I grew up moving around Oregon, starting out on the coast before spending most of my life in the Willamette Valley. Oregon’s diverse ecosystems, from oak savanna to old growth coastal forest, developed my passion for the outdoors, especially forests. Hiking is my favorite outdoor activity, though I also mountain bike, backpack, and kayak when I can. After five years in the Marine Corps serving as a CH-53 helicopter mechanic, transitioning to a career outdoors and ideally working with public lands brought me back to Oregon for college. I graduated from Oregon State University with a B.S. in Natural Resources, before accepting my first natural resource related position with the NRCS in Colorado as a conservation forester.
Working for the NRCS was rewarding, especially being able to help small landowners develop forest management plans, but it was still working on private lands. Seeing an opportunity to work on public lands, I was excited to apply for the AmeriCorps VetsWork internship as a surveying technician position on the Mark Twain National Forest, in partnership with the Mt. Adams Institute. This position will be a major learning opportunity for me, especially with the additional career development opportunities provided by MAI. I am looking forward to working in a new type of forest, having a position that is mostly field work, learning about land surveying, and most of all working on public lands.