2025 Schedule
Festival Dates September 4-7!
Highlights for 2025 Rainforest Festival
Monday, September 1
8:00am
Rainforest Run 10K and Half Marathon
Run or walk from Sandy Beach, out Frederick Pt. Rd and back.
$20 Registration Fee, Pre-register at pmcak.org
Walkers start at 8:00 a.m., runners and bikers at 9:00 a.m.
Wednesday, September 3
5:00pm
deadline for entering pieces in the Annabelle Baker Memorial Art Show
“Shades of Wild Nature” Clausen Memorial Museum
Thursday, September 4
7:00 - 8:30pm
Tongass*ology Short Films by Kelly Bakos
Wright Auditorium
Kick off the festival with the keynote presentation of short films on local topics by filmmaker, Kelly Bakos.
“Cold-Blooded DNA Detective" - biologist Eric Castro becomes a genetic sleuth, using environmental DNA from pond water to hunt for invisible pathogens that could threaten Alaska's secretive frogs, newts, and surprisingly toxic toads.
“Secret Life Between the Tides" - Kellii Wood demonstrates a scientific sampling technique to reveal how intertidal sea creatures master the ultimate survival challenge—thriving in a world that floods and drains like a giant bathtub every day.
Friday, September 5
9:30 - 11:30am
Berry Propagation with Vivian Yéilk' Mork
Meet at Sandy Beach Park shelter #3 by the volleyball court
This is a hands-on session on how to prepare berries for propagation. We’ll learn how to separate seeds from the fruit using simple modern tools like a blender, and talk about the traditional knowledge behind saving and planting native berry seeds. This includes:
- When and how to harvest berries for seed use
- How to process and clean the seeds
- Culturally appropriate ways to care for plants
- Storage tips for seed viability
- Why propagation matters for food sustainability and cultural survival
12:10 - 1:00pm
Brown Bag Workshop:
Improve your Cell Phone Nature Photography with Robin Roberts
Petersburg Public Library
Get inspired to take your cell phone nature photography to the next level! Learn tips and tricks to make better photographs with the handy camera that lives in your pocket.
1:30 - 4:00pm
Ohmer Creek Watershed Exploration with Emil Tucker
Meet at the library to carpool – 30 min each way
Join US Forest Service hydrologist Emil Tucker for a streamside walk to look at pattern and process of a rainforest stream and discuss efforts to improve habitat for salmon and trout.
1:30 - 4:00pm
Forest/Muskeg Traditional Foods & Medicine Hike with Vivian Yéilk' Mork
Meet at Sandy Beach Park shelter #3 by the volleyball court
Join us for a guided walk with Vivian Yéilk' Mork, an Alaska Native traditional foods & medicine educator, through the forest and muskeg ecosystems. We’ll identify edible and medicinal plants, observe their natural companions, and learn how Indigenous harvesters read the land and seasons for harvesting. Expect:
· - Plant identification
- Teachings on respectful harvesting protocols, traditional preservation practices, modern preservation practices, and more
- Discussion on seasonal cycles, ecosystems, and habitat health
- Cultural uses of the plants we encounter
- Stories and traditional ecological knowledge
This isn’t a fast-paced hike—it’s a slow walk with purpose. Bring good footwear, weather-appropriate clothing, and something to take notes with.
5:00 -7:00pm
Annabelle Baker Memorial Art Show opening
Clausen Memorial Museum
Meet the local artists and view their works inspired by the theme:
“Shades of Wild Nature.” Show runs September 5-20, 2025
Saturday, September 6
9:00am - 12:00pm
Three Lakes Botany hike with Mary Clemens
Meet at the library to carpool – 30 min each way
Take a two-hour hike around Crane Lake, learning about forest, muskeg, and marsh plants with retired US Forest Service botanist Mary Clemens along the way.
9:45am – 3:30pm
Stikine River Sightseeing and Photography with Robin Roberts
Pick up at Banana Point
Bring anything that can take photographs or video - a cell phone or a bigger camera, and enjoy a day on the Stikine. In addition to
sightseeing, we can help you improve your composition and encourage you to find your own "photographic eye." If you bring a more complex
camera, you need to be familiar with it already. This is not the place
to learn how to use a fancy camera; it's a chance to get inspired and
learn tricks to make better photographs.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Limit 9. Cost $266.50 /per person, non-refundable. Price includes service fee and crew tip.
Registration opens Saturday, August 23rd @ 5pm.
9:45am – 3:30pm
Stikine River Trip with Vivian Yéilk’ Mork (Cute-Little-Raven)
Pick up at Banana Point
Step into one of the most stunning river systems on the planet and experience it through both eyes and heart. This is more than a sightseeing trip. Indigenous knowledge bearer Vivian Mork will share stories of the land and water, speak about the cultural and ecological significance of stops and places along the way. She will provide a greater understanding of the river through deeper layers of relationship and time.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Limit 9. Cost $266.50 /per person, non-refundable. Price includes service fee and crew tip.
Registration opens Saturday, August 23rd @ 5pm.
1:00 – 3:00pm
Drop-in Kids’ event: Ocean exploration
with Sunny Rice and Bonnie Bennett
Sandy Beach Park, Shelter #2
Kids aged 4 - 12 are invited to come learn about our shores and ocean and their inhabitants with a scavenger hunt, sand drawing, and sea life art activity.
1:30 – 3:30pm
Botanical Gel Plate Printing with Cindi Lagoudakis
Petersburg Public Library
Come explore printmaking on gelatin plates--a fun and easy process to learn. Using plants collected in the field, we will explore a variety of materials and techniques to create botanical prints unique to you. We'll also experiment with using 'mistake prints' to enhance your one-of-a-kind creations.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Limits: Minimum 7, Maximum 10. Cost $40 per person. Register here.
Sunday, September 7
9:30 - 11:30am
Naturalists’ Walking Tour with Mary Clemens and Sunny Rice
Meet at Eagles Roost Park
Enjoy a 2.6 mile leisurely walk along the Hungry Point trail loop with natural history interpretation (and a bit of poetry).
1:00 – 3:00pm
Drop -in Family event: Stream table with Bonnie Bennett and Jim Roberts
Sandy Beach Park, Shelter #3 by the volleyball court
Kids and adults are welcome to come play in the sand with our newly-constructed stream table! Explore the ways water shapes our environment by creating different stream shapes and flows.
1:00 – 3:00pm
Salve-making Workshop with Vivian Mork
John Hansen Sr. Hall
This session is for anyone who wants to learn how to turn healing plants into usable medicine. We’ll go through the process of making a basic salve from plants commonly found in Southeast Alaska. We’ll cover:
- Choosing the right plants for skin healing
- Making infused oils and understanding their properties
- Combining oils and beeswax to create a salve
- Labeling, storing, and sharing safely
- Tlingit perspectives on healing and stewardship
You’ll go home with a jar of your own salve and a deeper understanding of the plant medicines you carry in your community.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Limit 20. Free.
Registration opens Aug. 23 @ 5:00pm
5:00 -7:00pm
Community Harvest Potluck
John Hansen Sr. Hall
Bring a dish to share from your wild harvest, garden, or the grocery store. Help us conserve resources by bringing your own plates and cutlery.
updated 08.22.25
The rain forest and ocean environment surrounds us 365 days a year. Each season with its own flavor, feel, and reason to explore. The Rainforest Festival Committee may have pop-up events throughout the year to celebrate the place we live. Please, check in for changes and additions.