Willow Bend Environmental Education Center

10/30/2026

Join us on Saturday, November 7th, for Science Saturday: Terrific Trees! Along with partners from the Museum of Northern Arizona, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, and more, we will learn about and celebrate the role of Arizona's trees in their ecosystems.

📆 Saturday, 11/7, 9:30 - 11:30 (drop-in anytime in this window!)
📍Willow Bend Center, 703 E Sawmill Road, Flagstaff AZ 86001
🎟 FREE! No registration required.

Science Saturdays are always free and open to the public thanks to generous funding from Flagstaff365, Creative Flagstaff, and the City of Flagstaff BBB Revenues.

10/29/2026

Thank you to Anthony Treviso for sharing these photographs they took at Ponderosa Pine Arts Fest!

The first-ever Ponderosa Pine Arts Festival was a success! Thanks to all who joined us, especially our presenters, Marina Vasquez, Gwendolyn Waring, and Elaine Dillingham.

Participants spent a beautiful (if a bit cold) late October Saturday paying extra close attention to the majestic ponderosa pine, getting to see its intricacies in a new light through watercolor, pastel and ink, and basket weaving.

Special thanks to the Arizona Commission on the Arts, an agency of the State of Arizona, whose support made this festival possible and accessible to the public.

10/28/2026

See live eagles up close! 🦅

Join us for our annual eagle celebration, featuring two sessions focusing on this majestic bird: Eaglets, best for kids ages 4- 12 and their families, and Fully Fledged, for ages 12+. Each session will begin with a presentation on the biology of eagles and the role they play in their ecosystem, followed by a very special live bird encounter.

Special thanks to Tim Macy for sponsoring this program and getting our friends at Liberty Wildlife up to Flagstaff!

📆 Saturday, 11/14. Eaglets 10:30 - 11:30 AM, Fully Fledged 12:30 - 1:30 PM
📍Willow Bend Environmental Education Center, 703 E Sawmill Road, Flagstaff AZ 86001
🎟 $10/individual, $35/family (2 adults + 3 kids), or FREE for WB members!

Register today:
Eaglets: https://willowbendcenter.app.neoncrm.com/event-detail?event=1757
Fully Fledged: https://willowbendcenter.app.neoncrm.com/event-detail?event=1762

10/27/2026

How can art and environmental education work hand in hand?

Visit the Project Gallery at the Coconino Center for the Arts (CCA) to explore Willow Bend’s Nature Tales exhibit, on display through December 19.

With support from Creative Flagstaff’s ArtX program, Willow Bend combines environmental education, puppetry, and storytelling to connect people with Northern Arizona’s natural world.

The exhibit features the Ponderosa Puppet Stage, built by Willow Bend board member Eric Souders and inspired by our region’s ponderosa pine forests, and six Pollinator Puppets, designed and fabricated by Lisa Aimee Sturz of Red Herring Puppets and finished with help from community members.

Join us Tuesday, December 9, at 6 p.m. at CCA to learn more about the exhibit and how Willow Bend uses puppetry to inspire environmental learning.

While you’re there, explore Debra Edgerton’s wonderful exhibition in the main gallery!

10/27/2026

The first-ever Ponderosa Pine Arts Festival was a success! Thanks to all who joined us, especially our presenters, Marina Vasquez, Gwendolyn Waring, and Elaine Dillingham.

Participants spent a beautiful (if a bit cold) late October Saturday paying extra close attention to the majestic ponderosa pine, getting to see its intricacies in a new light through watercolor, pastel and ink, and basket weaving.

Special thanks to the Arizona Commission on the Arts, an agency of the State of Arizona, whose support made this festival possible and accessible to the public.

10/27/2026

Last week, Willow Bend staff visited all eight sections of MEMS 7th grade to present a program on the volcanoes of northern Arizona.

We learned about the San Francisco Volcanic Field and how we don’t have to look far to find cinder cones, stratovolcanoes, lava domes, and shield volcanoes. We also discussed lava viscosity and how it helps shape these fascinating volcanic features. We can’t wait to visit MEMS again!

