509.548.5807

Ask an Expert

Wenatchee River Institute

  1. Events
  2. Organizers
  3. Wenatchee River Institute
(509) 548-0181
info@wenatcheeriverinstitute.org
https://www.wenatcheeriverinstitute.org
Events from this organizer
Today

Event Series Autumn Ambles

Autumn Ambles

Wenatchee River Institute 347 Division Street, WA, United States

Join the Wenatchee River Institute for a two-hour autumn amble with one of our knowledgeable naturalists. Walk with us through Waterfront Park as the air begins to cool and the leaves turn gold. You will learn about the natural and cultural history of Leavenworth with many scenic views along the way! What are plants and animals doing to prepare for winter? Can we find any salmon that are returning to the river to spawn in the fall?

Cost is Pay What You Can. Choose a price that is reasonable for you. WRI offers this in recognition that not everyone can afford to pay for classes. We hope that people who can will pay to help those who cannot.

Plant Foraging Workshop: Chicory

Wenatchee River Institute 347 Division Street, WA, United States

This will be an opportunity to harvest chicory on the WRI campus and learn how to process the roots for making your own drink. Plan to wear clothing to get dirty, something to collect your harvested roots, and a long-handled shovel.

This workshop will be instructed by our WRI Land Steward Tiffany (who also goes by Tiffa). She is madly in love with native plants, lichen, and fungi in general and has a BA in Environmental Studies/Biology from UC Santa Cruz.

Cost is Pay What You Can. Choose a price that is reasonable for you. WRI offers this in recognition that not everyone can afford to pay for classes. We hope that people who can, will pay to help those you cannot.

Pay What You Can

Make a Difference Day with WRI

Wenatchee River Institute 347 Division Street, WA, United States

Make a difference in your neighborhood and community! WRI will be participating in this year’s Make a Difference Day. We will be working in the E. Lorene Young Community Garden for this year’s project.

We will work together to dismantle and replace old planter boxes and replace them with new cedar ones built onsite. We completed half of the boxes last year and need your help to finish the rest of the garden. These new boxes will serve community members for the next decade of fruit, vegetable, herb, and flower growing.

We will also be making new accessible garden beds for those who cannot safely or adequately navigate the current layout. We’ll be adding extra space between garden beds as we rebuild them. These extra inches will allow wheelchair users to enjoy the wonders of community gardening. We are committed to making the WRI campus welcoming and accessible to all. We need your help in taking a step towards this goal!

This is a family friendly volunteer event! WRI will have the materials and hand tools available for the work.

Join us on Saturday, October 26th at WRI if you’d like to participate! Please let us know you’re coming.

Feel free to park at Wenatchee River Institute (for free). We can meet there and walk together over to the E. Lorene Young Community Garden (corner of 12th St and Commercial St).

Free

Red Barn Event: Grizzly Bear Restoration

Red Barn at Wenatchee River Institute 347 Division Street, Leavenworth, WA, United States

Streaming link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZVMVlkbTRk

Doors open at 6:30pm for a community social with beer and wine available for purchase. The presentation will start at 7:00pm.

Grizzly bears roamed the North Cascades region for thousands of years as a key part of the ecosystem. They distributed native plant seeds and kept other wildlife populations in balance. Since then, populations declined primarily due to direct killing by humans. The last confirmed sighting of a grizzly bear in the U.S. portion of the North Cascades ecosystem was in 1996. In April 2024, the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) decided that restoring grizzly bears to the North Cascades ecosystem (NCE) would be undertaken by relocating grizzly bears from other ecosystems. National Park Service Wildlife Biologist Dr. Jason Ransom will discuss the ecology of grizzly bears in the NCE, what the restoration process looks like moving forward, and best practices for coexisting with both black bears and grizzly bears in the Cascades.

 

Finding Fungi @ Wenatchee River Institute

Wenatchee River Institute 347 Division Street, WA, United States

Come explore the forests near Leavenworth to look for fungi of all shapes and sizes! Fall is a great time of year to find mushrooms and other fungi, especially in our environment on the eastern slopes of the Cascades. This trip is for those interested in encountering the vast diversity of fungi in our area, not just the edible species.

We’ll meet in the WRI parking lot (address above) and transportation will be provided in our van. We’ll drive for about 30 minutes to where we’ll spend the day walking through the woods. Total walking distance will be about 3 miles. We’ll mostly be walking on a maintained trail, with some off-trail walking required. Total elevation gain ~500 ft.

To know what to bring with you. Please visit the website.

Pay What You Can
Event Series Birding by the River

Birding by the River

Wenatchee River Institute 347 Division Street, WA, United States

This is a great opportunity to learn about eBird, the largest biodiversity-related community science project in the world, and utilize it to record our observations of local wild birds. Total walking distance is ½ mile, over a gravel path with two moderate hills. Come prepared for the weather. These walks will happen on the second Wednesday of each month for the whole year. Join us for as many as you can!

