Participants in the Washington State Naturalist program will complete volunteer hours with one of six partner organizations across the state. For the 2025 – 2026 cohort of the Washington State Naturalist program, participants will undergo one of two tracks to earn certification.
Participants on Track 1 must complete 25 hours of volunteering that involves education for youth on water-related subjects with one of two organizations below. In exchange, funding from an EPA environmental education grant will waive tuition for those participants.
Those on Track 2 will volunteer for the remaining organizations. This track requires a tuition fee, but allows participants to engage in a wider variety of volunteer projects, including environmental education, stewardship, and/or participatory science. Track 2 requires 20 hours of volunteering with one of the organizations below.
Track 1 Organizations
Wenatchee River Institute (WRI) is based out of Leavenworth in Chelan County. They aim to connect people, communities, and the natural world through environmental education at their Leavenworth campus and throughout north central Washington. They lead youth programs including field days about watersheds, wildlife, native habitats etc. for K-6 during the school year, year-round camps for elementary and middle school students, and a traveling naturalist program that visits local elementary schools. Additionally, they offer programs to the wider community such as workshops on things like foraging, geology etc., seasonal nature walks, a community garden, and their annual Bird Fest.
Volunteer Opportunities:24 programs days with spots for 4 volunteers
22 program days with spots for 2 volunteers.
All opportunities will be Monday-Friday and during the school day
Contact Information
Rebecca Ryan: Education Director
Email: rryan@wenatcheeriverinstitute.org
Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group’s (HCSEG) headquarters, known as The Salmon Center, are located in Belfair in North Mason County. HCSEG serves the entire Hood Canal Watershed, striving to deepen the connection between land, people and salmon through research, restoration and education. Their mission is to ensure that wild salmon are once again abundant in the Pacific Northwest. They offer many environmental educational opportunities to youth of all ages throughout the year. This includes school field trips to the Salmon Center to explore the Union River Estuary Preserve, Salmon in the Classroom release events, summer camp programming and more.
Volunteer opportunities:Tuesday-Friday during school hours.
Most school programming takes place from March through early-June.
Summer Camp programming starts in mid-June and goes through mid-August and takes place during weekdays.
Contact Information
Whitney McDaniel: Education & Outreach Coordinator
Email: whitney@pnwsalmoncenter.org
Track 2 Organizations
Great Peninsula Conservancy (GPC) operates in Bremerton and around Kitsap County. This organization protects land by creating nature preserves that they own, partnering with public agencies to create local parks, and by placing permanent restrictions on private land that help sustain family farms and forests through generations. GPC works in collaboration with community groups, local governments, tribes, and landowners, providing the tools and expertise to preserve forever the special landscapes of the Great Peninsula region. They offer several educational opportunities, including stewardship work parties, habitat protection trainings, and “walk and talks” where topics from wildlife tracking to benthic sampling may be discussed. The GPC focuses on environmental education through their Land Labs program where they reach middle school students in the Bremerton School District.
Contact Information
Gabriel Newton: Community Engagement Manager
Email: gabriel@greatpeninsula.org
Dishman Hills Conservancy (DHC) operates in Spokane in Spokane County. Their mission is to permanently protect the Dishman Hills while connecting people to nature through conservation, education, recreation, and stewardship. The DHC collaborates with local schools and educators to organize educational events in the Dishman Hills, such as Kids in the Hills, as well as collaborating with local schools and summer camps. They also offer a self-guided tour (with an informational map and brochure) of their Enchanted Ravine, available on their
Outdoor Resources webpage. Be sure to check out their event calendar for guided hikes as well, led by various DHC staff members and volunteers.
Contact Information
Ruth Gifford: Executive Director
Email: ED@DishmanHills.org
Spokane County Water Resources provides K-12 and beyond water education at the County Wastewater Reclamation facility, Doris Morrison Learning Center at Saltese Flats Wetland, in-classroom visits, community outreach events or other off-site locations. They teach about the precious local water resources including the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer and the Spokane River watershed as well as stormwater, wastewater and natural water cycles. Their activities are informative, hands-on and interactive for learners. They also align with education standards and help students learn about human impacts on water as well as appreciating and conserving it for generations to come.
Contact Information
RaeAnn Nolander: Water Resources Education Specialist
Email: RNOLANDER@SpokaneCounty.gov
The
Spokane Conservation District (SCD) is a locally led agency dedicated to protecting and enhancing the natural resources of Spokane County through education, technical assistance, and community partnerships. In 2017, SCD transformed a 50-acre former industrial site into The Quarry—a thriving conservation campus and community hub where education, innovation, and sustainability converge. Volunteer opportunities include serving as a trail docent to share conservation information with visitors, leading seasonal hikes, and supporting campus clean-up and restoration events, primarily from spring through summer.
Contact Information
Hilary Gonzalez: Community Engagement Manager
Email: hilary@spokanecd.org
