Partner Spotlight: Mount St. Helens Institute - outdoor school opportunities and more!
Guest post: This post was contributed by Alyssa Hoyt, Strategic Projects Director, Mount St. Helens Institute
The Mount St. Helens Institute (MSHI) has offered Volcano Outdoor School to students in southwest Washington and beyond since 2011. Its current educational programs include overnight school at the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater, day programs at the same site, virtual field trips, GeoGirls summer camp, summer Family Adventure Camp, and day programs around Mount St. Helens including Ape Cave, the Trail of Two Forests, the Mount St. Helens Visitor’s Center at Seaquest State Park, the Hummocks trail, and the Coldwater Ridge trail.
MSHI also offers free educator resources on its website, including a free NGSS-aligned integrated curriculum about geology, a volcano video series, links to local resources, and more.
MSHI is extremely excited about what the future holds for the organization. In 2020, MSHI created a Master Plan for the Coldwater campus that multiplies its ability to offer overnight outdoor school, offers accessible public camping inside the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument for the first time since the eruption, and expands local recreational opportunities in the area.
Plans are great, but what is most exciting is what is actually happening. MSHI has been working with local architects and has started fundraising for the first phase of development - expanded overnight school. Currently, MSHI uses bunkbeds inside the Science and Learning Center to sleep 30 individuals overnight. A new yurt village will allow 130 people to come stay overnight. When the yurts are not being used for outdoor school, they will be available to the public for overnight rental. MSHI is currently working on design work and hopes to break ground in late fall 2024.
Also in the works for this phase are additional staff housing and trails planning to build trail connections in the area. Summer of 2024 will bring weekend paddlesport rental to Coldwater Lake - come join MSHI for a paddle on a sunny summer day!
Future phases will build an accessible campground at Coldwater and remodel the Science and Learning Center into a world-class educational facility.
In addition to school education programs, MSHI offers dozens of guided programs throughout the year all around Mount St. Helens. MSHI offers everything from snowshoe adventures in the winter to summer summit hikes with a geologist, exclusive hikes into the crater of the volcano and mushroom foraging adventures in the fall. There is something for everyone!
MSHI’s volunteer program is an opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts to give back to their community. Volunteers with MSHI offer volcano interpretation at visitor’s centers, rove along popular hiking trails offering support and fun facts about the volcano, assist on MSHI’s guided programs, and build trails. Visit MSHI's website if you’re interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities for individuals or groups.
MSHI hopes to be a go-to source for all things Mount St. Helens. Its website includes regularly updated information about current mountain and road conditions, and MSHI communicates regularly through its Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram accounts.
MSHI hopes to see you on the mountain soon!
