Charlie joins MAI with a background in fine arts, sculpture, and fabrication after being immersed in Chicago’s art scene for almost a decade. Continue Reading…
Dylan is a senior studying urban planning and public policy at the University of Oregon. Continue Reading…
My name is Lia Beatty (she/her). I hail from the great lakes watershed where I spent my free time canoeing, cycling, and hiking the rivers, roads, and trails of Michiana (“Michigan-Indiana”). Continue Reading…
Meet Karmyn Witt – 2021 Public Lands Stewards Intern
Hi! My name is Karmyn. I am born and raised in Reno Nevada where I acquired a bachelor’s degree in Forest Management and Ecology. I have spent the past five years working and playing in north Lake Tahoe CA. In my free time I enjoy backpacking, running, climbing and in the winters, I spend my time snowboarding in resorts and in the backcountry.
Meet Thomas Carlock – 2021 Public Lands Stewards Intern
I grew up in Klickitat County, Washington, an area known for its abundant outdoor activities ranging from alpine climbing on Mt. Adams to kayaking on the White Salmon and Klickitat rivers. From a young age, I grew a passion for the outdoors and learned to appreciate the beautiful area around me.
Meet Dakota Johnson – 2021 Public Lands Stewards Intern
I grew up in Southern Minnesota and went to school for Civil Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I have an older sister and a younger brother, both living in the Twin Cities. I’m an avid hiker, biker, and backpacker who’s excited to learn what adventure opportunities the Northwest has to offer.
Meet Calvin Otjen – 2021 Public Lands Stewards Intern
I’m a 26 year old Navy veteran from Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, where I spent the first 19 years of my life on a 42-acre farm in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains. While growing up on the farm, my brother and I would help our parents to renovate the property as well as: butcher livestock, plant and harvest crops, and cut/store firewood and lumber. In January of 2014 I joined the U.S. Navy as an Operations Specialist, serving in San Diego for the duration of my active duty (5.5 years), where I worked for a handful of different commands. While in the service I found my love for disc golf and ocean fishing, often using them as escapes from work stressors. Upon separation from the Navy, I started school with a major in Business, Marketing, and Advertising at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, California. After a year in Oceanside, I decided it was time to move away from the place I had called home for just over six years, in pursuit of a new degree. I settled in Utah last March, and shortly after, I was accepted into the University of Utah, pursuing a new degree in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism.
Meet Jules Gay – 2021 Public Lands Stewards Intern
Hi there! My name is Jules and I’m a PNW native who loves backpacking, being outdoors, traveling, reading, and basking in the sunshine whenever we get it! I grew up about 20 minutes outside of Portland, but didn’t get into outdoor activities until I was in college. My family wasn’t big into things like hiking, so it was something I discovered on my own, and it changed my life. Luckily for me, I live in Oregon where I have great accessibility to nature. I graduated from Portland State University with a degree in Child, Youth, and Family Studies in 2019 and my goal is to merge two things I am very passionate about-educating/working with children and the outdoors!
Meet Andrew Evans – 2021 Public Lands Stewards Intern
Hello there! My name is Andrew Evans and I’m a MAI Public Land Stewards Intern. I was born and raised on a farm in rural Indiana, where I was able to enjoy the outdoors on a daily basis. Some of my favorite outdoor activities include fishing, canoeing, rock climbing, and camping. Apart from Indiana, I have been fortunate to live in a variety of places across the globe. Exposure to different environments has only increased my appreciation for nature.
Meet Josh Warner – 2021 Public Lands Stewards Intern
My name is Josh Warner I grew up in Anoka Minnesota, I love to go rock climbing and hiking with my friends on the SPH in Duluth! I went to school for Conservation and Minored in Outdoor Education and realized that I truly loved Outdoor Education a LOT so I am going to pursue it as my major in Ely MN. I have two sisters and a wonderful mother that are all in the nursing field so I decided I would help people in my own way and eventually cater my outdoor education degree to Wilderness Therapy!
Meet Ryan Galbreath – 2021 Public Lands Stewards Intern
Hey, I’m Ryan! I’ve spent most of my life outdoors, from trail running, to backpacking, climbing, snowboarding and more. When I hiked the Appalachian Trail back in 2017, I met different trail crews and ended up spending time volunteering with them the following year. That experience stuck with me and I really want to get more involved with outdoor recreation and conservation work to let other’s safely enjoy the great natural areas this country has to offer. I decided to become an intern with Mt. Adams Institute because I completely believe it’s the best step I can take towards making a career with the USFS; both with the experience I’ll gain and the educational award to help me grow even more. The most exciting part of this position is working with the USFS in the national forest while being a part of something I love.
