Wallowa Resources | Exploration of Nature
THE WREN PROGRAM
Learning Opportunities Outdoors
Our WREN programs provide expanded learning opportunities for our K-12 youth. We connect kids of all ages to the unique and beautiful natural spaces that Wallowa County has to offer. Parents appreciate our programs, because their kids are learning, exploring the outdoors and feel a genuine sense of belonging within their community. Kids love our programs because they feel safe, make new friends and, most importantly, have fun! Join us as we work to get every kid exploring and trying new things with the outdoors as our classroom!
OUR PROGRAMS
It's important to WMI's mission of equity and accessibility to make all of our youth programs completely free of charge
EXPLORERS - 2nd to 4th Graders
WREN Explorers is a week-long summer day camp for kids entering 2nd to 4th grade in the fall that gets kids outside and learning about Wallowa County. Every year, we’ll pick a theme and spend each day exploring unique locations in the area, to discover all that this beautiful landscape has to offer. Our explorers will connect to the Wallowas through guided place-based lessons, hikes, games, art, and play. Come discover the outdoors in new and exciting ways with us!
Registration opens March 4th. With limited capacity, registration is on a lottery-based system.
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WREN Explorers teaches skills that build confidence and creates new friendships through teamwork and outdoor exploration. The day camp community promotes an environment of natural curiosity, dreaming big, and daring to be all you can be. Summer day camp provides kids with a safe environment and promotes a strong sense of belonging. Our explorers will go for hikes, splash in the water, and get their hands dirty, all while learning about the natural world!
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Fee: Free! But donations are always appreciated.
Capacity: 14 students per week
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM
What Will You Do?
Our WREN Explorers learn about the local ecology of Wallowa County through age-appropriate, hands-on activities. We teach our campers about animals, plants, geology, habitats, watersheds, and more. We encourage kids to learn through personal experiences and to build a positive connection to the outdoors through exploration! We start each day inside with some games and warm up activities, then we’ll head out in the field! We might go for a hike, catch frogs and insects at a pond, or explore a forest and identify trees. Then, we usually end our day back indoors with some themed crafts or art projects. WREN Explorers is a great way to connect to the natural world in different ways for different learning styles!
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Week 1: August 5th - 9th, 2024
Week 2: August 12th - 16th, 2024
Students will attend one week or the other, the camp is replicated in week 2 to include more kids.
Intro to WREN - 5th Graders
This is a transition program for kids entering 5th grade in the fall, to bridge the gap between our early elementary and middle school offerings. This summer, hike with us throughout beautiful Wallowa County. We’ll get to know each other with some team building games and prep you to join Friday WREN in the fall!
Intro to WREN registration opens March 4th at 8:00 AM. With limited capacity, spots are on a first-come, first-served basis.
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WREN promotes an environment of belonging while letting kids learn and play outdoors! Our dedicated leaders guide students to have fun and step outside their comfort zones by nurturing the emotional, physical, and intellectual development of youth while at WREN. By joining us on these summer hikes, we hope to introduce kids to the fun and community of our WREN middle school programs!
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Fee: Free! But donations are always appreciated.
Capacity: 15 students per hike
What Will You Do?
We’ll meet in the classroom, play a name game or two, then hit the road for our trailhead. We’ll spend the day hiking with stops along the way for lunch and fun team building games. Then it’s back to town for pick up!
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July 19th, 2024 - Hurricane Creek Trail
July 26th, 2024 - Bear Creek Trail
FRIDAY WREN - 5th to 8th Graders
This is WREN’s Friday science adventure program for 5th to 8th graders! Every spring and fall, we run a season of Friday WREN, with a series of themed lessons built around outdoor exploration and natural sciences. Each class is free and explores Wallowa County’s natural and cultural history. Students investigate this place through hands-on activities grounded in self-discovery of the natural world. Come uncover this amazing place in new and exciting ways with us!
Friday WREN registration opens March 4th at 8:00 AM. With limited capacity, spots are on a first-come, first-served basis.
