‘A unique and powerful story’

Since 1996, scientists, researchers, staff and volunteers at Mount St. Helens Institute have been working to educate students and visitors about the mountain’s unique volcanic landscape. Despite recent staffing and budget cuts at the U.S. Forest Service, which oversees management and operations of the national monument, the institute remains committed to providing educational resources to visitors.

“We’re really focusing on making sure that we’re continuing to bring high-quality programming to youth with our science education programs, to visitors to the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument with our guided adventures, and that our volunteers are well-trained and able to support visitors while they’re visiting the monument,” said Alyssa Hoyt, co-executive director for the institute.

Sunday marked the 45th anniversary of Mount St. Helens’ last major eruption, the most devastating volcanic eruption in U.S. history. The eruption took the lives of an estimated 57 people, flattened hundreds of square miles of forest and caused $1 billion in damage (equivalent to about $3.5 billion today).

The staff at Mount St. Helens Institute are working to educate visitors on what happened not just that day but also the days leading up to and following the 1980 eruption. Sarah Koppelman, director of development and community engagement for the institute, knows firsthand how transformative a visit to Mount St. Helens can be. Growing up in Kansas, she had never seen a volcano in person.

“I love nature, but I’ve never really had a close relationship with a place before. On a whim, I came out to Mount St. Helens for a summer internship 15 years ago and seeing this place completely blew my mind,” she said. “It hooked me and made me want to care about not only this landscape, but about the planet more generally. Mount St. Helens has such a unique and powerful story.”

Koppelman said being able to see the natural process of geology and ecology play out in a few years rather than millennia is something people can understand and connect with.

Mount St. Helens Institute boasts some impressive stats. According to its 2024 annual report, its youth education programs reached 2,203 students who spent 13,060 hours learning. Community education programs had 246 participants with 69 new certified volcano naturalists. Expert guides, scientists and volunteer stewards led 480 participants on 3,746 miles of hiking. Throughout the year, the institute had 321 volunteers serve 11,081 hours and engage with 54,382 visitors.

Federal cuts, however, have affected the institute’s Coldwater project. In 2022, Mount St. Helens Institute obtained a federal permit to develop outdoor camping, learning and stargazing opportunities at the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater (formerly known as Coldwater Ridge Visitors Center). Plans to revitalize the aging center include overnight camping, cabins and a lodge.

“This year, we are continuing to move forward in ways that make sense. We’re continuing to work really closely with the U.S. Forest Service. We expected to put a yurt up there this summer. We’ve got some grant funding for that, but we’re making sure that we’re proceeding in a really smart way, given all the changes that are going on in the federal government,” Hoyt said.

Because of the uncertainty, she said the institute won’t be asking for any big changes this year and will instead keep things on hold.

When it comes to ensuring visitors still get to enjoy and learn about the national monument, Hoyt said Forest Service staff are as committed as institute staff and volunteers.

“They’re dedicated to caring for this place that feels really important to them, and it has a story to tell that reflects our experience of devastation and regrowth and rebirth, and this hope that exists throughout humanity,” Hoyt said. “As a partner, we are standing by, ready to support in whatever ways are helpful for them.”

“Many of our volunteers are joint Mount St. Helens Institute/U.S. Forest Service volunteers,” Koppelman said.

But staffing and budget cuts aren’t the only challenges Mount St. Helens Institute has faced. The mountain itself created an obstacle in the form of a landslide in 2023 that cut off access to part of Spirit Lake Highway and the Johnston Ridge Observatory.

“Since the landslide cut off access to Johnston Ridge two years ago, the Science and Learning Center (at Coldwater) had been our home for our youth education programs. But since then, the visitor center (in Castle Rock) is reopening to the public,” Koppelman said. “It will once again operate as a public visitor center this summer so we’re sharing the space.”

One way institute staff and volunteers will help is by keeping the popular Ape Cave Interpretive Site open. Even before the recent cuts, the Forest Service decided not to hire seasonal recreation staff for 2025. That means some smaller sites, like the Cascade Peaks and Bear Meadow interpretive site on the east side of Mount St. Helens, may not be staffed or have facilities open to the public.

“That’s usually something that is heavily supported by seasonal staff members of the Forest Service. We are doing a special training for our volunteers so that they can better serve at Ape Cave so we can continue to provide great visitor experiences at that location,” Hoyt said.

About the project: Community Funded Journalism is a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation that is funded by community member donations including The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation. The Columbian maintains editorial control over all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.