Ever wonder what it takes to feed an entire wildlife park? The keepers at Northwest Trek feed nearly 200 animals a day. It takes a specific science to prepare proper diets for all the different animals. “Each animal has a balanced diet based on its species, age, and any health-related issues,” said Northwest Trek curator Marc Heinzman. For example, the grizzly bears each eat 30 pounds of food daily during the summer. Their diet consists of fish, fruits, and leafy greens as they prepare for winter 2023’s torpor season. “The bears need to put on extra weight leading up to …

Plenty of schools go on pumpkin patch field trips. Some get to visit grizzly bears at Northwest Trek. But there’s only one school where you get to grow pumpkins, then hide them for grizzly cubs to find – and that’s Weyerhaeuser Elementary, whose second- and third-graders came to Northwest Trek early this October (and last year too) to do exactly that. It’s all part of the school’s focus on outdoor STEM education, helped along by volunteer expertise from Trek horticulturalist Jake Pool. “Look, this one’s enormous!” cried one boy, stepping between vines to a giant Cinderella pumpkin. “And this one’s …

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Aug 31-Sep 2.