More Upcoming Adventures

Here are some tentative dates for field trips this spring and summer. Details will be upcoming on this event page and our Facebook and Instagram pages. We look forward to seeing you at one or more of these informational and fun walks.

Sunday, May 12, 10am - 12pm: Explore the Art Trail and Cutthroat Climb

Friday, May 17 TBA OSU Chapple Big Shark Lab presentation

Saturday, May 18 TBA Welcome Spring Walk

Thursday, June 20, 6pm - 8pm: Porter Point

Saturday, July 27, 10am - 1pm: Parker Slough

Saturday, August 17, 10am - 1pm: Leadbetter beach loop

Sunday, September 8, 10am - 12pm: Tarlatt Overlook Hike

Sunday, October 6, 10am - 12pm: Porter Point

Fun at March Tracking Events!

The Friends sponsored two free educational and fun events celebrating nature on Friday, March 7, and Saturday, March 8. The first, at the Salt Hotel and Pub in Ilwaco, featured Kristi Freese, a Professional Level IV Tracker, who gave an engrossing presentation on the basics of the skill of tracking. Kristi has studied internationally with a variety of mentors, courses, and other resources. She shared the international standards for tracker skill evaluation and its history beginning in southern Africa. 

The next morning Kristi guided a group along the shoreline of Willapa Bay at Leadbetter Point to identify tracks of birds and mammals. She found some amazing tracks that included otters, birds, crabs, and even one of a coyote (below). She even pointed out the bear sign (below) where they had been chewing on our shorebird interpretative sign! We learned how to read tracks and even the best way to view them. Kristi demonstrated how to tell if animals are running or walking by the way their tracks are grouped. Kristi is an amazing naturalist and instructor, and we hope she will conduct another field trip during our Wings Over Willapa Festival on September 22 - 24, 2024.