Get Intimate with the Shrub-Steppe
Saturday May 9, 2020
9:00am-12:15pm - Field Trips @ Umtanum
9:00am-3:00pm Educational Booths @ Helen McCabe
Helen McCabe Memorial State Park & Umtanum Creek Recreation Area
Celebrate Mother's Day Weekend and Take Your Mother for a Walk!
This annual event is FREE and FAMILY friendly. We encourage you to take advantage of as many field trips as you can during the day - see the list of expert-led field trips below.
Be sure to thank your field trip leader - they are volunteering their time!
Educational booths with fun activities are located at Helen McCabe State Park. Expert-led Field Trips leave from the parking area at Umtanum Creek Recreation Area.
Please be sure to purchase a $5 day-pass to park at the Bureau of Land Management's Umtanum Recreation Area and a Discover Pass to park at Helen McCabe State Park. Passes are available onsite or for purchase ahead of time from the Chamber of Commerce in Ellensburg.
You do not need to register ahead of time, but please bring water to drink, snacks, wear layers of clothing, and sturdy shoes. The trails are easy, but can be rough in places.
Please bring your kids, but not your pets :-).
Download the printable schedule of field trips and activities here:
Directions to the field trips and booths/activities here:
Parking at Umtanum requires either a $5 day pass or a federal America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. The day pass is available on site at Umtanum. The annual pass is available online.
We also recommend a state Discover Pass - available online, at Fred Meyer, and at the Kittitas Chamber of Commerce.
River Bugs and Fish with Dr. Paul James and the Bridge Trolls
05/09/20
9:00am-10:30am
Find the trolls under the bridge at Umtanum - they'll be hanging out all day finding critters in the river!
Beaver Tales with Dr. Lixing Sun
05/09/20
9:00am-10:30am
Learn about beavers - their habits and habitats!
Cultural Landscapes with Dr. Steve Hackenberger
05/09/20
9:00am-10:30am
Who once lived in Umtanum Canyon?
Spring Wildflowers with Ian Seiler
05/09/20
10:45am-12:15pm
May is the perfect time to see all the bursting spring wildflowers!
Snake Sneaking Dr. Dan Beck and the CWU Snake Team
05/09/20
Snakes are our friends - so long as we understand and respect their habits and their habitats.
Caged snakes and reptiles all day at Helen McCabe Park - (pre-registration required) at Umtanum Creek Recreation Area.
Please pre-register here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeixJODowA8YqpctaUEYiA6Kx1LyCyOXxUUg1LsDTVJzv9yQw/viewform?usp=sf_link
Geology of the Yakima River Canyon with Nick Zentner
05/09/20
9:00am-10:30am
Fascinating geology of the Yakima River Canyon.
Umtanum Creek
Recreation Area
Helen McCabe
State Park
KEEN's Native Plant Sale - Pick Up
05/09/20
9:00 am - 3:00pm
For those who have pre-ordered plants, pick up is during GISS. Please feel free to take a look at all our educational booths as well!
Washington Outdoor School
05/09/20
9:00am-3:00pm
Add Event Details here
Skulls & Bones
05/09/20
9:00 am - 3:00pm
Members of CWU's Zooarchaeology program will be on hand with ancient and modern skulls and bones of critters that live in the shrub-steppe.
Washington Falconers Association
05/09/20
9:00 am - 3:00pm
Raptors and prey birds on display at the park!
Junior Ranger Program
05/09/20
9:00 am - 3:00pm
Join youth and families all over Washington in discovering how you can play, learn, and protect our state parks through fun and exciting activities! The opportunities are endless. Participate in fun interactive educational programs, design nature crafts, explore park trails, complete a Washington State Parks Junior Ranger booklet, and much more.
Conservation Northwest
05/09/20
9:00 am - 3:00pm
Learn about CN's shrub-steppe initiative
KEEN Stewardship Activity
05/11/19
9:00am-2:00pm
Help KEEN continue to improve the park with planting native species, maintaining them (watering), and pulling some weeds. It is a great feeling of accomplishment!
The Nature Conservancy Booth
05/09/20
9:00 am - 3:00pm
KEEN & YCIC Booth
05/09/20
9:00 am - 3:00pm
Learn about KEEN and our primary project, the Yakima Canyon Interpretive Center that is designed to be at Helen McCabe Park.
Wild Horse Wind Facility
05/09/20
9:00 am - 3:00pm
East Cascade Recreation Partnership/Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust Booth
05/09/20
9:00 am - 3:00pm
Snakes & Reptiles Booth
05/09/20
9:00 am - 3:00pm
CWU's herpetology students will have some friends to handle and check out at the park during the day. If you miss the field trip, you can still check out some fun reptiles at the park.