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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
    • Gift A Scholarship
    • Sense of Place Lecture Series Sponsorship
    • Capital Campaign
    • Volunteer

Mountain Talk

Our Blog

Welcome Deb Mumm-Hill!

Deb Mumm-Hill is joining the Mt. Adams Institute (MAI) as the new Executive Director.  Mumm-Hill is excited to support MAI’s mission of connecting people to the natural world through education, service, career development, and research. Throughout her career, she has witnessed the power of nature to inspire individuals and communities to become good stewards to the earth and to one another.

Mumm-Hill has a long history of leading nonprofit organizations implementing immersive programs that deepen career-connected learning.  She grew FIRST Robotics programs in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska by establishing urban and rural opportunities for students to enter the innovation economy. As the Vice President of Learning Experiences at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, she led the camps, education, outreach, research, and exhibit design teams.  Her expertise lies in promoting inclusive and accessible project-based learning experiences, which focus on developing skills and mindsets needed to thrive in a rapidly changing society.

“Deb’s experience and skill set elevated her application to the top of a highly competitive pool of candidates. We are excited to have her lead Mt. Adams Institute into its second decade of operations. She has a great team of staff and board members to work with as we seek to expand our organizational impact,” states Elizabeth Holmes Gaar, Mt. Adams Institute Board President.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to become a member of the MAI team. I am impressed with the organization’s vision and the dedicated MAI staff who enthusiastically engage students, veterans, and community members in meaningful experiences that develop awareness and an interest in the natural environment. I’m beyond excited to have the chance to work and live every day amidst the majestic beauty of Mt. Adams and to become part of the Trout Lake / Gorge community,” says Mumm-Hill.

Mumm-Hill’s start date is March 1st. MAI looks forward to welcoming her to our community.

Sense of Place is Returning In Person!

Sense of Place is returning to live, in-person lectures. Join us on March 9th at 7 p.m. at the Columbia Center for the Arts to learn about Rajneeshees in Oregon with Les Zaitz. This event will have limited in-person ticket sales, but will also be live-streamed so viewers may watch virtually.

 

An extraordinary time in Oregon history occurred in central Oregon, when a religious sect from India set up an experiment on a cattle ranch outside Madras. In the 1980s, the Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh presided over a sect that professed self-sufficiency and love that morphed into a tightly-controlled organization that engaged in assassination attempts and plots, orchestrated the largest illegal wiretapping operation in U.S. history, and poisoned hundreds of innocent diners as a way to suppress voter turnout. Les Zaitz was an investigative reporter at the time and he co-wrote a 20-part series about the Rajneeshees that was published in the Oregonian. More recently, he was included in the Netflix film Wild Wild Country, which looks at some of the history behind Rajneeshpuram in Oregon. Les is now the editor and CEO of the Salem Reporter, but continues to speak on the topic of the Rajneeshees and what lessons can be learned today from this long-ago event.

 

Les Zaitz is a two-time Pulitzer finalist who started his professional journalism career right out of high school. He was hired in 1973 as a general assignment reporter for the Salem Statesman Journal and continued writing as a staff reporter and correspondent while attending the University of Oregon, working for the Springfield News, the Oregon Journal, UPI, and the New York Times. He is a five-time solo winner of Oregon’s Bruce Baer Award, the state’s top honor for investigative reporting and in 2016, Zaitz was awarded the highest honor for career achievement from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. In 2018 he co-founded a digital news service based in Oreogn’s capitol, the Salem Reporter, where he is now CEO and editor. Born and raised in Oregon, Zaitz lives on a remote ranch in Grant County, where he and his wife, Scotta Callister, run a small horse/cow operation.

 

Join us in welcoming back Sense of Place to the Columbia Center for the Arts!

 

Event Details:

Sense of Place

When – Wednesday, March 9, doors 6:30PM, event 7PM

Where – Columbia Center for the Arts, Hood River Oregon (in-person) or livestream via YouTube

Cost – $10 suggested donation (in-person), livestream is free

*COVID-vaccination and masks required for in-person attendance

 

For more information, please go to mtadamsinstitute.org/senseofplace or email sop@mtadamsinstitute.org.

Dalton using Mini crane machine to clear brush and debris in the forest

What a Year!

What a year this has been so far! Throughout my internship, I have been exposed to so many new learning opportunities. My position had a slow start, but as my qualifications began stacking up, so did the availability of work I was able to do. A large majority of what I have done was regular upkeep of recreation sites and trailheads; this included a lot of mowing, weed eating, and cleaning, but I was also able to get a lot of trail time. At the Redbird district, my position has been somewhat of a jack of all trades. Among my regular duties, I have had the ability to work with felling and bucking up trees, fixing roads, working with timber sales, working with various types of heavy-duty equipment, and even gaining some experience as a repairman. Throughout my internship, I was able to gather a wealth of knowledge and experience to put toward a career. The experience I have gotten here isn’t just career experience though – there is an abundance of life experience that comes with it.