Meet Terrell Sage – 2021 Public Lands Stewards Intern
My name is Terrell Sage, and I’m from Independence, Missouri. I have a BS in Biology from the University of Missouri – Columbia. I currently live with my wife Emily and our cat Cato. I love spending time outdoors camping and hiking. My wife and I love hiking local trails and we take summer trips visiting the National Parks and seeing the beautiful sites.
Meet Christian King – 2021 Public Lands Stewards Intern
Growing up I moved around a lot and didn’t really stay in one place more than a few years. I was born in Denver, but when I was 7 I moved to Arizona, lived in a couple cities on the Southeast side of Phoenix over the course of 4 years until I moved to Texas in 2011. I lived there for 4 years as well living in 2 different cities again, and moved back to the Northwest side of Phoenix in 2015. From there I graduated high school in 2017 and moved to Flagstaff, AZ for a year to go to Northern Arizona University as an undergrad in Forestry. I realized soon though that I didn’t want to take the degree route and dropped out to join the US Air Force as a SERE Specialist. I worked for 2 years to join but was eventually disqualified in early 2020 for childhood asthma. From there I decided to pursue a career in professional mountain guiding, which brought me up to Washington State to train at the very start of 2021. The one thing that stayed constant throughout my childhood growing up was my love for the outdoors. There was always a rock climbing gym wherever I lived, and I could always go hiking. Over the past few years I’ve trained more and more to better my skills in mountaineering and wilderness survival.
Mt. Adams Institute Receives AmeriCorps Grant to Continue Programs
Trout Lake, WA – Mt. Adams Institute has received a $1,119,904 grant from AmeriCorps the federal agency responsible for national service and community volunteerism.
This funding will support up to 95 AmeriCorps members across the country participating in Mt. Adams Institute’s career development programs: VetsWork Environment, VetsWork GreenCorps and Public Lands Stewards. These programs are designed to improve recreation, access, and conservation of our natural resources, while launching military veterans and young adults into careers within the public lands management field.
This AmeriCorps grant will allow us to build on a successful history of helping military veterans and young adults find meaningful careers with public lands agencies and other natural resource organizations,” said Brendan Norman, Executive Director of Mt. Adams Institute.
Mt. Adams Institute AmeriCorps members serve on conservation projects such as trail maintenance; visitor engagement, wildlife research, environmental education, geographic information mapping, invasive species monitoring, and community volunteer coordination.
This grant comes as a direct result of the success of the program. Since 2014, 81% of VetsWork participants who completed the program have been offered employment within the field. With this growth, Mt. Adams Institute looks forward to establishing new local partnerships and providing more opportunities for veterans and young adults to experience the outdoors while shaping their career path.
AmeriCorps will provide an additional $470,000 in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards for the AmeriCorps members funded by this grant. After completing a full term of service, AmeriCorps members receive an award of approximately $6,300 that they can use to pay for college or to pay off student loans.
For the past year, thousands of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors members across all 50 states and U.S. territories have continued their service, quickly adapting to meet the changing needs caused by the pandemic. Dedicated members have persisted to support communities as they respond and recover from the impact of COVID-19, developing new ways to deliver the same services to keep both themselves and those they serve safe.
The recently passed American Rescue Plan includes an additional $1 billion for AmeriCorps. The agency will use this investment to expand national service programs into new communities and increase the opportunity for all Americans to serve their country.
Every year, 75,000 AmeriCorps members serve through thousands of nonprofit, community and faith-based organizations across the country. These citizens have played a critical role in the recovery of communities affected by disasters and helped thousands of first-generation college students access higher education. They also tutor and mentor young people, connect veterans to jobs, care for seniors, reduce crime and revive cities, fight the opioid epidemic, and meet other critical needs.
As the federal agency for volunteering and service, AmeriCorps brings people together to tackle the county’s most pressing challenges. Since the agency’s inception in 1994, nearly 1.2 million AmeriCorps members have served the nation.
Mt. Adams Institute matches the grant funding with additional support from project partners, including but not limited to the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Columbia River Gorge National Fish Hatchery Complex, King Conservation District, Oregon State Parks, Willamette Resources and Education Network, and Willamette Riverkeeper.
Locally, VetsWork and Public Lands Stewards AmeriCorps members have provided over 42,000 hours of service at local Gorge sites over the past five years including the Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Columbia River Gorge National Fish Hatchery Complex, Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, and the Gifford Pinchot and Mt. Hood National Forests.
Mt. Adams Institute is a nonprofit organization with a mission to strengthen the connection between people and the natural world through education, service learning, career development and research. More information about the organization can be found at: mtadamsinstitute.org
AmeriCorps is a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in national service programs. For more information, visit www.NationalService.gov .
