KEEN'S 26th Annual Get Intimate with the Shrub-Steppe Theme: Community & Conservation

Join KEEN (Kittitas Environmental Education Network) in May and Discover the Wonders of the Shrub-Steppe!

Join the Kittitas Environmental Education Network (KEEN) for the 26th annual Get Intimate with the Shrub-Steppe (GISS)—a community event celebrating the rare and endangered shrub-steppe habitat of Central Washington.

Immerse yourself in the wild beauty of the Yakima River Canyon! From breathtaking birding field trips to live adult lamprey releases, you’ll experience the intricate connections between land, water, and wildlife. Explore the landscape with expert guides on hikes highlighting wildflowers, raptors, geology, reptiles, and river ecology, or visit educational booths featuring live animals and conservation groups from across the state.

Event Highlights

Saturday: Expert-led field trips on birding, snakes, geology, wildflowers, presentations & live animals, and more!
Live reptile encounters & hands-on science activities for the whole family
Lamprey releases—witness these ancient boneless fish up close!
Interactive booths with environmental groups & resources

Saturday Night: Catered keynote dinner on Wolf Recovery in Washington State, featuring food by The Red Pickle (additional ticketed event)

Why Protect the Shrub-Steppe?
This unique landscape is home to incredible biodiversity, including Golden Eagles, Prairie Falcons, Bighorn Sheep, Sage Thrashers, and native pollinators. The Yakima River Canyon is an Audubon Important Bird Area, hosting some of the highest densities of raptors and songbirds in the state. Your participation helps support environmental education and conservation efforts to protect this fragile ecosystem.

Click Here for Speakers BIOS

Saturday May 10
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PASSERINES AND RAPTORS OF THE YAKIMA RIVER CANYON—DEB ESSMAN
6:00AM-8:30AM
UMTANUM CREEK RECREATION AREA

PASSERINES AND RAPTORS OF THE YAKIMA RIVER CANYON—DEB ESSMAN
9:00AM-10:30AM
UMTANUM CREEK RECREATION AREA

YAKIMA CANYON GEOLOGY—DR. KARL LILLIQUIST
9:00AM-10:30AM
UMTANUM CREEK RECREATION AREA

SNAKE SNEAKING—DR. DAN BECK
9:00AM-10:30AM
UMTANUM CREEK RECREATION AREA

SHRUB-STEPPE OBLIGATES: BIRDS, PLANTS & HABITATS—SCOTT DOWNES AND SHAUN MORRISON
9:00AM-12:30PM
Extended Trip 1:00-3:30pm
VANTAGE HIGHWAY GREEN GATE & OTHER WDFW LANDS W/OPTIONAL EXTENDED TRIP LOCATION

GET INTIMATE WITH FISH, RIVER BUGS, AND OTHER CRITTERS THAT RELY ON RIVERS—AIMEE TAYLOR
9:00AM-1:00PM
UMTANUM CREEK RECREATION AREA (TROLLS UNDER THE BRIDGE)

BASALT CACTUS EXPLORATIONS @ WILD HORSE WIND FARM - RON BOCKELMAN
9:30-11:00am – Basalt Cactus Studies at Wild Horse (meet in large parking area near the entrance)
11:30am-12:15pm – Cactus Pollinator and Seed Eater Videos (visitor center conference room)
12:30-1:15pm – Wildfire Impacts and Recovery (meet at Invenergy Vantage Windfarm entrance)
1:30-3:00pm – Basalt Cactus Studies at Wild Horse (meet in large parking area near the entrance)

9:00AM-1:00PM
YAKIMA CANYON INTERPRETIVE CENTER
HANDS-ON SCIENCE BOOTHS—COME SEE US!
KEEN, YCIC, CWU Biology Reptiles, Lamprey with the Yakama Nation, Conservation Northwest, Wild Ones Columbia Basin Seedling Chapter, Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group, Kittitas Audubon, Bats Northwest, Washington Butterfly Association, CWU Wildcat Farm, Mountains to Sound Greenway, Puget Sound Energy/Wild Horse Wind Facility, CWU Department of Anthropology, Kittitas County Conservation District, WA Department of Fish & Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife Service - Leavenworth Fisheries Complex, Benton Conservation District, Reach Museum, and more!

