this event! - Doors to the Red Barn open at 6:30pm for a community social with beer and wine available for purchase. The presentation will start at 7:00pm. - Livestream the event or watch it later on YouTube

Nature

Oct

25

Spooky Stroll and Moonlit Skies

Sun · 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Join Wenatchee River Institute, Wenatchee Valley Astronomy Club, and others for an evening of family friendly, slightly spooky fun! Suitable for young ones and the young at heart! It's the full moon and less than a week before Halloween. We'll kick off the evening with a Spooky Stroll at dusk. Listen for critters that come awake at night and hear stories about bats, owls, coyotes and more! After our walk, you can stargaze and see the full moon through telescopes, or you might warm up in the Red Barn with a cup of hot cocoa while creating a creepy craft. Or go on a moonlit scavenger hunt to look for things that glow in the dark with WRI's Land Steward. Check back for a more detailed schedule as we get closer to the event. Suggested cost of $5-10 per person, or $20 per family. RSVP by October 23rd with a donation of $5 or more and get a free hot cocoa for up to 4 members of your party! - 5:30-6:30 - Spooky Stroll: walk along the Wenatchee River and the Waterfront Park Trails to listen for animals and hear their stories from a WRI Field Educator - 6:30-8:30 - Drop-In Activities: - Moon-viewing and stargazing by telescope - Guided glow in the dark scavenger hunt - Creepy crafts - Hot cocoa Costumes encouraged! Please keep them family friendly. Bulky costumes, masks, or props may need to be removed before using telescopes.

Family Nature

Oct

17

Fall Fungi Field Trip with Puget Sound Mycological Society

Sat · 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Join Wenatchee River Institute and Puget Sound Mycological Society for the Fall Fungi Field Trip! The day will begin at the Wenatchee River Institute with a meeting to set the scene and provide a safety briefing. PSMS guides will take groups of people out to different locations for fungi foraging and collection. There is no guarantee you'll find good edible mushrooms, but you will learn the basics of foraging and get an idea of habitats to explore in the future. The guided trips will be out foraging for about 3-4 hours. Groups will return to WRI to have their mushrooms identified. We'll close the day out with a group potluck! Note that the forage may include walking on uneven ground. Limit: 30 WRI participants

Nature