The 2025 program will run from February 4th - April 29th. The program will be held virtually on Zoom, along with three optional in-person field trips.

• Virtual Evening Classes: Every Tuesday from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM PST
  • We’ve taken extra steps to ensure virtual classes are engaging, informative, and enjoyable.
  • You can sign up no matter where you live!
  • We will have one Tuesday "off" from class, announced at the start of the course.
• Optional In-Person Field Trips: Due to our large class size, some field trips will be held twice to keep groups to a manageable size. Participants select field trip date assignments after registration.
  • Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake: Saturday, February 15th (This field trip is only offered once, and the whole group will be together.)
  • Ape Cave Snowshoe: Saturday, March 1st OR Sunday, March 2nd
  • Hummocks Trail: Saturday, April 26th OR Sunday, April 27th

• Registration fee: $500.
  • Registration fee includes course materials and book mailed to participants before the program begins.
• Registration opens Friday, November 15th at 8:00 AM PST.
• Registration closes Tuesday, January 21st at 11:59 PM PST.

In order to register efficiently, you can prepare ahead of time with these steps:

• Review all course details and requirements on this page.
• Choose a book to select at registration. Each participant receives one book from our list, mailed to you before the course begins along with your participant packet. See book options below under "course materials."
• Be prepared with payment information, as well as contact information and mailing address for each person you are registering.
• After registration, participants will receive a confirmation email including an invitation to select field trip dates. Complete the form ASAP to secure your preferred field trip dates.

• Anyone who is interested in learning more about Mount St. Helens is welcome to register as a participant. No prior knowledge of natural history is needed by participants; all that is needed is a willingness to learn.
• Participants must be at least 14* years of age.
  • *Participants between the ages of 14-17 must be accompanied by an adult parent or guardian for in-person field trips.
• Participants must provide their own device and internet connection to participate in virtual classes.
• Field trip requirements:
  • Participants must be able to walk 3 miles on uneven, unpaved surface while carrying 10 lbs, and must provide their own transportation to and from the site.
  • Participants must follow MSHI's current program policies for in-person programming.

Volcano Naturalists must complete a minimum of 30 hours of live virtual classroom instruction (not including field trips) to receive their certification. Participants must attend sessions in real time to receive credit. Participants who need to miss more than two classes should contact the facilitator before registering to make sure that they will meet the minimum hour requirements.

Volunteering is NOT a requirement for participation in this course, but participants are welcomed and encouraged to become MSHI volunteers if they wish

Mount St. Helens Institute volunteers support education, safety, and stewardship of Mount St. Helens in a variety of exciting assignments, which are flexible as far as interest, ability, and availability. Learn more about volunteer opportunities with the Mount St. Helens Institute online here.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify the geological and ecological forces of Mount St. Helens.
• Describe the nature of Mount St. Helens’ dynamic landscape.
• Relate the natural and cultural history of Mount St. Helens to others using interpretive methods.

Before the course begins, participants will receive a packet in the mail with printed reference materials for the course. Participants will also receive one book of their choice, selected during registration. Book choices include:

• In the Blast Zone: Catastrophe and Renewal on Mount St. Helens edited by Charles Goodrich, Kathleen Dean Moore & Fred Swanson
• Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens by Steve Olson
• Echoes of Fury: The 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens and the Lives it Changed Forever by Frank Parchman
• In the Path of Destruction: Eyewitness Chronicles of Mount St. Helens by Richard Waitt
• After the Blast: The Ecological Recovery of Mount St. Helens by Eric Wagner
• Day Hiking Mount St. Helens by Craig Romano & Aaron Theisen
• Cascadia Revealed: A Guide to the Plants, Animals & Geology of the Pacific Northwest Mountains by Daniel Mathews
• Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast by Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon

Upon successful completion of the program, participants will also receive a "Certified Volcano Naturalist" certificate, sticker, and patch.

Participants will also have access to a course website with links, resources, slides, and video recordings of online classes (when available). Not all class sessions are recorded, at the discretion of each guest presenter. The course website will remain accessible through the end of the calendar year.