Trail is wide enough for ADA access, but trails are gravel

Meet outside the River Haus at 8am and plan to be finished by 9:30am. This is a FREE event and no registration is needed.

Event Series Birding by the River

Birding by the River

Wenatchee River Institute 347 Division Street, WA, United States

This is a great opportunity to learn about eBird, the largest biodiversity-related community science project in the world, and utilize it to record our observations of local wild birds. Total walking distance is ½ mile, over a gravel path with two moderate hills. Come prepared for the weather. These walks will happen on the second Wednesday of each month for the whole year. Join us for as many as you can!

Trail is wide enough for ADA access, but trails are gravel

Meet outside the River Haus at 8am and plan to be finished by 9:30am. This is a FREE event and no registration is needed.

International Mountain Day @ Wenatchee River Institute

Wenatchee River Institute 347 Division Street, WA, United States

Join local mountain enthusiasts and stewardship organizations of the East Central Cascades as we organize in celebration of International Mountain Day. Since 2003, this day has been celebrated worldwide to raise awareness of the importance of mountains, highlights both opportunities and challenges of mountain development, and builds alliances that brings positive change for mountain communities and ecosystems. The event begins at 2:00 p.m. with a critical mass-style community trail run in Waterfront Park departing from the WRI Red Barn. At 3:00 p.m., doors open for an afternoon of inspiring short films, presentations by local groups, and an action panel with organization leadership where we will discuss how we can better collaborate to care for our local mountains. Hot drinks and snacks will be provided! Attendees will leave with fresh inspiration, a deeper understanding of mountains’ global significance, and ideas for getting involved locally.

This event is hosted by the Wenatchee River Institute in collaboration with Leavenworth Mountain Association, Indigenous Roots and Reparation Foundation, Wenatchee Valley TREAD and the Kilan Jornet Foundation.

Registration required.

 

Pay What You Can

Event Series Snowshoe Strolls

Snowshoe Strolls

Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery 12790 Fish Hatchery Road, Leavenworth, WA, United States

Begin the year with new discoveries! Starting from the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, join Wenatchee River Institute naturalist guides on a one-mile snowshoe trail along beautiful Icicle Creek. We will learn about native wildlife and ecology along the way. What signs do we see along the trail that tell us what animals were there? How do the plants and animals survive winter? Even if this is your first time on snowshoes, come along and enjoy this fun outdoor winter program! Bring your enthusiasm for the wonders of winter and nature, and make sure to dress in warm layers.

Meeting location – Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery visitor center.
Difficulty level – Beginner level, all skill levels are welcome. Not ADA accessible due to non-plowed trails.
Provided – Snowshoes, gaiters, and poles.
Limit of 12 participants per group – Registration required for everyone in the party.

Free for children 5 and under (only 2 spaces available per trail group): there are no snowshoes available at this size.

 

Día de los Reyes Celebration

Wenatchee River Institute 347 Division Street, WA, United States +2 more

The event is bilingual and free to everyone!

Event Schedule:

1:00pm-3:30pm – Snowshoe walks and Children’s activities @ Wenatchee River Insititute

3:30pm – Procession to the Leavenworth Festhalle

4:00pm-6:00pm – Food, dance performance, Three Kings presentation @ the Leavenworth Festhalle

6:30pm – Procession to Kiosco (Front Street Gazebo)

7-8pm – Performance by Kataleya with Mariachi performance @ Kiosco

Red Barn Event – Tales from the Saddle

Red Barn at Wenatchee River Institute 347 Division Street, Leavenworth, WA, United States

With over 45 years of bicycle touring experience, Bob and Carolyn have some biking stories to share! They have ridden through cyclones, snowstorms, and mud wallows; with a baby, three teenagers, and with many families; on single bikes, on a tandem and on mountain bikes; as newlyweds, parents, and retirees; in campgrounds, wilderness, youth hostels and guesthouses; with laughter and with tears.
Join us for an evening of storytelling through photos and reflective memories highlighting how their touring has changed over the past four decades. They’ll share a bit about gear, how to take a bike on planes, trains, boats, escalators, and elevators, and bike touring resources to know about. If the snow’s not too deep, they’ll bring their loaded tandem.

Event Series Snowshoe Strolls

Snowshoe Strolls

Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery 12790 Fish Hatchery Road, Leavenworth, WA, United States

Begin the year with new discoveries! Starting from the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, join Wenatchee River Institute naturalist guides on a one-mile snowshoe trail along beautiful Icicle Creek. We will learn about native wildlife and ecology along the way. What signs do we see along the trail that tell us what animals were there? How do the plants and animals survive winter? Even if this is your first time on snowshoes, come along and enjoy this fun outdoor winter program! Bring your enthusiasm for the wonders of winter and nature, and make sure to dress in warm layers.

