Calendar
Meetings
10:00am - 12:00pm
Burnt Bridge Creek Winter Plant Walk
NW Lakeshore Avenue
Saturday, January 24, 2026
10:00am
- 12:00pm
NW Lakeshore Ave, Vancouver, WA 98663
Join Water Center educators at Burnt Bridge Creek’s Stewart Glen Trailhead for a winter nature walk focused on identifying native plants without their leaves. We’ll learn how to recognize plants by observing bark, buds, stems, and other key features, and discover why native plants are essential to a healthy ecosystem. Along the way, we’ll explore how native plants support local wildlife, protect waterways, and require less water than non-native species.
Registration is required. Sign up today! Suitable for adults and youth ages 8 and older.
Expect to walk 2.5 miles on paved pathways. On street parking is available.
If the event becomes full, please contact the Water Center at vanwrec@cityofvancouver.us or 360-487-7111 to add your name to the waitlist.
10:00am - 12:00pm
World Wetlands Day Nature Walk
Water Resources Education Center
Saturday, January 31, 2026
10:00am
- 12:00pm
4600 SE Columbia Way, Vancouver, WA 98661
This nature walk has met its participant maximum. To add your name to the waitlist, email vanwrec@cityofvancouver.us.
World Wetlands Day is a celebration of the vital role wetlands play in supporting life, protecting water quality, and sustaining healthy ecosystems. Join us for a guided nature walk along the riparian corridors of the Water Center, where birds, fish, mammals, and plants thrive in our seasonal wetland habitat. Discover why wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, and take time to slow down, observe, and connect with the vibrant life found at the water’s edge.
Registration is required. Sign up today! Suitable for adults and youth ages 6 and older.
Walk will happen rain or shine. Expect to walk 2 miles on uneven terrain, paved surfaces, sandy beaches, and muddy trails. Binoculars will be available to borrow.
If the event becomes full, please contact the Water Center at vanwrec@cityofvancouver.us or 360-487-7111 to add your name to the waitlist.
9:30am - 12:30pm
Animal Tracking 101
Water Resources Education Center
Saturday, February 7, 2026
9:30am
- 12:30pm
4600 SE Columbia Way, Vancouver, WA 98661
Wild animals are secretive and often go unseen to humans. Animal tracking offers a way for us to glimpse into their hidden lives, by knowing how to interpret the clues they leave behind on the landscape. This class is suitable for beginners who want to learn how to track animals by their footprints, scat, feeding sign and more!
Advanced registration required. Sign up today! This class is suitable for adults and youth ages 10 and older.
This program will happen rain or shine. Expect to walk 2.5 miles, often standing in one place, to decipher the tracks we find. We will be mostly off trail, in sandy areas, with uneven terrain and mud. All youth need to be accompanied by an adult.
If the event becomes full, please contact the Water Center at vanwrec@cityofvancouver.us or 360-487-7111 to add your name to the waitlist.
10:00am - 12:00pm
Love Your Mason Bees Volunteer Workshop
Water Resources Education Center
Saturday, February 14, 2026
10:00am
- 12:00pm
4600 SE Columbia Way, Vancouver, WA 98661
This program has met its registration maximum. To add your name to the waitlist, email vanwrec@cityofvancouver.us.
This Valentine’s Day, show your appreciation for the tiny pollinators that do so much for our ecosystems. Join the Vancouver Bee Project for a hands-on volunteer workshop focused on supporting mason bees—some of our earliest and most important spring pollinators.
You’ll learn about the native plants that early-emerging bees depend on and help plant a diverse selection of species in our garden areas where mason bees nest. Come learn, get your hands dirty, and help create healthy habitat for these essential pollinators.
Registration is required. Sign up today!
This is an all ages volunteer workshop. Workshop will happen rain or shine and will be 100% outdoors. Volunteers will learn about creating pollinator habitat by working in our Backyard Habitat Certified Garden. We will plant, prune, hang mason bee houses, and do a native plant walk during our time together. If you have your own garden gloves, please bring them. We will also have plenty for volunteers to borrow during the workshop.
10:00am - 12:00pm
Lichen the Little Things
Water Resources Education Center
Saturday, February 21, 2026
10:00am
- 12:00pm
4600 SE Columbia Way, Vancouver, WA 98661
Barren winter landscapes provide a chance to look closer at the often-overlooked little things in nature. In the temperate Pacific Northwest, lichens provide bursts of color and texture to the gray winter landscape. Join us on a slow exploration in search of lichen, moss, and all the tiny things that go unseen.
