Hey, what’s up? My name is Spencer Sorensen. I was born and raised in Blackfoot, Idaho, the designated “Potato Capitol of the World”. It’s a great town in the Snake River Valley with a lot of agriculture industry. I grew up spending a lot of time outside exploring the high mountain desert that surrounds my town, and the hills and mountains near by. I enjoyed being a part of The Boy Scouts of America all throughout my youth, which fostered a great respect and love of the outdoors, and I eventually earned the rank of Eagle Scout. After high school I joined Northwest Youth Corps out of Eugene, Oregon, and worked on a trail crew in Idaho and Washington, which I liked immensely, and which cemented for me, a devotion to working and learning in connection with nature.

I served for six years in the Idaho Army National Guard. I think I benefited a lot from my time in the military. I got to experience a level of competiveness and professionalism, which is unique to a military experience. That part of my life has served me well, and better prepared me for jobs I’ve held in civilian life.

When I learned about the VetsWork Americorps Program out of the Mount Adam’s Institute I was excited about the prospect of working outside again. I’ve tried many times, without any success, to get a job with The Forest Service, The National Park Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. The Vetswork Program has given me a great opportunity to intern with Tony a King, the archeologist in the North Zone of the Wallowa-­‐Whitman National Forest. I’ll be working with him to identify and document structures that have historical significance, so that the Forest Service can designate resources to preserve and use some of these buildings in the area. This is the perfect job for me. I hope to use this experience as a stepping-­‐stone to a career involving preservation, conservation, and public learning about historical sites and buildings. So, needless to say, I’m pretty psyched about this position, especially because I get to be outside for most of my work. I think it will be a great year.