10/24/2026

Online registration is now closed, but you can call or text Willow Bend at 928-707-2840 to inquire about availability.

Workshop availability as of 7:30AM on 10/24:

Watercolor: Full
Pastels/Ink: A couple of spots remain
Pine Needle Basket Making: A few spots remain in both the morning and afternoon sessions. The same workshop is offered in both sessions, so you only need to attend one.

Walk-ins are welcome as space allows! Ticket prices remain the same ($30, $37.50, or $45), even if you attend only one session. Prices are not prorated.

Planning to walk in?

Morning session: We recommend arriving between 9:00 and 9:30 AM. The first session begins at 9:30 AM.
Afternoon session: We recommend arriving between 12:00 and 1:00 PM.
We still have a limited number of walk-in spots available, so feel free to come by and try your luck! Walk-in spots are not guaranteed and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.



See your most ubiquitous neighbor - the ponderosa pine - in a whole new light!

Pinus ponderosa can be found across sixteen western U.S. states, plus British Columbia and Northern Mexico, but Arizona claims its largest contiguous stand. This strip of pines covers 2.6 million acres across the highlands of Northern and Central Arizona, from the New Mexico state line to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

The 2026 Ponderosa Pine Arts Festival at Willow Bend will explore the ponderosa through the lenses of arts, culture, and science. Participants will choose from four workshops across two 2.5-hour sessions. *ONE TICKET GRANTS YOU ACCESS TO TWO WORKSHOPS!*

View the full schedule and presenter biographies here; https://www.willowbendcenter.org/events/pondofest

To ensure this event is as accessible to the general public as possible, Willow Bend is offering "sliding-scale" ticket pricing. Pay what you can; your generosity helps make the event the best it can be!

Community: $30/ticket

Standard: $37.50/ticket

Supporter: $45/ticket



This project is supported in part by a grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, an agency of the State of Arizona.

The Ponderosa Pine Arts Festival invites participants to engage with the ponderosa pine in a new way, exploring its cultural significance, ecological importance, and artistic potential through hands-on workshops and/or guided experiences. Call for artist/speaker proposals open now!

10/23/2026

pastel, or basket weaving.

Participants will choose which workshops they would like to attend during two 2.5-hour sessions.

This event is partially funded through a Festival Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Their generous support allows us to keep this event as accessible as possible by offering ‘sliding-scale’ pricing. Please pay what you can to support community access to environmental education.

📆 October 24th, 2026, 9AM - 3:30PM

📍 Willow Bend Center, 703 E Sawmill Rd., Flagstaff

🎟 Three tiers of ticket pricing: $30, $37.50, $45. Pay what you can to support the community’s access to environmental education

🔗 Learn more, view the workshop schedule, and register at the link in our bio!

10/22/2026

There are still spots left for this Saturday's Ponderosa Pine Arts Festival!

Explore this icon of Northern Arizona through hands-on art workshops. Choose two workshops to attend from pine needle basketmaking, watercolor, or pastel and ink illustration.

Learn more, meet the presenters, and view the schedule at https://www.willowbendcenter.org/events/pondofest

Register online at https://willowbendcenter.app.neoncrm.com/forms/pondofest26

We hope to see you there!🌲

10/20/2026

Meet the artists who will be leading exciting, hands-on workshops at the Ponderosa Pine Arts Festival this weekend!

Whether you want to explore the natural history of the ponderosa through visual arts or you want to weave its needles into a beautiful basket, there will be something for everyone this Saturday.

One ticket grants you access to TWO workshops! All workshops have space left - register today!

View the schedule and learn more: https://www.willowbendcenter.org/events/pondofest

Register: https://willowbendcenter.app.neoncrm.com/forms/pondofest26

📆 Saturday, October 24th, 9 AM - 3:30 PM
📍 Willow Bend Center, 703 E Sawmill Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
🎟 $30-$45 'sliding scale'; pay what you can to support environmental education!