Registration required. Sign up today!
Nature program is suitable for adults and youth ages 10 and older. Walk will happen rain or shine. Be prepared to walk 2 miles on a variety of trail surfaces, including paved pathways, uneven and muddy wetland trails, and sandy beaches.
If the event becomes full, please contact the Water Center at vanwrec@cityofvancouver.us or 360-487-7111 to add your name to the waitlist.
10:00am - 12:00pm
Wednesday Wanders
Water Resources Education Center
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
10:00am
- 12:00pm
4500 SE Columbia Way, Vancouver, WA 98660
Join us on a Wednesday morning guided nature walk where we will explore the rich ecosystems along the Columbia River and adjacent wetland. As we wander, we’ll discover native plants, search for wildlife, and learn how these vibrant waterways support life all around us. Whether you’re a curious beginner or a seasoned nature lover, there’s always something new to see and learn on the trail.
This program is great for families with youth ages 6 and older as well as adults who want to get out and wander! Be prepared to walk 2 miles on paved pathways, unpaved wetland trails, and along sandy beaches. Walk will happen rain or shine.
Registration is required. Sign up today!
If the event becomes full, please contact the Water Center at vanwrec@cityofvancouver.us or 360-487-7111 to add your name to the waitlist.
10:00am - 11:30am
Go with the Flow: First Thursday Wastewater Treatment Plant Tour
Water Resources Education Center
Thursday, March 5, 2026
10:00am
- 11:30am
4600 SE Columbia Way, Vancouver, WA 98661
Join us for a free tour of the City of Vancouver’s Marine Park Wastewater Treatment Facility. This 90-minute walking tour will take you behind the scenes of what happens to all the water that goes down the drains in your home, school, or business. From a flush, to laundry, to washing dishes, all the water we use goes into underground pipes and to a treatment plant to be cleaned. Learn how to care for our water and our utilities in this unique tour.
Tour is suitable for ages 8 and older. Closed-toed shoes required for all tour participants. Expect to walk 0.75 miles on paved surfaces. Participants will encounter several stairways during the tour of this facility and will need to be able to traverse multiple staircases. Tour is 20% indoors and 80% outdoors. All safety gear will be provided to participants.
Meet at the Water Resources Education Center. Detailed logistics will be sent to registered participants.
Registration is required and space is limited. Sign up today!
If the event becomes full, please contact the Water Center at vanwrec@cityofvancouver.us or 360-487-7111 to add your name to the waitlist.
Events
-
Registration RequiredWater Resources Education Center
Burnt Bridge Creek Winter Plant Walk
Saturday, January 24, 2026
Join Water Center educators at Burnt Bridge Creek’s Stewart Glen Trailhead for a winter nature walk focused on identifying native plants without their leaves. We’ll learn how to recognize plants…
-
Registration FullWater Resources Education Center
World Wetlands Day Nature Walk
Saturday, January 31, 2026
This nature walk has met its participant maximum. To add your name to the waitlist, email vanwrec@cityofvancouver.us. World Wetlands Day is a celebration of the vital role wetlands play in…
-
Registration RequiredWater Resources Education Center
Animal Tracking 101
Saturday, February 7, 2026
Wild animals are secretive and often go unseen to humans. Animal tracking offers a way for us to glimpse into their hidden lives, by knowing how to interpret the clues…
-
Registration FullWater Resources Education Center
Love Your Mason Bees Volunteer Workshop
Saturday, February 14, 2026
This program has met its registration maximum. To add your name to the waitlist, email vanwrec@cityofvancouver.us. This Valentine’s Day, show your appreciation for the tiny pollinators that do so much…
-
Registration RequiredWater Resources Education Center
Lichen the Little Things
Saturday, February 21, 2026
Barren winter landscapes provide a chance to look closer at the often-overlooked little things in nature. In the temperate Pacific Northwest, lichens provide bursts of color and texture to the…
-
Registration RequiredWater Resources Education Center
Wednesday Wanders
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Join us on a Wednesday morning guided nature walk where we will explore the rich ecosystems along the Columbia River and adjacent wetland. As we wander, we’ll discover native plants,…
-
Registration RequiredWater Resources Education Center
Go with the Flow: First Thursday Wastewater Treatment Plant Tour
Thursday, March 5, 2026
Join us for a free tour of the City of Vancouver’s Marine Park Wastewater Treatment Facility. This 90-minute walking tour will take you behind the scenes of what happens to…