Winter tracking, new programs, Science and Learning Center winter closure
If you're having trouble viewing this email, you can see it online.
Rumblings%20Logo.jpg

Mount St. Helens Institute e-News

Mount St. Helens in the winter from above the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater

December 12, 2024

Winter has arrived at Mount St. Helens! Whether you are heading into the Gifford Pinchot National Forest to cut a holiday tree, climbing Mount St. Helens' winter route, or going out to ski or snowshoe, make sure to check conditions before you head out and be prepared for winter weather. 

In today's edition of Rumblings, you'll find:

  • Winter tracking: deer and elk
  • How to get a spot on an MSHI guided adventures
  • What is Volcano Naturalist certification? 
  • Science and Learning Center at Coldwater - last weekend for the winter!
  • Outdoor School: another successful season at Mount St. Helens!

Our guided adventures registrations are open! Sign up for a 2025 snowshoe hike, into the crater trek, or field photography workshop today! Our programs make great holiday gifts.

line.png

Winter Tracking
Deer and elk hoof prints
elk in front of Mount St. Helens

You're heading out on a winter hike at Mount St. Helens and you see hoof prints in the snow. How can you tell if the prints are from a deer or an elk? Look closely for clues that will help you identify them. This simplified guide can help you identify what you are seeing. As always, be careful around wildlife! 

  1. Shape. 

Both deer and elk have cloven hooves. This means that each hoof is divided into two parts.  A deer hoof print looks more like a pair of teardrops: they are pointed on the front end:

Deer hoof print in sand

Elk hoof prints look more like a pair of mirror-image half circles. They tend to be rounded on the front end.

elk hoof prints in mud

 

2. Size.

Adult elk tracks are generally larger than a deer's tracks. Elk hoof prints are around 4" (10 cm) long and wide, while deer tracks are generally 2-3" long and much narrower. 

elk hoof print in the snow with man's shoe for scale

 

Other things to notice:

  • How many animals do you think were in the group? Sometimes a single animal will put its rear hoof into its front hoof print, making it look like there are fewer prints. 
  • Prints change depending on the speed the animal was traveling and the type of ground, or substrate, the animal was walking on. The faster the animal is moving, the harder the impact and the more splayed a hoof print may look. What type of ground was the animal stepping on? Was it muddy, sandy, or grassy?

Hoof prints are fun to look for in the mud and the snow. Take a close look next time you are at Mount St. Helens! 

line.png
 
Registration is Open for Guided
Adventures at Mount St. Helens!
people snowshoeing between snow laden trees

The 2025 season of Guided Adventures from February through October is open for registration!  We have worked diligently to analyze feedback from participants, guides and volunteers to develop an expanded and innovative inventory of safe, accessible, exciting and educational guided adventures all over the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and Gifford Pinchot National Forest. 

NEW for 2025: 

  • more summit climbs, eruption hikes, and crater glacier overlook hikes with guest geologist 
  • a marvelous series of seasonal photography seminars with Winter, Summer and Autumn photography hikes

We are proud to offer adventures for a wide range of experience and fitness levels. The full slate of guided adventures is available at https://www.mshinstitute.org/explore/.  For questions about our programming, contact explore@mshinstitute.org or call (360) 207-1675.  

 

 

people hiking to the top of Mount St. Helens in the snow

 

line.png

Volcano Naturalist Program
Registration Now Open!
VNP%20Collage%204%20images.png
Registration is open for the 2025 Volcano Naturalist Program! In this 12-week course, participants explore all aspects of Mount St. Helens' geological, biological, and cultural history, learning from experts in the field. This year the program will be held virtually on Tuesday evenings from February 4 through April 29, plus three optional weekend field trips. 
 
line.png
Winter Hours at the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater
4580B3FE-35AE-4C07-998B-59644FBB8B0C.png

 Photo Credit: Ian Reed, MSHI

This weekend is the last weekend to visit the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater in 2024. It will be open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm through December 15 and reopen in mid-May 2025. While the Science and Learning Center is closed, there is still lots to do on the north side of the mountain! People can still hike the Hummocks, paddle Coldwater Lake, or enjoy the view from Elk Rock viewpoint. The Washington Department of Transportation plows the road to the Hummocks trail, Highway 504, regularly but if there is a snowstorm in the valley, there will be a delay in plowing the highway. 
 
line.png

Outdoor School 2024:

Another Successful Season! 

Our 2024 outdoor school season was an incredible record breaking year. Our staff team included multiple returning staff members (a huge measure of success) and several new fantastic educators. We served over 1800 students for day and overnight field trips with over 10,000 hours of outdoor learning. Many schools and youth serving nonprofits that came to us for field trips in 2024 are scheduled to return in 2025! Our seasonal cook Chef Celia who started in June 2024 was a fantastic fit and is excited to potentially return next year - the first returning cook staff we've had in our history of overnight school programs!
13_06_2024_Welcome%20to%20the%20SLC_Salma%20Macias%20MSHI%20staff.JPG

 Photo Credit: Salma Macias, MSHI

Registration for our 2025 outdoor school programs and winter snowshoe trips is open, and our calendar for spring 2025 is almost full! Find more information about our school programs on our Volcano Outdoor School and youth winter adventures website pages. Financial assistance is available for all in person field trips. We serve grades 2-12 attending public, private, and home schools from April through October. Share the information so a child you know can attend outdoor school at Mount St. Helens in 2025! 
 

 

 

2-2024_Youth%20Snowshoe_UNP%20BBBS_Photo%20by%20participants5.png

For the past 4 years, our education team has responded to letters from a 4th grade class in Indiana who learn about the eruption of Mount St. Helens. Here's a photo of the students from Woodville Elementary school with their handwritten letter responses from October 2024 :) 

2024%20Outreach%20Indiana%20classroom%20letters.jpeg
 
 
line.png

We can't do what we do without you!

The Mount St. Helens Institute is a nonprofit that relies on the support of people like you – people who care about Mount St. Helens, youth education, outdoor adventure, and stewardship of amazing landscapes. Support our work today with an end of year donation. 
 

 

Thank you! 
line.png
Land Acknowledgement
MSHI operates under a special use permit from the US Forest Service and is honored to work on the Traditional Cultural Property, ancestral and present day lands of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation.
 
Interested in learning more? 
 

Thanks for reading. Please contact us if you have any questions about this issue of Rumblings. We hope to see you on the mountain!
This email was sent to kalamatim@gmail.com. Click here to unsubscribe.