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  • About Us
    • Programs
      • Overview
      • VetsWork Environment
      • VetsWork GreenCorps
      • Education Programs
      • Public Lands Stewards
    • About
      • Our Mission
      • Our Impact
      • Our Staff
      • The Board
      • DEI Commitment
      • Lodging
      • Program Partners
    • Our Interns
      • VetsWork Environment Interns
      • VetsWork GreenCorps Interns
      • Public Lands Stewards Interns
    • Contact Us
      • Reach HQ
      • Live & Social
      • Staff Employment
  • Internships
    • VetsWork Environment
    • VetsWork Greencorps
    • Public Lands Stewards
  • Summer Camps
  • Sense of Place
    • Lecture Series
    • Hear in the Gorge
    • Community Workshops
  • Blog
  • Support
    • Donate
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Unlike, perhaps, many of my fellow VetsWork interns this year, especially those that gave up stable careers, serving with AmeriCorps was a natural transition for me. I had just recently completed my military service and having made the decision to change careers to the field of conservation and resource management, the VetsWork program was a perfect fit for this switch. Not only would I receive on-the-job training and practical skills, but the exposure, level of involvement, and networking opportunities available to me at the King Conservation District (KCD) are far beyond what I would have expected from an entry-level internship position.

Case in point, during my second week at KCD I had the opportunity to attend the Green Cities Summit in downtown Seattle and rub elbows with some of the big-wigs involved with one of the largest urban forestry initiatives in the country. Nine partner cities were represented in the Seattle area, as well as some of the program leads from Forterra, the organization driving the Green Cities partnerships. Despite many of the attendees having done this type of work for decades, it was clearly obvious the passion was still there for them and they were more than welcoming to a clueless intern hoping to find his place in the world. Suffice it to say, I think I’ve found it.

Never having been one to enjoy the daily 9-5 office grind, my primary motivation for working comes from knowing the work that I do has important lasting effects, and few things are more important than the state of our environment and conserving our natural resources. Learning about the local ecosystems and the way organisms interact and react at different levels has been incredibly interesting, as has seeing the impacts, both positive and negative, our actions can have on these systems. Plus, I get paid to play outside and see awesome microsystems like these hemlocks sprouting from a nurse log, so that’s neat too.

Auburn, WA

Another great thing about this position is the variety of tasks I’ll be responsible for, working on both the Rural and Urban Forest Health Management teams. On the Rural side of the house, the focus is engaging with small forest landowners to provide general restoration education by way of free classes, technical assistance on particular aspects of restoration on a case-by-case basis, and financial assistance via a cost-sharing program to help defray the expenses of more labor-intensive restoration projects. The Urban team works more with empowering cities to become active stewards of their street trees, forested open spaces, and ‘urban backyards’ to enhance green infrastructure within these urban environments. I also have the opportunity, if I so choose, to get involved with the other departments of KCD such as farm planning and management, urban agriculture, and shoreline and riparian restoration. It’s becoming increasingly evident that there will be no threat of boredom for me this year.

As far as parting thoughts go, I don’t have anything too profound to close on quite yet so I’ll simply say that I am so grateful for this opportunity, excited to see what this internship will hold for me, and distract you with some pretty pictures. The first two are from Tiger Mountain in the Issaquah Alps on a rare day of sun during the otherwise dreary Pacific Northwest winter.

View from Tiger Mountain

I feel like these photos capture just how much we’re surrounded by nature; despite our constant expansion and urbanization, our cities often remain small islands of civilization in the grand scheme of things, and it’s hard not to appreciate the scale and beauty of our forests. The next two I took on a recent trip to Vashon Island, where I toured two properties that had old growth forest right in their backyards. To me this just further proves that you don’t have to travel for hours to be immersed in nature, you simply need to know where to look.

Vashon Island

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Jul 16

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It was so much fun teaching mtadamsinstitute summer botany camp yesterday. The kids had a blast learning about plants and natural dyes. We had a field trip to bloomanddye to harvest fresh dye flowers and the older kids made bundle dyed bandanas. The young kids made indigo shibori bandanas and left with blue hands and blue arms! 💙🌿🌼💛 

I left exhausted with a big smile and full heart. Seeing the joy and happiness on these kids faces as they saw what they created was a treat. 

#naturaldyes 
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#summercamp 
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Aug 9

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We visited many places in the trout lake valley area to gather fresh ingredients for our outdoor cooking, here the Mt. Chef campers picked fresh vegetables and seasonings for our dumplings! 
#outdoored #outdoorcooking #cooking #troutlakeabbey #fresh #picking #cascademountainschool #mtadamsinstitute
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Jan 14

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Blue Hour at Mount Adams, The #bluehour is the period of #twilight when the Sun is at a significant depth below the horizon and residual, indirect sunlight takes on a predominantly blue shade.
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#mtadamsinstitute  #mountainreflections  #explorewashstate #pnwonderland #cascadiaexplored #cascadia #wonderfulwashington #wonderfulwashingtonstate #pnwescapes #pnwadventures #pnwadventurers #pnwcrew #pnw_shooters #mtadams #giffordpinchotnationalforest #giffordpinchot #pnwphotographer #pnwphotography #leavenotrace #washingtonphotography #bluehourphotography #klickitatcounty #photography #blue #light #landscapephotography #landscapephotographer #mountains
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Apr 19

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She’s off for her school overnight trip! She handled all of her own packing and I am fully confident that means she’ll have at least 95% of the things she really needs. Girlfriend is on top of it! #urchinadventures #montessorikids #overnightfieldtrip #cascademountainschool
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Apr 17

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KCD is sad to be losing the amazing Krystal Hedrick, who has accepted a new position as GIS Mapper with the Weld County Assessor’s Office in Colorado.

She served at KCD over the past year through Mount Adams Institute VetsWork, an AmeriCorps career development program for military veterans who want to work in natural resources management.

As a forest technician, Krystal brought passion to her work on KCD’s North SeaTac Park restoration managing a KCD WCC crew to remove harmful invasive plants and prepare the site for reforestation efforts that will improve the park’s ecosystem making it more resilient and beneficial for local wildlife.

#BestOfLuckToYou #ThankYouForYourService #MtAdamsInstitute #AmeriCorps #Forestry #UrbanForestry #WashingtonConservationCorps
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