From Mangroves to Mountains: How a Kayak Trip in Florida Led Me to Mount St. Helens

My time as Education Coordinator with the Mt St Helens Institute actually started in south Florida in the Spring of 2023. Floating among mangroves, nurse sharks, and upside-down jellyfish I realized this could be my job. If only Spring 2023 Shelby knew just how far that thought would take her.

But first, a little background info about me. I was born and raised in the south Puget Sound area, less than an hour’s drive from Mount Rainier. I have three kids. Mathias, my oldest, is 16. Rhys, my middle, is 10 (almost 11). Lukas is my youngest at 5 (almost 6). I also have two cats–an orange domestic longhair named Peregrin “Pippin” Fluffybutt and a dollface persian named Meriadoc “Merry” Squishyface. I was a nerd in high school and never grew out of it. I love to play large group board/card games and miss the days when I had time to play Dungeons and Dragons. Music is a passion of mine and in the off-season I sing in a community choir. My hobbies include trying out new crafts, but never sticking with them long enough to actually get very good at them, and paddleboarding. My favorite movie is Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. My favorite book is Fahrenheit 451. My favorite fish is the rainbow trout. My favorite tree is a tie between the big leaf maple and the western hemlock. My favorite bird is an impossible choice, please don’t make me pick one.

Growing up, I always knew I wanted to teach, I just never could figure out what I wanted to teach. Instead of going to university, I had kids and spent much of my 20s as a single mom, in and out of college. During this time, I worked a variety of jobs from retail to food service to corporate desk work. Spring 2023 saw me looking to get away, just for a few days. The wanderlust took over and I booked a 7-day trip to the furthest place I could go without a passport: Florida. It was there, on a private kayak tour of Biscayne Bay National Park, where I caught the Environmental Education bug. I came back from my trip with unexpected clarity. I finally knew what I wanted to teach. A few weeks after my trip, I–on a whim–applied for an Education Coordinator role through AmeriCorps at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in Olympia. Without a college degree, I thought there was no chance I’d get the position. To my shock, I was offered the job. At the end of my AmeriCorps term, I was hired permanently as an Education Specialist, primarily coordinating larger-scale partnerships with school districts and community organizations, as well as doing more “back-end” type administrative work. While working at the refuge, I made the move to go back to school and am currently a part-time student at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, WA, pursuing a Direct Transfer Associates degree in Science.

During my time at the refuge, I quickly fell in love with Environmental Education and reaffirmed that it was where I wanted to be. I have a strong desire to leave a positive impact on the world and understand that the future of conservation is in the hands of our youth. My motto is “You can’t protect what you don’t love. You can’t love what you don’t know.” It is my reminder of the “Why?” for the work we do in conservation, in community outreach, and in education. Protecting these beautiful, vital public outdoor spaces starts with the sharing of knowledge.

My passion lies in connecting communities, especially youth and underrepresented groups, to the wilderness in their backyards (literally and further afield). I believe firmly in the power of community and I am most looking forward to building relationships with the communities in and around Mt St Helens and hearing their stories.

Five years ago, if anyone had asked me “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” the last possible answer would have been “Educating kids at an active volcano.” But here I sit. Typing this letter at 3000’ feet, 10 miles from one of the most active volcanoes in the Cascades region. And I feel so incredibly lucky to be here.