Barn Beach Reserve - Bridging Environment, Arts, & Cultural History

http://www.barnbeachreserve.org/









The Reserve: Bridging Environment, Arts, & Cultural History


Celebrating a Special Place




Barn Beach Reserve, just downstream from the confluence of the Wenatchee River and Icicle Creek and only two blocks from the Bavarian Village of Leavenworth, Washington, is an extraordinary site that borders the Wenatchee River and features a panoramic view of the Stuart Range, the largest granite batholith in North America.


The Reserve consists of 5.5 acres with a 108-year-old, 9,500-square-foot historic home (the River Haus) and a new, "green-built" learning center (the Barn). The building is a model of energy efficiency that provides space for everything from science labs and art classes to lectures, films, and acoustic music performances. Most programs are held in the Barn. Please click the "Events" tab for a current list, and come visit. Tours are given by appointment.


An adjacent 2.5-acre parcel has become an Audubon learning center under terms of a bequest from an adjoining property owner, and currently houses administrative offices of Barn Beach Reserve. The combination of these parcels with the adjacent city park creates a protected greenbelt of diverse habitats from upland ponderosa pine forest, to riverine and riparian habitats that include Blackbird Island, a popular stop on Audubon's Great Washington Birding Trail. The width of the river along this reach varies from 15 to 60 yards. The river spills out of the narrow, high-gradient Tumwater Canyon immediately west of Leavenworth. Upstream from this point, the watershed is relatively underdeveloped, so the water quality and aquatic habitat are superb. On most days, the river bottom can be seen through the clear water. Wildlife commonly viewed at the site include mule deer, black bear, neo-tropical migratory birds, bald eagles, woodpeckers, bats, salmon, steelhead, and trout.



















As I drove up I was amazed at the beauty of this place. The structures are great but the native landscape is absolutely beautiful! It is perched above the Wenatchee River and surrounded by large Ponderosa Pines, Birch, Maple, and many other types of mature trees. Fall color was really starting to emerge and it was spectacular! Seeing wildlife here is a common occurrence. I did not, however, run into any of the bears that I was told had been traipsing around only a few days prior.













I was first greeted by Ann, assistant to the Education Coordinator. She showed me over to the 'Barn' where I met Jody, the Education Coordinator. Both of these ladies are dynamic women with a passion for education. As far as my role for the day went - I knew going into this experience that I was going to be working with a 4th grade class but beyond that I didn't know much.



Jody was working away at a list of vocabulary words on the white board and I was put to work helping Ann set up the name tag area.











The 'Barn's ' sustainable construction principles are outlined in signs that are posted throughout the space (see below). Education is the name of the game at the Barn Beach Reserve!














The 'Barn' has aquariums and cages housing animals that the children get to learn about and the walls are covered with posters about regional plant and animal life.






Jody and Ann had set up stations for the students. Each class was divided up into groups of six and each group was rotated through the stations. The first of the classes arrived around 9 a.m. They went right to the the far wall, made their own name tags, and found their group (designated by the color of marker they used). Everything was remarkably organized and I was impressed by how well the students listened to and followed directions.





The stations involved the following: environmental interpretation through art, Bull Trout tracking in the Wenatchee River using the science of telemetry, native plant identification, and verbalizing natural systems and animals using haiku. It was like cross-training for the brain - awesome! Remember...these kids are only 9 years old - I'm impressed!

I worked with Jody on the environmental interpretation through art station.





First Jody and I had each group create a 'thumbnail' sketch using a pencil and paper. The environment around them was their muse.





Next, using sidewalk chalk, we had them translate these sketches onto their concrete canvases. It was fascinating to see how these children interpreted their surroundings. As each group passed through our station, Jody and I talked about how we could continue to push these kids to really connect with everything around them and deepen their creative expression of what they saw. Their art pieces were beautiful!

Oscar and I were really making headway with that sun - we had ALL sorts of shading and color mixing going on. We made a good team! Although...I'm not sure what that is in the lower left of their "canvas". He said it was a light (how that's part of their natural surroundings - I'm not sure) but I was pretty sure it was a camouflaged baseball sitting on top of a bat. That Oscar was a sneaky little bugger, but I liked him. :)

Barb, with the Deparment of Fish and Wildlife used a stuffed trout to show the children how the fish were fitted with transponders. She also described the other electronic equipment that was used to track the fish.

Ann headed up the plant identification group. These kids were learning about parts of the plants, simple vs. compound leaf structures, and all sorts of other identification techniques! Once they had the knowledge, they got to scout around the grounds, search for, and identify existing plants.

Jody's mother and another woman headed up the haiku station. They did a great job getting the kids to work with words and verbal description.

There were five volunteers including myself. This was a group of fascinating and kind people eager to serve their community by educating its children. Once again my faith in our Country's youth and the people who mold their educational experiences has strengthened. It was amazing to watch these kids collaborate and eagerly embrace the creative challenges we put forth to them. These little people were bright, respectful, and funny - and in each of them I saw the potential of a bright future.

The foresight of this community and the people who made this facility happen financially is astounding. Along my journey my belief that everywhere there are good people doing good things continues to be reaffirmed. Thank you Ann and Jody, it was wonderful working along side you!

If you have a couple minutes, please check out this video about educational programming for school children at Barn Beach Reserve. It will help you understand why I feel so very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with these people and this organization.