Vetswork has allowed me to gather an arsenal of qualifications, which make me a more qualified candidate for a career in this field of work. I have been able to work in timber, recreation/RHELM, wildlife, fire, and even a little bit of engineering. With the spread of work I have done, I’ve managed to meet quite a few great people. The networking I have experienced has led to many opportunities sent my way. Aside from being able to find the opportunities, the program has elements built into it that sets you up for success. The workshop on federal resumes and navigating USAjobs was by far one of the best things to help me on the right path. There are also resources available to you within the Forest Service that will put your resume out there for you and assist you in finding placement.

Dalton using a tool to combat a small, active fire

After my internship I am hoping to land a job with the district I am currently at. The position that just became available is an Integrated Resource Technician. This position would open a few new paths to me, mostly on the timber side, but I’d mostly be in the same type of role I have been in throughout this internship. However, if I don’t land a full-time job it sounds like there will be some seasonal jobs I can step into. This will allow me to hopefully get more qualifications and make my resume all the more appealing still.

Veterans Day Celebration: Julian Rodriguez

Veterans Day Celebration: Julian Rodriguez

Our Outreach Coordinator had the pleasure of sitting down with a group of current and former VetsWork Interns to discuss their service, current roles, and connections to the outdoors. Read below about Julian Rodriguez, Wilderness Recreation Technician for the Tongass National Forest. Continue Reading…

Veteran Day Celebration: Patrick Ford

Veterans Day Celebration: Patrick Ford

Our Outreach Coordinator had the pleasure of sitting down with a group of current and former VetsWork Interns to discuss their service, current roles, and connections to the outdoors. Read below about Patrick Ford, Volunteer Coordinator for the Sumter National Forest. Continue Reading…

Veterans Day Celebration: Chris Sutherland

Veterans Day Celebration: Chris Sutherland

Our Outreach Coordinator had the pleasure of sitting down with a group of current and former VetsWork Interns to discuss their service, current roles, and connections to the outdoors. Read below about Chris Sutherland, Field Technician for the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership (LCEP). Continue Reading…

Veterans Day Celebration: Elamon White

Veterans Day Celebration: Elamon White

Our Outreach Coordinator had the pleasure of sitting down with a group of current and former VetsWork Interns to discuss their service, current roles, and connections to the outdoors. Read below about Elamon White, VetsWork Alum and current Southern Tier Fleet Management Assistant for the Hoosier, Shawnee, Midewin, and Mark Twain National Forests. Continue Reading…

Veterans Day Celebration: Amanda Williams

Veterans Day Celebration: Amanda Williams

Our Outreach Coordinator had the pleasure of sitting down with a group of current and former VetsWork Interns to discuss their service, current roles, and connections to the outdoors. Read below about Amanda Williams, Public Outreach Specialist in Cordova, Alaska! Continue Reading…

Thank You Sense of Place Season 12 Sponsors!

A huge thank you to all of our Season 12 sponsors! Without your generosity, Sense of Place would not be possible. Find out more about our sponsors below.

Gorge Community Foundation

Dog River Coffee

Columbia Insight

Insitu

Columbia Gorge Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine

Farmers Conservation Alliance

NW Natural 

Interested in becoming a sponsor of Sense of Place? Learn more here!

Mt. Adams Institute Receives $75,000 Grant from M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust

Trout Lake, Wash. (Oct. 3, 2021) — Mt. Adams Institute (MAI) received a $75,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust for facility construction and renovation on MAI’s campus. Continue Reading…

A note from Brendan Norman, Executive Director

After spending the past ten years as the Executive Director of the Mt. Adams Institute (MAI), I have decided to step away from the organization.. . .  AND that’s a good thing! Let me tell you why. Continue Reading…

Mt. Adams Institute Seeks a New Leader

Mt. Adams Institute (MAI) is recruiting a new executive director. Current leader, Brendan Norman, announced his resignation effective May 1, 2022. Norman, along with MAI’s founding board of directors, created the organization in 2011. Continue Reading…

Rewarding to Work Outside

I realized pretty quickly after graduating from the University of Missouri – Columbia that an office job just wasn’t going to do it for me. Continue Reading…

Maintaining Trails in an Unprecedented Heatwave

The Umatilla National Forest (UNF) recently restricted access to the public due to unfavorable fire conditions. Continue Reading…

Person standing in front of large glacier on a sunny day

Amanda Williams, Public Outreach Specialist on the Cordova Ranger District

Alaska has been called the last frontier, and for good reason. Continue Reading…

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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. 

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Look who's on his way to Outdoor Explorers Camp. Can't wait to see what happens today at #mtadamsinstitute #cascademountainschool
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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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#throwbackthursday to Cascade Mountain School's 2016 Nature Art Camp! This year, CMS is offering a similar camp called Recycled Art where students will work with recycled and repurposed material to make beautiful works of art! This camp will inspire artistic spirit while gaining an appreciation for the things we throw away. Students will get the opportunity to feel like real artists in a local Trout Lake art studio as they create their magical masterpieces. Registration is open at cascademountainschool.org! #mtadamsinstitute #cascademountainschool #recycledart #summercamp #registernow #tbt
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Dec 6

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