Kittitas Environmental Education Network

Mission

Our mission is to cultivate an active awareness and understanding of the endangered shrub-steppe, provide nature-based education for all ages, and strengthen commitment to environmental stewardship.

Description

 The Kittitas Environmental Education Network (KEEN) was established as a 501(c)3 in 2000 and has been operating in Kittitas County as an all-volunteer organization for the past 22 years. Our mission is to cultivate an active awareness and understanding of the endangered shrub-steppe, provide nature-based education for all ages, and strengthen commitment to environmental stewardship.

KEEN believes in lifelong-learning and provides informal environmental educational opportunities for kids, adults and seniors. KEEN hosts annual events including Winter Fair, Get Intimate with the Shrub-Steppe, the Yakima River Canyon Bird Fest, and the Urban Stream Walk. We collaborate with subject-area experts for field trip leaders, speakers, and provide learning opportunities and connections to affinity groups at all our events. Our goal is to share and build the strong sense of place that KEEN recognizes in Kittitas County, particularly the endangered shrub-steppe habitat.

KEEN’s Nature School programs include Pond to Pines Summer Camp that runs for 6 weeks each summer and 4th grade camp for all schools in Ellensburg. We also operate an afterschool program called Earth Explorers and a free environmental education program in Ellensburg City Parks called the Windy City Park Rangers. 

Our Habitat Team takes care of Helen McCabe Memorial State Park - the future home of the Yakima Canyon Interpretive Center. Since 2004, KEEN has worked to re-establish native plant communities, manage invasive weeds, build trails, run all our nature school programs, and expand the use and stewardship of the park. This park space is also a hub for much of our outreach in the greater Kittitas County area. Our all-volunteer organization has spent millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours improving fishing access, trails, and picnic facilities at the park. 

KEEN consists of a Board of Directors of highly committed individuals that reflects our community, and several active committees including education and stewardship. We have 2 full time outdoor educators and 4 part time outdoor educators.

Geographically KEEN focuses our work on Kittitas County, but KEEN is active in partnering with groups throughout Central Washington.  Our annual budget averages between $150,000 to $200,000.

Our primary goal is to establish (design, construct and operate) the Yakima Canyon Interpretive Center near Ellensburg, WA. The Interpretive Center will serve as the gathering place for our community, for visitors to our community, and for engaging and connecting to nature in Central Washington. As the gateway to the Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway, the Interpretive Center will invite lifelong learners to become active informed citizens, and provide a sense of place to this land we love.