Community Calendar

Resilience: From Old Growth Trees to the Life of the Salish Sea is the theme of this multi-day event. February 4 is a "One-Day University for All" when the live virtual Sound Waters University presents two keynote speakers (Joe Gaydos, SeaDoc Society and Mindy Roberts, Washington Environmental Council) plus nine classes with speakers on topics ranging from marine mammals to Pacific Madrone trees to nudibranchs to micro-plastics to Marbled Murrelets to sea cucumbers. SWU is 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Registrants may add on a 90-minute field trip. Field Trips in the Camano-Stanwood area augment knowledge gained through the Feb 4 online classes. Field Trips are offered Feb 3, 5, 11, 12. Sound Waters University is sponsored by Sound Water Stewards, a nonprofit environmental education organization.

Join the Wenatchee River Institute for a two-hour snowshoe stroll with our knowledgeable naturalists. Walk with us through Waterfront Park as the land turns white and the temperatures drop. You will learn about the natural and cultural history of Leavenworth with many scenic views 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?

Snowshoes provided! Trekking poles not provided.
Difficulty level: a ‘walk in the park’ (beginner level)
Not ADA accessible due to non-plowed trails

Limit of 13 participants - Registration required
Meet at 347 Division Street in Leavenworth

General Admission --- $10
Free for children 5 and under

Join the Wenatchee River Institute for a two-hour snowshoe stroll with our knowledgeable naturalists. Walk with us through Waterfront Park as the land turns white and the temperatures drop. You will learn about the natural and cultural history of Leavenworth with many scenic views 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?

Snowshoes provided! Trekking poles not provided.
Difficulty level: a ‘walk in the park’ (beginner level)
Not ADA accessible due to non-plowed trails

Limit of 13 participants - Registration required
Meet at 347 Division Street in Leavenworth

General Admission --- $10
Free for children 5 and under

Well-known swan biologist, Martha Jordan will present a program on the native swans, Trumpeter and Tundra, in the Pacific Northwest with a focus on Tundra Swans. You will learn about their life history, biology, and some swan identification tips. Updates on eastern Washington swans and how Washington’s west and east sides are connected for swans not only in WA but along the entire flyway. Learn about the connection between swans and snow geese and their management connections, on both sides of the Cascade Mountains.

She will shed some light on the problems and controversies these birds face on their wintering grounds and what is needed to insure their future. Get updated on the swan lead poisoning problem, winter habitat issues, avian influenza, and more. You will leave with resources to help you identify swans in the field. Learn how to help Get the Lead Out of both shooting and fishing sporting activities. This is vital to the welfare of swans and all waterbirds.

Martha Jordan has a B.S. degree in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University. Professionally she has worked both in marine and terrestrial environments throughout Washington and parts of Alaska. In the late 1970s while volunteering to observe snow geese and reading their collars in the Skagit Valley, she began to look at the small group of Trumpeter Swans in the same area. By 1984 she had expanded her survey efforts to all of Western Washington and had contributed much information to both state and federal agencies on the status of Trumpeter Swans in Washington State. She wrote the state’s first Trumpeter Swan management plan in 1985. She is still active in both field work and education related to both Trumpeter and Tundra Swans throughout the region. She is currently the Executive Director of Northwest Swan Conservation Association, a regional non-profit. The focus is on native swans and their habitats throughout the northwest region.

https://soundwaterstewards.org/event/sws-monthly-members-mtg-feb13/

Attendees can expect a full-on beach party with beach games, raffles, a soup station, hot chocolate, costume contests, and great prizes along the way! Individual and team registrants are encouraged to raise donations in support of Special Olympics Washington athletes. As they raise funds, they can also earn prizes including airline vouchers and Papa John’s gift cards for the top individual and team fundraisers.

The Polar Plunge campaign kicks off the year strong by raising funds that directly go to providing athletes with year-round opportunities to train and compete, as well as receive free health screenings and leadership training. Proceeds from the event ensure that over 7,500 Washington children and adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities have the opportunity to participate at no cost to them.

