I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of different jobs in the Forest Service here at Cle Elum. The season began with a lot of trail work. I was also able to shadow the botany team and help them prevent beetle infestation. I worked with the heavy equipment operators, observing them use the...
What an incredible three months this has been for me, when I first started this program, I really didn’t know what to expect, was I going to love it or hate it? Are the other interns and forest service employees going to be good people? Can I handle living away from my parents? After three months...
My first summer on the west coast has been filled with adventures both professional and personal. I’ve explored Mt Hood National Forest and the Columbia River Gorge, as well as Portland, all the while really getting to know the Timberline lodge inside and out. My tours of the lodge were shaky at...
I am so excited to be serving an Americorps internship with the US Forest Service through the Mt. Adams Institute’s Public Lands Stewards program! I have been working as a wilderness ranger at Mt. Adams Ranger District for about 10 weeks now and already have been able to learn so much about...
The first week I was at my internship I went on a walk around the wetlands by myself with the goal of learning the names of 5 flowers and 3 insects. I had just downloaded the app Seek by recommendation from my boss. Seek is an app (that I also now recommend to everyone) that has you scan plants,...
I have been an avid outdoorsman my entire life. Hiking and exploring the bountiful forests of Washington State has been a favorite summer pastime for me, but it was never something that I thought I’d actually be paid to do. My AmeriCorps internship with the Entiat Ranger District has allowed me to...
This is my second Americorps position, and there are many reasons why I decided to serve another term after my first one. My position title is Wilderness Backcountry Ranger and I currently serve in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in the Entiat Ranger District. My main responsibilities as a...
Every job has its ups and downs. Being a backcountry wilderness ranger is no different. Today is a down day. I have a bit of a migraine, and our original trip plans to work our way up the Prince Creek Trail doing logout have been thwarted by the fact that the river that we had expected to cross...
One can engage in few activities more rewarding than meaningful labor done willingly. That is the core of public lands stewardship. I grew up playing in the woods and creeks of western Pennsylvania, but sometime in my teenage years, I lost my connection to the land. After bouncing from one...
Conboy National Wildlife Refuge As a Public Lands Steward with AmeriCorps, I’m stationed at the Conboy National Wildlife Refuge in Glenwood, Washington. Conboy is a refuge hosting various waterfowl, elk, reptiles, amphibians, and many species of birds. The most notable species are Oregon spotted...
After a few months of routine, I wake up minutes before my first alarm goes off. Rolling out of bed before seven has been tough to adjust to, but that was never my strong suit. Most of my gear was packed the night before, but I put the finishing touches in a hurry:...
My name is Alex Apelis. I was born in New York, New York, and spent most of my life living on the East Coast. I grew up playing ice hockey and attending summer camps in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York. I came from one of the world’s busiest cities and saw...
I grew up in Northern California, spending time in Placer and Nevada County. Growing up, I always enjoyed the adventure and open terrain of the outdoors, spending a lot of my time snowboarding, fishing, camping, and playing music. I graduated from Colfax High School,...
I am James Tucker. I'm 32 years old, and I haven't lived anywhere longer than six years. I've lived in a lot of places, and Denver and southern Germany are my favorites. I have a family history of military service, and I was in the Navy for two years as a Cryptologic...
Looking for something fun to do with the kiddos this weekend? Well, consider yourself lucky because we happen to live in one of the most breathtakingly beautiful regions in the entire country! Why not hit the trails and embark on an exciting hiking journey together?...
Board Member | Member Since 2020 Annette worked in the technology industry for 25 years, with the last 20 at Intel Corporation in Hillsboro, Oregon. Her roles focused on Product Marketing, Project Management, Branding, and Education. She and her husband moved to the...
This year has been more than I ever thought it could be and then some serving with the Mount Adams Institute and the Forest Service. Between all the hard work, amazing sights, and just as amazing people to work with, what more could a guy ask for? In the beginning, I...
Coming into the Mt Adams Institute Land Stewards Program after fulfilling a previous AmeriCorps Internship I was very excited to see where this position would take me. Not only would I be doing my mainstay of Forest Service work as a Wilderness Ranger, but I would...
The following three haiku are a reflection of my experience so far. They are meant to come one after another, with no more separation than the physical indentation that is between them. tossing and turning the storm wants to chat... maybe for an hour my head in my...
I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of different jobs in the Forest Service here at Cle Elum. The season began with a lot of trail work. I was also able to shadow the botany team and help them prevent beetle infestation. I worked with the heavy equipment operators,...