Wenatchee River Institute Events

An Introduction to Lichens, Tuesday, March 14, 6 - 7:30 p.m.

In this hands-on workshop, you will create your own lichen ID chart using local specimens. With your chart, you will get better acquainted with lichens and you will learn what to look for when using lichen identification guides.

Introduction to Wildlife Tracking Class, Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26

WRI invites you to a weekend introduction to the language of wildlife tracking with Adam Martin. Throughout the weekend, you’ll gain a basic understanding of how to identify and interpret the commonly left tracks and sign of the birds, mammals, and insects of our region.

Trashion Show Team Registration, due Friday, April 7 at 5 p.m.

The 2nd annual Trashion Show is on Friday, April 21. It's a fashion show featuring garments made from recycled materials and repurposed clothing.  It's time to start planning your outfit and collecting materials to create your own trashion masterpiece to model down the runway. Create a team and register online, there is limited space in each category! Find rules and registration at the link below. Thank you to our Community Education volunteers.

Youth Camp News & Updates

Planning for youth camps is in full swing. Read below for important news on upcoming youth camps this year. Spring Break Camp (K-3): April 3-7; Summer Camps (entering grades 1-9): July & August. WRI is planning to pilot a lottery system for summer camp registration in 2023. Our hope in using a lottery system is to offer more equitable access to WRI Summer Camps and to 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 summer camp.

Snow Science with Alpine Lakes Elementary

Fifth grade students from four classrooms at Alpine Lakes Elementary recently visited the WRI campus for Field Days. On their visit, students explored the campus on snowshoes looking for the signs of winter around them. They also learned to measure the current snowpack 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.

Kids in the Snow Program

WRI had the opportunity to work on a partnered program with Wenatchee School District (WSD), Cascadia Conservation District (CCD), and the Department of Transportation at Squilchuck State Park. This program served students in 7th grade in WSD. WRI Field Educators assisted CCD with their outdoor portion of the Kids in the Snow program. Students used snow pits to measure the total depth of snow and found out how many centimeters of water was in the pit. They collected and weighed snow samples from the snow pit to find the snow water equivalency (SWE).