Meeting location – Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery visitor center.
Difficulty level – Beginner level, all skill levels are welcome. Not ADA accessible due to non-plowed trails.
Provided – Snowshoes, gaiters, and poles.
Limit of 12 participants per group – Registration required for everyone in the party.

Free for children 5 and under (only 2 spaces available per trail group): there are no snowshoes available at this size.

We offer the Pay What You Can model in recognition that paying for education programs looks different for different people.

Event Series Snowshoe Strolls

Snowshoe Strolls

Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery 12790 Fish Hatchery Road, Leavenworth, WA, United States

Begin the year with new discoveries! Starting from the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, join Wenatchee River Institute naturalist guides on a one-mile snowshoe trail along beautiful Icicle Creek. We will learn about native wildlife and ecology along the way. What signs do we see along the trail that tell us what animals were there? How do the plants and animals survive winter? Even if this is your first time on snowshoes, come along and enjoy this fun outdoor winter program! Bring your enthusiasm for the wonders of winter and nature, and make sure to dress in warm layers.

Meeting location – Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery visitor center.
Difficulty level – Beginner level, all skill levels are welcome. Not ADA accessible due to non-plowed trails.
Provided – Snowshoes, gaiters, and poles.
Limit of 12 participants per group – Registration required for everyone in the party.

Free for children 5 and under (only 2 spaces available per trail group): there are no snowshoes available at this size.

We offer the Pay What You Can model in recognition that paying for education programs looks different for different people.

Event Series Snowshoe Strolls

Snowshoe Strolls

Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery 12790 Fish Hatchery Road, Leavenworth, WA, United States

Begin the year with new discoveries! Starting from the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, join Wenatchee River Institute naturalist guides on a one-mile snowshoe trail along beautiful Icicle Creek. We will learn about native wildlife and ecology along the way. What signs do we see along the trail that tell us what animals were there? How do the plants and animals survive winter? Even if this is your first time on snowshoes, come along and enjoy this fun outdoor winter program! Bring your enthusiasm for the wonders of winter and nature, and make sure to dress in warm layers.

Meeting location – Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery visitor center.
Difficulty level – Beginner level, all skill levels are welcome. Not ADA accessible due to non-plowed trails.
Provided – Snowshoes, gaiters, and poles.
Limit of 12 participants per group – Registration required for everyone in the party.

Free for children 5 and under (only 2 spaces available per trail group): there are no snowshoes available at this size.

 

Red Barn Event – Good Plants for Good Bugs

Red Barn at Wenatchee River Institute 347 Division Street, Leavenworth, WA, United States

Streaming link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-3U36Cs8XM
Doors open at 6:30pm for a community social with beer, wine, sparkling water, and tea available for purchase. The presentation will start at 7:00pm.
Native plants aren’t only beautiful, they’re also essential for pollinators! Species like bees, butterflies, and other helpful invertebrates rely on these plants for food, habitat, and more. Our presenter, Angie Orpet from the Xerces Society, will discuss collaborative efforts made by Washington growers to conserve these important species. She’ll discuss how planting native plants and creating pollinator habitat on working lands can assist with crop production.

Event Series Snowshoe Strolls

Snowshoe Strolls

Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery 12790 Fish Hatchery Road, Leavenworth, WA, United States

Begin the year with new discoveries! Starting from the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, join Wenatchee River Institute naturalist guides on a one-mile snowshoe trail along beautiful Icicle Creek. We will learn about native wildlife and ecology along the way. What signs do we see along the trail that tell us what animals were there? How do the plants and animals survive winter? Even if this is your first time on snowshoes, come along and enjoy this fun outdoor winter program! Bring your enthusiasm for the wonders of winter and nature, and make sure to dress in warm layers.

Meeting location – Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery visitor center.
Difficulty level – Beginner level, all skill levels are welcome. Not ADA accessible due to non-plowed trails.
Provided – Snowshoes, gaiters, and poles.
Limit of 12 participants per group – Registration required for everyone in the party.

Free for children 5 and under (only 2 spaces available per trail group): there are no snowshoes available at this size.

We offer the Pay What You Can model in recognition that paying for education programs looks different for different people.

Event Series Snowshoe Strolls

Snowshoe Strolls

Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery 12790 Fish Hatchery Road, Leavenworth, WA, United States

Begin the year with new discoveries! Starting from the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, join Wenatchee River Institute naturalist guides on a one-mile snowshoe trail along beautiful Icicle Creek. We will learn about native wildlife and ecology along the way. What signs do we see along the trail that tell us what animals were there? How do the plants and animals survive winter? Even if this is your first time on snowshoes, come along and enjoy this fun outdoor winter program! Bring your enthusiasm for the wonders of winter and nature, and make sure to dress in warm layers.