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At Friday WREN, confidence is created through knowledge and skill development, and new friendships result from shared experience and teamwork. WREN promotes an environment of belonging, while letting kids learn and play outdoors. Our dedicated leaders guide students to have fun and step outside their comfort zones by nurturing the emotional, physical, and intellectual development of youth while at WREN.
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Fee: Free! But donations are always appreciated.
Capacity: 15 students per class
What Will You Do?
We teach a variety of topics and activities at Friday WREN. Each season will showcase different elements of the outdoor experience. We cover things such as:
Natural Science
Plant ID & Ethnobotany
Wildlife Biology
Geology
Ecology
Outdoor Recreation
Hiking
Rock climbing
Fishing
Shelter Building & Survival
Creativity & Connection to Place
Nature Journaling
Nature Art & Watercolor
Writing in the Outdoors
A typical day of WREN begins indoors with some get-to-know-you and warm up activities. Then we’ll head out into the field to a unique location (depending on the day’s theme). As long as weather allows, we’ll spend as much time as we can outside doing themed lessons and activities, playing games, and exploring! Finally, we’ll end our day with some reflection activities back inside. Kids will have fun learning in interactive ways and getting to know their peers in a unique outdoor program!
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Spring 2024 Schedule
April 5th - Snow Survival - Surviving in the wilderness is tough enough, but doing so in wintry weather is a whole other beast. Come brave the cold and learn tips and tricks for snow survival mastery in the Wallowas.
April 12th - Rock Climbing - Come visit the EOU Rock gym, push the limits of gravity, explore outdoor leadership and make new friends. No experience necessary.
April 19th - Mammal Mania! - Are you fond of our furry, 4-legged neighbors in the county or perhaps wish you knew more about them? Join us for a day dedicated to all manner of large mammals found right here at home. We will track them, find prints and learn what makes them special as a group. . . after all we’re mammals too!
April 26th - Natural Disasters - Earthquakes, avalanches, wildfires and more...oh my! Nature is very good at creating change, often in very disrupting ways. Big change can bring both good and bad things to the landscapes where it happens. Come learn about natural disasters and disruptors, why they happen and how we adapt.
May 3rd - Painting the Landscape - Landscape art has the power to transport us to another place, stirring deep feelings and emotions in us. Join us as we view the world through the lens of an artist, hike to a beloved viewpoint and try our hand at capturing the awe that wild landscapes can inspire. Novice and art-lover alike are welcome!
May 10th - Wonderful Wildflowers - Spring is alive with wildflowers and were going in search of inspiration. Hike and hunt for spring wildflowers with us, learning skills for identification, traditional uses and nature sketching together.
May 24th-25th - WREN Overnighter - End the season with an overnight campout! Test the skills you learned this spring season with challenges, games, and a campfire. Bond with old friends and leave with new ones. This trip starts Friday at 8:30 am and ends Saturday at 2:00 pm. All group gear provided and lots of personal gear to loan out.
CAMPING - 6th and 7th Graders
Join us this summer and have an experience of a lifetime! Building off our popular Friday WREN program, we have created a 4-day camping trip, WREN Camping, for kids entering 6th and 7th grader in the fall that gets them outside, camping, and learning field ecology. Our camping trip occurs at Indian Crossing Campground, in the Hells Canyon Recreation Area. We’ll go for some hikes, practice outdoor skills and build community in a beautiful natural setting. Come discover the outdoors in new and exciting ways with us!
Registration opens March 4th at 8:00 am. With limited capacity, spots are on a first-come, first-served basis
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Majestic ponderosa forests, braided rivers, high mountain lakes and rugged canyon country, provides the perfect landscape for adventure and outdoor learning. This is your classroom and home for four days. You will sleep under the stars, wade in cold waters, explore the surrounding landscape, and come to love its unending beauty. WREN Camping teaches skills that build confidence and creates new friendships through teamwork and collaborative problem solving. The inclusive camp community promotes an environment of nature exploration, dreaming big and daring to be all you can be.
