My name is Garret Engelke. I grew up in Fargo, ND. I love to camp, hike, and trail ride. I spent eight years in the North Dakota Army National Guard in the branch of Air Defense Artillery, with two years mobilized in Washington, D.C. I received two bachelors at North Dakota State in Natural...
My name is Hugo Rosa Castillo. I grew up in a small town on the coast of Oregon named Gold Beach. During my childhood, I was involved in the local sports programs and played football, track, and basketball during high school. On my time off from school, I spent lots of time on the river and in the...
Born in the wide open plains of Texas but raised in the temperate mountain valley cradle of southwest Washington, I've always loved being in the woods, by a lake, up in the mountains of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, or all of the above, regardless of my purpose or activity. Some of my...
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 many interesting things, but...
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, and after a quick attempt at...
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 Technician after one year of...
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 wasn’t sure what to expect on...
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 also be learning and honing other...
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 hands, I wept on this...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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....
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...
Trout Lake, WA - Mt. Adams Institute has received a $1,149,768 grant from AmeriCorps the federal agency responsible for national service and community volunteerism. This funding will support up to 74 AmeriCorps members across the country participating in Mt. Adams...