Chapter News & Announcements

From the Director: A Whirlwind Month!

Posted on Author Emma Vasicek
A green meadow with a stream running through it, a big pine tree on one side and a forested hillside behind. The meadow rows of wooden benches. There are families sitting on the benches facing an adult story teller.
Story Hour in the Meadow with Evergreen Audubon and Evergreen Public Library (c) Emma Vasicek

What a whirlwind of a month! June was incredibly busy, but was filled with so much joy and excitement. We ran three weeks of sold-out summer camps (see the images below), successfully hosted our 3rd annual Native Plant Sale, held twice-weekly Storytime programs in the meadow, studied macroinvertebrates in Bear Creek with students, and finally moved (see images below) into our new Nature Center! Even though we have only occupied the building for a month, we are already seeing the numerous benefits of this new space and it is really starting to feel like home.

As you can imagine, there is still a lot of work to be done before we can officially open the Nature Center to the public. We have moved everything in, but now comes the exciting task of designing and setting up our exhibits. We have a general outline of each room’s use/setup, but will likely make adjustments as we go. I created a visual breakdown for you to see what each room in the nature center will generally be. Some of the exciting new additions include a nocturnal room (focused on our nocturnal wildlife), a dedicated “investigation lab” with microscopes, the potential acquisition of new LIVE animal ambassadors, and a secluded bird viewing area with an outdoor feed station!

Schematic of a floor plan with labels showing how the rooms will be used.
Layout of the NEW Evergreen Nature Center

Our current hope is to be open to the public in August, but everything is still TBD. We will have volunteer workdays and projects, so keep checking our social media and reading our newsletter for updates throughout the summer. Stay tuned!

The Big Move

A woman, dressed in black shoes and slacks, a white Tshirt with a black overshirt, long brown hair held back with a blue hair band, is gesturing with her left hand towards something out of the photo frame. There are bins and boxes as well as miscellaneous pieces of furniture behind her. You can also see several other storage units in the background.
Emma, our Executive Director, Directing the Move (c Melissa Leasia)
A woman with curly hair, wearing a baseball cap, a pink Tshirt, white shorts and blue shoes, moving a wooden cabinet with hinged drawers, towards the back of an open truck. There are moving boxes and other items in the truck, and two men in the picture, one next to the woman and one in the truck. There is also a ramp leading up to the truck's floor from the ground.
Marcia B. Moves the “Feel-it” Cabinet (c Melissa Leasia)
Two white haired men, one in blue the other in khakis, carry a wooden and upholstery bench out of a storage until lined with metal shelves and other miscellaney.
Ed D. and Chuck A. Carry a Bench (c Melissa Leasia)
Six people, one on a ramp, moving a tall cabinet that barely fits, into the back of a truck. There are a few other pieces of furniture in the picture as well.
The Gift Cabinet Just Fits (c Melissa Leasia)
Open back of a truck showing bright blue panels, white and blue plastic bins, a bright orange container, green tables, a wood and upholstered bench and several other odd and ends. The truck is tightly packed.
Full Moving Truck (c Melissa Leasia)
A red pickup truck with a black truck bed. There are a few brown moving boxes and two taxidermy mountain lions in the bed of the truck.
Mountain Lions on the Move (c Melissa Leasia)

Summer Camp Fun!

Three children sitting on the ground and working on art projects. There is an adult watching and the setting is a grassy spot among several trees.
Campers Shadow Sketching (c) Emma Vasicek
A little boy in a yellow T shirt, black shorts, blue "Crocks" (shoes) holding a crane fly larva in his outstretched hand
Camper with a Crane Fly Larva (c) Emma Vasicek
A clear glass pan of water with little brown bits of this and that floating in it. It's set on a white piece of paper so that the little bits show up. The little bits include several species of macroinvertebrates and pieces of plants.
Macroinvertebrates! (c) Emma Vasicek
The backs of a group of children and an adult walking down a path through the forest, away from the camera.
Hiking in the Forest with Miss Maddy (c) Emma Vasicek
overhead photo of children (you can only see their hands and feet) painting nature scenes with watercolor. The watercolor paints are off to the side.
Campers painting watercolors (c) Emma Vasicek
Several colorful watercolor paintings are displayed on a string strung between two trees. There is a dam and waterfall in the background.
Nature Art by Campers (c) Emma Vasicek
Several girls and boys in a stick shelter that they built. They are all smiling. They are infront of a ponderosa pine tree.
Nature Center Campers Built a Shelter (c) Emma Vasicek
Several brightly dressed youngsters and a woman who is wearing dark glasses, pose on the porch steps of a old looking cabin. Everyone is either smiling or making funny faces. One girl is holding a fuzzy brown puppet, two of the boys are wearing brigth blue Chicago Cubs hats, one boy is standing and making a silly face while another boy is completely sideways in the photo.
Happy Camper Selfie (c) Emma Vasicek