YAKIMA RIVER CANYON FLOAT TRIP
10:30AM-12:00PM
YAKIMA RIVER CANYON—WITH RILL ADVENTURES & KEEN NATURALISTS (ticketed event)

CULTURAL IMPORTANCE OF THE YAKIMA RIVER CANYON —NOAH OLIVER
10:30AM-12:00PM
YAKIMA CANYON INTERPRETIVE CENTER

CAMINATA FAMILIAR PARA ENCONTRAR SERPIENTES —DR. DAN BECK EN ESPAÑOL
10:30AM-12:00PM
ÁREA DE RECREACIÓN DE UMTANUM CREEK

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY—DIANA McPHERSON
10:30AM-12:00PM
YAKIMA CANYON INTERPRETIVE CENTER

WILDFLOWER HIKE AT SELAH CLIFFS NATURAL AREA PRESERVE—KEVIN LIESKE & ABBI LUITEN
10:30AM-12:00PM
SELAH CLIFFS NATURAL AREA PRESERVE

SHRUB-STEPPE HABITAT RESTORATION & UPDATE ON YAKIMA CANYON INTERPRETIVE CENTER—JILL SCHEFFER
12:00PM-1:30PM
YAKIMA CANYON INTERPRETIVE CENTER

POETRY & NATURE WALK—haiku hike MARIE MARCHAND
12:00PM-1:30PM
YAKIMA CANYON INTERPRETIVE CENTER

SHRUB-STEPPE ART AFTERNOON—TAKE HOME A PIECE OF SHRUB-STEPPE ART WITH DELAYNA BRECKON
12:00PM-1:30PM
IOOF BUILDING DOWNTOWN ELLENSBURG

YAKIMA RIVER CANYON FLOAT TRIP
1:30PM-3:00PM
YAKIMA RIVER CANYON—WITH RILL ADVENTURES & KEEN NATURALISTS (ticketed event)

MYCOLOGY— DR. JIM JOHNSON
1:00PM—2:30PM
IOOF BUILDING DOWNTOWN ELLENSBURG

PLANETARIUM SHOWS—DR. BRUCE PALMQUIST
2:00PM-5:00PM (45-MINUTE SHOWS ON THE HOUR)
CWU’S LYDIG PLANETARIUM

HANDS-ON ADULT LAMPREY RELEASES & TALKS —With YAKAMA NATION
11-11:45am
12-12:45pm
1-1:45pm
2-2:45pm
THRALL ROAD PUBLIC ACCESS AREA

FALCONRY & CONSERVATION—CLIFFORD & JANNA KELLOGG (SLIDE SHOW/LIVE FALCONS
2:45PM-4:00PM
IOOF BUILDING DOWNTOWN ELLENSBURG

BIRDING THE YAKIMA RIVER CANYON SCENIC BYWAY— DEB ESSMAN (SLIDE SHOW/TALK)
4:15PM-5:30PM
IOOF BUILDING DOWNTOWN ELLENSBURG

LOST FISH DOCUMENTARY SCREENING—DAVE’Y LUMLEY (TALK/MOVIE)
5:30PM-6:00PM
IOOF BUILDING DOWNTOWN ELLENSBURG

KEYNOTE SPEAKER & DINNER WOLVES IN WASHINGTON JAY SHEPHERD, CONSERVATION NORTHWEST
6:30PM-8:30PM
IOOF BUILDING DOWNTOWN ELLENSBURG (CATERED DINNER & TICKETED EVENT)

Register Here

Venue: Various Venues.

Click Here For venue details.