2023 ANNUAL REPORT

A YEAR OF GROWTH AND TRANSFORMATION

THE RIVER CENTER BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER

A NOTE FROM

BOARD PRESIDENT

ANNETTE HANSON

Dear Center Members,

Thank you for your role as a member of the Dungeness River Nature Center. In 2022 through 2023 you took part in the Center’s transition from old to new—beginning with an ending and finishing with a beginning.

Through the dedicated work and support of you, the board, staff, volunteers, donors, and partners; the Center has blossomed. On behalf of the Center Board, we appreciate the dedication by all to inspire understanding, respect, and stewardship of our natural and cultural resources—our mission.

In 2023, 33,000 signed our guestbook—18,000 of those out-of-towners. This is a testament to our beautiful new building and the engaging programs and dynamic exhibits we offer. Center staff and volunteers worked hard and long hours to continue to complete details in the building, especially in the new Exhibit Hall and in the park. All this takes time, knowledge, and fundraising. The membership and partners met the challenge.

Historian and author Edward Everett Hale once said, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” We worked together and will continue to do so!

Thank you, again!

Annette Hanson

Board President

2023 HIGHLIGHTS

January: Montana Napier joined the River Center as the new Education Manager!

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Center hosted an OPAS photo sharing event highlighting the wonder and shared passion for birds.

The mural, by local Sequim artist Tim Quinn, based on the original building's painted wall, was installed on the western façade of the Center.

February: The community came together to help plant 600 bare-root plants that revitalized the newly restored floodplain west of the River Center.

The new wildlife viewing room opened up to the public.

March: Broombusters worked hard to raise money for native plant education and rewilding projects. They pulled out invasive Scotch Broom and reseeded cleared areas with native species.

April: The Center hosted a successful BirdFest including many guest speakers.

Monthly wildflower walks in the Dungeness River Watershed were led by John Bridge and Montana Napier.

May: This year's Give Big Event raised $24,000.

The new Cedar Hat Classroom opened for 5th grade field trips! After a three year hiatus, 5th graders returned to the Center to learn about the health of the Dungeness and salmon.

June: The Center hosted various programs like Bird Drawing, Nature Art for Kids, Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue and OPAS Backyard Birding.

July: Coho salmon, raised from eggs at the Center, were released into the river!

4,000 people from all over the world visited the Center.

Sunset Speaker Series began with special guest presenters.

Outdoor yoga classes began.

August: The 5th annual River Center charity golf tournament was a success.

The Center's monthly film series began.

September: The Center hosted Dungeness River Festival for Kids with over 900 local children attending.

Annette Hanson, Clare Manis Hatler and Director Powell Jones were interviewed for KPTZ's "Nature Now" radio talk show.

October: The Center hosted several Olympic Peninsula Fungi Festival workshops.

OPAS lead multiple bird watching field trips.

November: The Center presented the Holiday Bridge Light Countdown & Sing-along.

River Center Holiday Nature Mart enjoyed a successful event.

December: Center staff and volunteers participated in the annual Sequim-Dungeness Christmas Bird Count.

THE RIVER CENTER'S MISSION IS

TO INSPIRE UNDERSTANDING, RESPECT, AND STEWARDSHIP

OF OUR NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES

A YEAR OF EXPANSION & EXCITMENT!

RIVER CENTER DIRECTOR

POWELL JONES

Dear River Center Family,

Thanks to you, 2023 was a fantastic first full year of operations for the Dungeness River Nature Center since the completion of our expansion and restoration projects.

Two major projects finished early in the year. Our Cedar Hat Classroom officially opened for a season of fieldtrips, what an amazing teaching space! Our exhibits of the Dungeness River, including our treasured Tim Quinn mural, after years of development and a few hiccups, were also installed and widely praised for their interpretation of the Dungeness River.

The Center staff found themselves in the midst of a wave of excitement over our new facilities and used the momentum to reinvigorate and build our educational programs to a level more appropriate for the new Center. Both our 5th grade program and the Dungeness River Festival resumed to the delight of many students and teachers. Nature Art, Robotics, and reading events were all added to the schedule to engage our younger audiences. Overall, the River Center youth programs flourished with help from our volunteers.

Not to be outdone, our community education programs also expanded in 2023 with the Sunset Speaker Series and Movies at the River Center both attracting a loyal following. Flower walks continued to be successful and the programs at the Olympic BirdFest resulted in our most successful festival to date!

Several popular community events also made it back onto the schedule including Dine on the Dungeness, and our holiday bridge lighting event. The popularity of Dine on the Dungeness hit an all-time high with all tickets for the event sold in a special membership release before even making it to the public release…pays to be a member! We also held an extremely successful holiday lighting event where over 1000 people came to sing, celebrate, and kick off the holiday season on the bridge!

Internally the River Center continued to hone operations, specifically our volunteer program. A dedicated position was created and tasked with work on volunteer training, recruiting, and scheduling. This made an immediate impact with invigorated volunteers teaching classes, leading programs, fundraising, staffing the center, gardening, and much more. The volunteers continue to be the life blood of our organization and we could not do it without them! Please consider signing on to our volunteer program if you have not already.

All these accomplishments are possible due to the kind and generous support of members and donors like you. Thank you for continuing to trust the River Center with making the world a better place. We hope to see you at many of our events enjoying the programs and organization that you helped build!

Kindly,

Powell Jones

Dungeness River Nature Center Director and Park Manager

“There is no Wi-Fi in the forest,

but I promise you will find a better connection.”

–Ralph Smart

New Cedar Hat Outdoor Classroom

Opens for 5th Grade Field Trips

After a three year hiatus because of covid and construction, fifth-graders returned to the River Center to learn first-hand about the Dungeness River, salmon and the health of our watershed!

