I have thoroughly enjoyed my AmeriCorps service term with MAI and USFWS. This has further affirmed my desire to work for USFWS later on in my career. While I don’t feel like a full-time USFWS position is directly next in the cards for me, I am grateful to learn of additional ways to engage with...
OHV Trail StewardUmatilla National Forest
For better or worse, I often end up diving into life-changing decisions with no expectations of what will happen. That’s how I ended up taking a NOLS course that led to a passion for outdoor education and how I transferred to a college out west and began studying geography. The decision to join an...
The back half of the season at Conboy Lake has been wrapping up well. While everyone is feeling a strong sense of completion and a job well done, I can tell everyone has grown really fond of each other, and there is a bittersweet feeling of all of us going our separate ways. I feel the MARS...
I’ve spent the past six months as an Americorps intern working for a trail crew in the Forest Service, and I can easily say that it has truly been the most fun chapter of my life so far. The season went by so fast that it’s hard to believe we actually accomplished everything that we did during...
During my time in Ukiah over the past few months, I have had invaluable time to reflect and plan in a peaceful, beautiful setting. I have made some lifelong friends and cherished memories, in addition to developing important career skills. Some of the skills I’ve been able to hone here are “hard...
Six months or roughly half a year participating in this internship. At times it feels like it was more than that, at other times it feels like I just started yesterday. In terms of reflecting on this experience it is difficult, because so much happened but at the same time in my memory it all...
The Land Stewards program appealed to me from the beginning for its focus on fostering a strong sense of place and developing professional skills and experiences. I knew I wanted to stay in the Mt. Hood National Forest, and was unsure of where and how to find pathway to the Forest Service. As a...
The last six months have been some of the best I've had. I have met so many insanely cool and inspiring people who have such a contagious enthusiasm for life. The people surrounding land stewardship and public land management, in general, are some of the best I have met. Outside of that, never...
I grew up in the city of Billings, MT, where I first started exploring hiking and backpacking with my dad. We spent many summer weekends in the nearby Beartooth Mountains, enduring all kinds of weather while experiencing the powerful solitude of that rugged Wilderness. I carried those memories...
Increase in Wildfires Sparks Exploration of Fire’s Historical Effects on People and Place. March 20th, Sense of Place event.
Sense of Place launches it’s first Pop-Up event at Gorge Discovery Center. It will feature wildlife biologist Jocelyn Akins in conversation with SOP host/curator, Sarah Fox.
Heraclitus once wisely proclaimed, “Change is the only constant in life,” and at Mt. Adams Institute, we've embraced this truth throughout the recent transformative years. As our founder, Brendan Norman, bid farewell, and the pandemic brought an onslaught of changes,...
We had the privilege of delving into the thoughts and experiences of Aaron Stanton, our new Executive Director, whose commitment to the success of Mt. Adams Institute (MAI) has been unwavering over the past decade. This conversation is not just a glimpse into his...
Unprecedented Momentum: Miles Johnson, Columbia Riverkeeper, to Speak on the Path Forward for Salmon Recovery Hood River, Oregon - Sense of Place, will feature Salmon at a Crossroads on January 17th, 2024. This event will be offered in-person at the Columbia Center...
Laura Linn recently announced that she has accepted a new position and will leave Mt. Adams Institute (MAI) on January 5th. Laura has been with MAI for 9 years and was our first program coordinator. Over the years, she took on ever-increasing responsibility and...
The first time I met Homer Yasui was in Seattle. It was the fall of 2016, and like so many momentous things in life, I never saw it coming. I’d been hired to create something called a podcast. Unlike today, podcasts had yet to explode into the mainstream, so while I...
Exploring the Rich Tapestry of Native Plants in the Columbia River Gorge: A Celebration of Biodiversity and Environmental Stewardship Hood River, Oregon — Sense of Place will feature Mountaintop to Backyard: The Beauty of the Gorge’s Native Plants on December...
With just under a month left of my Forest Service internship with the Recreation Department on Mt. Hood’s East Zone, I feel hopeful about my natural resource career path. I feel I have a better understanding of recreation management and the work it takes to keep a...
SOLD OUT! Last week’s Sense of Place, Beaver Power: Teaming Up With Nature’s Engineers to Restore Our Watersheds, packed the house (and the livestream)! Speakers, Jeanette Burkhardt and Margaret Neuman, took us back in time to uncover how beavers have shaped the...