Wenatchee River Institute launches $100K campaign to save traveling naturalist program

LEAVENWORTH. — The Wenatchee River Institute has launched an urgent fundraising campaign to save its Traveling Naturalist in the Classroom program, which is in jeopardy after the loss of key grant funding.

The nonprofit is seeking to raise $100,000 by Sept. 30 to continue providing hands-on environmental education to students across North Central Washington during the 2025-2026 school year. A local family has pledged to match donations up to $30,000.

“Many of our students do not get any interaction with the outdoors apart from parks and playing fields,” said Orin Melvin, a local teacher and Wenatchee River Institute board president.

The program brings institute field educators into 34 classrooms across eight schools, reaching more than 750 fourth- and fifth-grade students. Monthly lessons and field days give students opportunities to explore outdoors, often for the first time.

“This program is more valuable than most people realize,” said a participating school teacher. “As a classroom teacher, I cannot duplicate what this program gives our students for outdoor education.”

The program serves six rural school districts where, on average, 82% of students are Black, Indigenous or people of color, nearly 90% are from low-income families, and half are multilingual learners.

Students take part in activities such as studying erosion, identifying birds and journaling their discoveries. The curriculum is designed to help them build a personal connection to nature.

“If kids don’t have a connection to nature, they’re disconnected from the importance of the natural world to life,” said Gro Buer, a longtime institute supporter and volunteer.

The program has been supported over the past five years by grants from the Williams International Fund and the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, among others. With those sources no longer available, school leaders warn that without financial support, the program could end.

“Given the positive impact on our school community, it is unfortunate that without the grant, we wouldn't be able to afford the program,” said one local principal.

So far, $30,000 has been secured through grants from the National Recreation Foundation and the Fordham Street Foundation. The institute continues to pursue other funding while calling on community support to close the gap.

Donations can be made online at https://bit.ly/WRIdonate or by mail to PO Box 2073, Leavenworth, WA 98826.