“I liked the WREN Camping trip because every time I have come, we all have so much fun in nature and we all become a family.”
- WREN Camper, 2023
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Fee: Free! But donations are always appreciated.
Capacity: 9 students
What Will You Do?
Over the course of 4 days, our campers practice teambuilding skills and learn about field ecology, minimum impact camping and hiking, and camping skills such as:
Setting up a tent
Packing a day pack
Staying safe in remote places
Cooking over a fire
Navigation and using a compass
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June 24th - June 27th, 2024
BACKPACKING - Ages 13-15
Every summer we offer two different backpacking trips for 13 to 15-years-old into either the Eagle Cap or Hells Canyon Wilderness - a 6-Day Expedition, and an all-female, 3-day trip called GALs Outside. These trips are a fully immersive experience in the backcountry that can be transformative. We guide you the whole way and tailor the experience whether you are brand new to the sport or an experienced backpacker.
Our summer backpacking trips guide teens in discovering their place in the wilderness between humans and natural ecosystems. Teens work together, whether it's cooking for the group or helping a friend get up a steep climb. Participants reflect each day through journaling and shared discussion. We discuss leadership, their role in a wild setting, and analyze wilderness ethics and thought. Our summer backpacking trips will develop leadership and teamwork skills, like communication, trust, and respect.
Registration opens March 4th at 8 am. With limited capacity, spots are on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to limited capacity, students may not be able to attend both trips.
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Backpacking is truly a unique and transformative experience. The sense of pride one feels after doing something both mentally and physically challenging is indescribable. Getting to the top of a mountain, with weight on your back, seeing the breathtaking view, and realizing that you just accomplished something incredible - it’s the best feeling in the world. Our trips teach wilderness and backpacking skills, to empower teens to feel comfortable pursuing this sport throughout their lives. Parents confirm that their teens return from our trips more confident in themselves.
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GALs stands for Girls ARE Leaders! And that’s exactly what we hope to instill in this outdoor leadership program for all female identifying youth ages 13-15! The GALs Outside program aims to empower girls through outdoor adventure, wilderness skills, decision making, and teambuilding on an epic, all-female backpacking trip.
What Will You Do?
The GALs Outside program is split into two-parts. In June, you and 8 other girls will join your female instructors for 3 hike days. On the trail, we’ll get to know each other, bond as a group, and learn important outdoor skills and lessons in leadership. Then in July, after a prep day in town, you and this same all female crew will embark on a 3-day backpacking trip though the Eagle Cap Wilderness. This trip is designed to give you and your teammates leadership opportunities and chances to come together to make decisions. This is your trip! We’re just here to guide and support you along the way. On this trip you’ll summit peaks, sleep under the stars, and take in breathtaking views with a supportive group of girls and female leaders.
Fee: Free! But donations are always appreciated.
Capacity: 9 students
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What Will You Do?
This trip is for everyone! You will hike and camp for 6 days in the wilderness. Never been backpacking before? No problem! The day before the trip, we make sure everyone is ready to go with a mandatory prep day. We’ll outfit you with gear, teach you to pack your backpack and make sure you have everything you need to feel comfortable in the wilderness. The trip itself will consist of hiking each day, summiting peaks, wading into cold alpine lakes, enjoying meals together, and gazing at the incredible stars each night. You will also learn about:
Leadership & teamwork
Wallowa County natural & cultural history
Wilderness travel & survival skills
Leave No Trace Principles
Wilderness values and its history
Backpacking skills, including: backcountry cooking, setting up a tent, navigating with a map and compass, and staying safe outdoors
Fee: Free! But donations are always appreciated.
Capacity: 9 students
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GALs Outside:
Hike Days: June 7th, 14th, & 21st, 2024
Prep Day in Enterprise: July 7th, 2024
Backpacking Trip: July 8th - 10th, 2024
6-Day Expedition:
Prep day in Enterprise: July 28th, 2024
Backpacking Trip: July 29th to August 3rd, 2024
