Blog

Lovely Lichens

By: Kailey Kreienbrink The first time I ever went for a hike in Oregon I was amazed by how green the trees were. I was hiking with my family, and my mom kept commenting on how the trees looked like something out of a Dr.Suess book. Being Minnesotans we had never seen the green plants growing on the trees quite the way they were in Oregon. I never really knew what it was that was growing on these...

Mushroom Madness

12/01/2022 By: Kailey Kreienbrink The month of November had a large emphasis on mushrooms for WREN. We started the month off with Eugene’s famous Mt.Pisgah Mushroom Festival. WREN tabled at the mushroom festival, and got to interact with Oregonians from all across the state. WREN at the Mushroom Festival Our table was set up very similar to our Family Exploration Days, we had pelts, bones, and...

What is a Wetland?

By:Kailey Kreienbrink 11/01/2022 I am guessing you have probably heard the term “wetland”, but do you actually know what a wetland is? As part of our environmental education WREN goes into classrooms in the Eugene Springfield area and teaches students exactly that. We start the programs by asking kids what they think of when they hear the term wetland. A lot of the answers include land with...

Meet Your Local Environmental Professionals

10/01/22  By: Kailey Kreienbrink When people hear that I am a college student, the first question they ask is, “What are you studying?”. Sharing that I am studying Environmental Studies gets me lots of love. The most common response is that it is so important what I am studying and how there are going to be so many job openings for me in the future. As the climate is changing we are...

WREN Program Coordinator Position Announcement

WREN's Program Coordinator, Ellen Thompson is leaving WREN to pursue exciting new opportunities! While we are sad to see her leave WREN, we are excited to welcome a new member to the WREN team. This Part-time position is an exciting opportunity for someone looking to get their start in environmental education and help build WREN's future. Click the link below for the full position description...
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Planting for the Future

By: Kailey Kreienbrink A really common question when learning about Endangered and Threatened species is “What can I do to help them?”. For instance, a lot of people have asked me where they can find seeds for Kincaid’s Lupine and Willamette Daisies so they can plant them in their gardens. Unfortunately these seeds are hard to come across because these plants are threatened and endangered....

Endangered Species in the West Eugene Wetlands

By: Kailey Kreienbrink July 1, 2022 Hi, my name is Kailey Kreienbrink and I am an AmeriCorp intern working with WREN this summer! I moved to Oregon as a student 3 years ago, from Hopkins, Minnesota. When I came to Oregon I had never heard of a Nutria or a Rhododendron but they are both now common in my everyday vocabulary. I thought I had become an Oregonian expert, so I was very surprised when...

Art, Tours and Tales of the Willamette River

In celebration of the 5th Annual Willamette River Festival (August 21-28th), WREN is  coordinating efforts with eight community partners and watershed leaders to tell the stories of the Willamette River through the lens of self-guided tours of watershed systems (both natural and human-engineered) and natural art installations. Tour routes will take place in Springfield and Eugene. The...

Adapt, Survive, Thrive

Living organisms must have the genetic diversity to adapt to changing conditions or they don't survive. For WREN the relevance of this lesson could not be clearer. We are nimble, flexible: it's built into our "DNA!"  The education environment changed dramatically for WREN and our school and community partners over the past year. As we were gearing up for our Spring Field trips,...

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE

WREN is carefully tracking public health and safety recommendations and requirements issued by local, state, and Federal agencies regarding coronavirus (COVID-19). The health and safety our program participants, volunteers, and staff is our top priority during this challenging time.We will continue to follow guidance from public health authorities as the situation evolves, and keep you informed...