Meeting location – Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery visitor center.
Difficulty level – Beginner level, all skill levels are welcome. Not ADA accessible due to non-plowed trails.
Provided – Snowshoes, gaiters, and poles.
Limit of 12 participants per group – Registration required for everyone in the party.

Free for children 5 and under (only 2 spaces available per trail group): there are no snowshoes available at this size.

We offer the Pay What You Can model in recognition that paying for education programs looks different for different people.

Event Series Snowshoe Strolls

Snowshoe Strolls

Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery 12790 Fish Hatchery Road, Leavenworth, WA, United States

Begin the year with new discoveries! Starting from the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, join Wenatchee River Institute naturalist guides on a one-mile snowshoe trail along beautiful Icicle Creek. We will learn about native wildlife and ecology along the way. What signs do we see along the trail that tell us what animals were there? How do the plants and animals survive winter? Even if this is your first time on snowshoes, come along and enjoy this fun outdoor winter program! Bring your enthusiasm for the wonders of winter and nature, and make sure to dress in warm layers.

Meeting location – Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery visitor center.
Difficulty level – Beginner level, all skill levels are welcome. Not ADA accessible due to non-plowed trails.
Provided – Snowshoes, gaiters, and poles.
Limit of 12 participants per group – Registration required for everyone in the party.

Free for children 5 and under (only 2 spaces available per trail group): there are no snowshoes available at this size.

 

Event Series Snowshoe Strolls

Snowshoe Strolls

Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery 12790 Fish Hatchery Road, Leavenworth, WA, United States

Begin the year with new discoveries! Starting from the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, join Wenatchee River Institute naturalist guides on a one-mile snowshoe trail along beautiful Icicle Creek. We will learn about native wildlife and ecology along the way. What signs do we see along the trail that tell us what animals were there? How do the plants and animals survive winter? Even if this is your first time on snowshoes, come along and enjoy this fun outdoor winter program! Bring your enthusiasm for the wonders of winter and nature, and make sure to dress in warm layers.

Meeting location – Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery visitor center.
Difficulty level – Beginner level, all skill levels are welcome. Not ADA accessible due to non-plowed trails.
Provided – Snowshoes, gaiters, and poles.
Limit of 12 participants per group – Registration required for everyone in the party.

Free for children 5 and under (only 2 spaces available per trail group): there are no snowshoes available at this size.

We offer the Pay What You Can model in recognition that paying for education programs looks different for different people.

Event Series Snowshoe Strolls

Snowshoe Strolls

Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery 12790 Fish Hatchery Road, Leavenworth, WA, United States

Begin the year with new discoveries! Starting from the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, join Wenatchee River Institute naturalist guides on a one-mile snowshoe trail along beautiful Icicle Creek. We will learn about native wildlife and ecology along the way. What signs do we see along the trail that tell us what animals were there? How do the plants and animals survive winter? Even if this is your first time on snowshoes, come along and enjoy this fun outdoor winter program! Bring your enthusiasm for the wonders of winter and nature, and make sure to dress in warm layers.

Meeting location – Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery visitor center.
Difficulty level – Beginner level, all skill levels are welcome. Not ADA accessible due to non-plowed trails.
Provided – Snowshoes, gaiters, and poles.
Limit of 12 participants per group – Registration required for everyone in the party.

Free for children 5 and under (only 2 spaces available per trail group): there are no snowshoes available at this size.

We offer the Pay What You Can model in recognition that paying for education programs looks different for different people.

Add Event

STAY

BED & BREAKFAST

CABINS-VACATION HOMES

HOTELS & MOTELS

LODGES

RV PARKS & CAMPING

SUITES & CONDOS

VACATION RENTAL PROVIDERS

EAT & SHOP

SHOPPING

RESTAURANTS

MARKETPLACE

SWEET TREATS

TRIP IDEAS

VACATION GUIDE

PLAY & DO

LIVE WEBCAM

RECREATION

EVENTS

ACTIVITIES

WINTER SEASON

BLOG

ART & THEATER

LEAVENWORTH SKI HILL

TOURS

BUSINESS

SERVICE DIRECTORY

MOVE TO LEAVENWORTH

ADD YOUR EVENT

MEETING GROUPS

FAMILY REUNIONS

WEDDINGS

MEMBERSHIP

VISITOR CENTER

CONTACT US

Let’s Connect

Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce – PO Box 327, 940 Highway 2 Suite B, Leavenworth, WA 98826 Tel: 509-548-5807
@ 2025 Leavenworth. All rights reserved. Website by Icicle TV

Go to Top