When they visit, students have a beautiful learning space to use at the newly constructed Cedar Hat Classroom.

The Jamestown S'Klallam tribe gifted this special building to the students so they have the best opportunity to learn about our natural and cultural resources. The classroom's unique shape mirrors the traditional cedar potlach hat used in Coast Salish gatherings and ceremonies. With 3 large roll-up doors, the students can experience the outdoors even while inside!

The Center has conducted over 500 fifth-grade field trips since 2002, serving over 20,000 students from Jefferson and Clallam counties. In 2023, 32 classes attended field trips in this new space. The River Center, as always, picked up the full cost of instruction, staff time and sometimes transportation, for the students.

“What we want to do is inspire children by showing them several investigative tools and methods, and leave them with more questions to answer. That’s what makes for lifelong interest—not just settling for an answer someone else provides for them but leaving it open-ended and assuring them that they can both pose questions and find answers.” Powell Jones, River Center Director.

The Cedar Hat Classroom is also used for many other purposes. The building has hosted programs like Nature Art for Kids, tribal drumming circles, nest box building, guest speaker presentations, movie nights, BirdFest activities and more!

"In every walk with nature

one receives far more than he seeks."

–John Muir

DRNC Exhibits – The Heart Of Our Mission

The Center’s exhibits have undergone several iterations over the last 40, yes 40, years!

In 1984 they were located in a small, well-loved and popular natural history museum in the old Sequim High School. Museum docents provided education programs for school children and adults. Visitors from all over the world explored the museum's five large dioramas, filled with native plant and animal specimens.

In 2001 the museum’s taxidermy mounts were moved to our first Center building. Fish were mounted on the walls, large raptors were in cases, small birds and mammals rested on shelves high and low, and some even hung from the rafters to be enjoyed by everyone. The exhibit expanded with more taxidermy mounts, more hands-on education activities, and more natural and cultural history information about this inspiring place we call home.

With the completion of the new Center building in 2022, the exhibit evolved into an immersive “mountain to sea” diorama experience with hands-on activities which showcase the entire Dungeness River watershed. It’s a visualization of our mission and inspires wonder and understanding about the natural history and indigenous culture of this spectacular watershed.

The current exhibit is the result of many months of planning, researching, designing, writing, re-writing, fabrication, painting, and installation. Huge thanks to the Exhibit Design Team who worked tirelessly for three years to complete this project. Team members include Kathy Steichen, Jenna Ziogas, Powell Jones, Bob Boekelheide, David Brownell, Lyn Muench, Shirley Anderson, Annette Hanson, and Allie Taylor.

The Center’s exhibit room (Click here for more exhibit hall info) contains over 200 museum-quality mounted birds and animals, plants and trees of the Olympic Peninsula sited in their preferred habitat—from the river’s origin in the alpine snowfields to its estuary on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Exhibits also showcase Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s (Tribal website) traditional and contemporary culture and perspective. Traditional Salish hand-carved house posts welcome visitors and many S’Klallam words are incorporated in the exhibit text. The Tribe’s work in salmon, wetland, river, and tideland restoration is demonstrated just outside the door where a months-long project removed a levee, returning the former parking lot to floodplain and creating shelter for juvenile and spawning salmon.

The Center’s education facilities, including the Exhibit Hall, the Cedar Hat Classroom, and soon to be installed outdoor wayside exhibits, allow us to deliver quality programs that are the heart of our mission…To inspire understanding, respect, and stewardship of our natural and cultural resources.

Photo Credit: Kiddos next to coyote and exploring the exhibit hall by Matt Nash

"Look deep into nature

and then you will understand everything better."

- Albert Einstein

FINANCIAL ALLOCATIONS & GRAPHS

TELL THE STORY AT A GLANCE

BY WANDA SCHNEIDER, BOARD TREASURER

2023 RIVER CENTER DONORS

Thank You

For inspiring generations

with your gifts to the River Center!

$50,000 & ABOVE

National Endowment for The Arts

$10,000 & ABOVE

Shirley Anderson

Laura J Dubois

Caroline Littlefield

Richard McCammon

State of Washington Tourism

$5,000 & ABOVE

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Rose Forbes

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Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau

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2,000 & ABOVE

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Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society

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Ken Wiersema

1,000 & ABOVE

Air Flo Heating

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Jamestown Family Medical Clinic

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$200 & ABOVE (Continued)

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$100 & ABOVE

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DONORS WHO GAVE $99 OR BELOW:

195

GIFTS GIVEN IN MEMORY AND IN HONOR

OF FAMILY & FRIENDS IN 2023

GIFTS IN MEMORY OF:

Agnes Evans

Belinda Daniels

Bob Reavis

Carl E. Gustafson

Dolores Mary Neal

Don Forsman

Dorothy Andreasen

Emanuel Manis

Erwin Powell Jones

Gregory Thomas

Gwyneth Hixson

Jim Waddell

John Willits

Judy Pysher

Kirk Willis

Mark Freed

Melanie Carlson

Nelson Linnabary

Rachel Braun

Richard McCammon

Solveign Hoffman

Stuart Nasmith

Susi Harris

Virginia Parker

GIFTS IN HONOR OF:

Joanna Jackson

Katie Echoe

Ken Wiersema

Rob & Ada

Ruth & Glenn Beach

Stacey Fradkin

Thank You

To all who volunteer!

Volunteers are the heart and soul of the River Center.

A warm thank you to all of you who have served on the Board of Directors and committees, all of you have greeted visitors and worked as docents; as assistants and servers for numerous events; as groundskeepers, tenders of bird feeders, and flower arrangers; and those who have gathered and donated materials.