Come discover the mysterious creatures that live below the pier! Puget Sound Estuarium's trained biologists will provide underwater lights that attract spectacular estuary creatures for you to safely scoop up and observe, while volunteer will help you identify and learn more about what you’ve found. From octopus to anemones, from sea stars to sea slugs, you never know what you’ll encounter!

Pier Peer is one of our most popular events, so register early to ensure your spot.

Program Cost:
Adults - $15.00
Kids 12 and Under - $3.00

To register - https://pierpeer.eventbrite.com/

To learn more about Pier Peer - https://pugetsoundestuarium.org/pier-peer/

Join the Wenatchee River Institute for a two-hour snowshoe stroll with our knowledgeable naturalists. Walk with us through Waterfront Park as the land turns white and the temperatures drop. You will learn about the natural and cultural history of Leavenworth with many scenic views 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?

Snowshoes provided! Trekking poles not provided.
Difficulty level: a ‘walk in the park’ (beginner level)
Not ADA accessible due to non-plowed trails

Limit of 13 participants - Registration required
Meet at 347 Division Street in Leavenworth

General Admission --- $10
Free for children 5 and under

Join adventure artist Claire Giordano for a joy-filled online workshop exploring watercolor, ink, and pencil techniques to create beautiful pages of visual notes. Claire is a watercolorist par excellence, educator, community scientist, and adventurer. Her work captures the drama, serenity, and chromatic wonder of the natural world. This class is for all levels of painters or sketchers. By painting along with Claire during this participatory workshop, you’ll learn the techniques to create a simple yet captivating visual record of your outdoor adventures, dripping with color.

She first started making her distinctive “memory pages”–a combination of nature journaling, mini paintings, color swatches, and candid notes–over five years ago. They quickly became her favorite painting practice and now she wants to share it with you! Whether you are on the trail or at home enjoying photos of a recent adventure, Claire will share her approach to creating quick sketches, page layout, and experimenting with color to quickly record what we experience, see, and feel while exploring nature.

Join us for a Red Barn Event offered jointly by the Wenatchee Valley Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society and the Wenatchee River Institute.

This presentation by Dr. David G. James will provide the results of recent research on the migration biology of Monarchs in the Pacific Northwest, as well as insights into the ability of Monarchs to adapt to a warming climate. Despite reports to the contrary, the Monarch does not face irretrievable doom and gloom. Instead, it is a shining example of how an insect can alter its biology to better suit a changing environment. Threats do exist to Monarch survival (pesticides, host plant loss, parasites) however, none are overwhelming. A holistic view of Monarch biology and ecology better describes the ability of this species to persist and show resilience.

DAVID G JAMES, PhD became a lepidopterist at 8 years old by rearing caterpillars in his English bedroom. A science degree in the UK was followed by a PhD on Monarch winter biology in Sydney, Australia and a lifetime of applied entomological research (biological control, chemical ecology, pest management) punctuated with biological studies on butterflies. In 2011, he co-authored an acclaimed book on the Life Histories of Cascadia Butterflies, that David Attenborough called magisterial. Since 1999, he has researched the breeding ecology and migration of monarchs in the western US.

This is a FREE event with a donation basket at the door.
Doors open at 6:30pm for a community social with beer and wine available for purchase. The presentation will start at 7:00pm.
All Red Barn Events are now hybrid, you may join us in person in the Red Barn or livestream virtually via Zoom.

Address: 347 Division Street, Leavenworth, WA 98826

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82964285840

Join the Wenatchee River Institute for a two-hour snowshoe stroll with our knowledgeable naturalists. Walk with us through Waterfront Park as the land turns white and the temperatures drop. You will learn about the natural and cultural history of Leavenworth with many scenic views 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?

Snowshoes provided! Trekking poles not provided.
Difficulty level: a ‘walk in the park’ (beginner level)
Not ADA accessible due to non-plowed trails

Limit of 13 participants - Registration required
Meet at 347 Division Street in Leavenworth

General Admission --- $10
Free for children 5 and under