Mt. Adams Institute Mt. Adams Institute
  • About Us
    • Programs
      • Overview
      • VetsWork Environment
      • VetsWork GreenCorps
      • Education Programs
      • Public Lands Stewards
    • About
      • Our Mission
      • Our Impact
      • Our Staff
      • The Board
      • Lodging
      • Program Partners
    • Our Members
      • VetsWork Environment Members
      • VetsWork GreenCorps Members
      • Public Lands Stewards Members
    • 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 Podcast
    • Dear Neighbor Project
    • Community Workshops
  • Blog
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Gift A Scholarship
    • Capital Campaign
    • Volunteer
Close
  • About Us
    • Programs
      • Overview
      • VetsWork Environment
      • VetsWork GreenCorps
      • Education Programs
      • Public Lands Stewards
    • About
      • Our Mission
      • Our Impact
      • Our Staff
      • The Board
      • Lodging
      • Program Partners
    • Our Members
      • VetsWork Environment Members
      • VetsWork GreenCorps Members
      • Public Lands Stewards Members
    • 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 Podcast
    • Dear Neighbor Project
    • Community Workshops
  • Blog
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Gift A Scholarship
    • Capital Campaign
    • Volunteer

Hello from the wetlands of West Eugene! I couldn’t be happier with my decision to join WREN (Willamette Resources & Educational Network) as their environmental education specialist.  When I first took on the job, I wasn’t so sure what to expect.  I was a little wary of being pushed out of my comfort zone and into a full-on leadership role, and I was especially wary of being an educational leader to an ecosystem I knew very little about!  The title “environmental education specialist” intimidated me. However, over the past month and a half of working here my tune has since changed and I have learned a lot and begun to feel more comfortable with the job title and its duties. I’m absorbing knowledge and experiences much like the wetland soil absorbs and retains water!

I joined WREN at a particularly busy time of the year for them when schools are still in session and teachers schedule tours of the wetlands with us almost daily. Since my start here, I have worked with over 500 students grades K-8! After shadowing a few tours, I began leading my own and quickly became accustomed to the trail and my tour guide spiel. It has been great for me to bust out of my comfort zone and regularly lead opening and closing circles of large groups and engage kids in wetland ecology. On our tours we look at frogs, snakes, soil, scat, plants, tracks, water flow, historical uses of the land and more. We change what we talk about during the tours depending on age and what the teacher has requested. Getting kids out of a classroom and into nature proves invaluable for their learning, and the teachers who come on our tours recognize this. Many teachers have remarked how certain “problem” students in the classroom seem to thrive when they come spend time with us outdoors at the wetlands. Sometimes all a kid needs is fresh air! It is so rewarding as a guide to hear children say, “Nature is so cool!” or “What a great place to learn!” or “The wetlands are full of so many cool things!” Daily, there are little rewarding nuggets such as these; reminders of why my work is important.

Beyond leading tours, I have been kept busy preparing for and running community outreach events. I helped design a paper bag puppet craft and tabled the annual Wildflower Festival where I interacted with the community and educated them on who WREN is and what we’re about. I am currently preparing crafts and outreach material for the upcoming Family Solstice event at the Natural History Museum and a Library Summer Reading Kick-Off event. It has been great connecting with the volunteers and other community members who regularly support or attend these events and others. So many of the volunteers are retired people with vast knowledge of the wetlands, environmental science, botany and beyond who generously share their time and expertise with WREN. I have learned so much from them in just the short time I have worked here, and have really enjoyed connecting with members of the community.

With the school year coming to a close, WREN’s tour season will end as well until the fall.  My summer months will be filled with BLM projects at various wetland sites, community library lessons for kids, monthly community wetland wanders, interpretive trail design and more! I have enjoyed this work so much in the short time I have been here. I look forward to the upcoming months of continued learning, personal growth and community connections.

‹ › ×

    Flickr Album Gallery Powered By: WP Frank

    Share

    FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest

    Leave a Reply / Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Join Our Mailing List

    Be sure to add your name to the roster, so we can send you latest news, jobs, events and resources.

    Make a Donation

    Make a Donation

    Recent Posts

    • VetsWork: Reflecting on the Year
    • VetsWork: Full Circle
    • VetsWork: A Transformative Experience
    • VetsWork: Opportunity During a Pandemic
    • Public Lands Stewards: Learning, Growth, and Good Times

    Categories

    • Bulletin
    • Cascade Mountain School
    • Fun & Miscellaneous
    • Mountain Talk
    • Public Lands Stewards
    • VetsWork Environment
    • VetsWork Greencorps

    Check Out Instagram

    View

    Jan 14

    Open
    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.
______________________________

#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
    46 8

    View

    Apr 19

    Open
    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
    33 1

    View

    Sep 28

    Open
    Topped out on #mtadams last weekend.  This feeling will never get old. #windyaf #mtadamsinstitute
    60 3

    View

    Aug 7

    Open
    Last week marked the end of our Mountain to Valley summer camp! For two weeks, students conducted meaningful ecological research while farming, backpacking, mountaineering, and camping. We hope that they left connected to themselves, with new skills and friends, and inspiration to become positive leaders and change makers in our world! #mtadamsinstitute #cascademountainschool #mountaintovalley #mtadams #troutlakevalley  #highschoolcamp #science #stewardship
    17 0

    View

    Jun 4

    Open
    Showing 5th graders how to set up their wetland samples so they can collect their macro invertebrates. 
#mai #LNFH #EntiatOutdoorSkillsDay #ENFH #americorp #mtadamsinstitute
    10 0
    Load More
    • Back to Blog
    • Prev
    • Next

    Mt. Adams Institute collaborates with the following partners:

    © Copyright 2017 Mt. Adams Institute. All rights reserved.
    Mt. Adams Institute is an equal opportunity employer.
    contact us | partnership inquiries | site credit