Mount St Helens Institute

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Mount St Helens Institute Come explore the Mount St. Helens landscape with us! Learn more at mshinstitute.org

The Mount St.

Helens Institute operates under a special use permit from the US Forest Service and is an equal opportunity provider.

We're kicking off Earth Science Week with a bang! that on October 11, 2004, spines of solid lava punctured the surface...
10/11/2026

We're kicking off Earth Science Week with a bang! that on October 11, 2004, spines of solid lava punctured the surface of Crater Glacier at Mount St. Helens?

Thermal imaging revealed a massive fin-shaped rock spine - approximately 30 m high and 60 m long with a maximum temperature of 580°C - at the vent, marking the start of a new dome-building phase.

Given the potential hazards, the USGS moved quickly to develop new monitoring techniques utilizing advances in digital technology. Self-contained instrument packages known as "spiders" were lowered directly into critical areas by helicopter, transmitting near real-time data on seismicity, ground movement, and volcanic gases to the Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington.

Mount St. Helens is still the most monitored (and active!) volcano in the Cascade Range. The extensive array of instruments maintained by the USGS continues to refine our understanding of how volcanoes work.

Explore the network and live data here: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mount-st.-helens.

Keep an eye out this week as we share more about the ongoing research at Mount St Helens!

Photo Credit: Jon Major, USGS

How do mushrooms stay in touch? On their myceli-phones! 🍄📱Bad jokes aside, the world beneath our feet is fascinating. Th...
10/09/2026

How do mushrooms stay in touch? On their myceli-phones! 🍄📱Bad jokes aside, the world beneath our feet is fascinating.

The mushrooms we find on our forays are just the tip of the iceberg - these visible fruiting bodies are part of a vast underground fungal network called mycelium. This living "web" plays a vital role in both forest communications and resource sharing.

Find out more about mycelium:

🌲 National Forest Foundation: nationalforests.org/article/underground-mycorrhizal-network
📺 PBS: The Green Planet: youtu.be/iMMkEXvkMUU?si=9nNtZdaBOSexOJXA
🌍 Kew Gardens: kew.org/read-and-watch/fungi-hidden-dimension

Photo Credit: Matt D'Agrosa (MSHI Guide), Ralf Wiegand, and Kassie Swenson (MSHI Volunteers)

Who wants to build Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs)? 🙋🏻‍♀️ Habitat restoration doesn't have to involve costly high-tech solutio...
10/09/2026

Who wants to build Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs)? 🙋🏻‍♀️ Habitat restoration doesn't have to involve costly high-tech solutions. Community helpers can make a REAL difference with simple interventions that mimic natural processes and support healthy ecosystems.

We're partnering with the Lower Columbia Fish Enhancement Group and Cascade Forest Conservancy for a special volunteer opportunity. Come explore a unique part of the Mount St. Helens landscape and help restore Bear Creek!

BDAs slow the flow of water, reduce stream bank erosion, and improve habitat habitat for fish. These simple structures are built with natural materials such as wooden posts, weave material (typically willow, spruce, or other on-site vegetation), gravel, mud, wood chips, and sod. All you need is teamwork and a willingness to get stuck in!

Find out more and sign up: https://www.lcfeg.org/volunteer-opportunities.

📷 Bear Creek (LCFEG)

Happy DAF Day! DAFs, or Donor Advised Funds, are an investment tool that benefits both the donor and their preferred non...
10/08/2026

Happy DAF Day! DAFs, or Donor Advised Funds, are an investment tool that benefits both the donor and their preferred nonprofits. Donors put money into their fund, receive the tax benefits immediately, and the fund can continue to gain interest until the donor distributes funds to qualified nonprofits.

As a nonprofit organization, MSHI can receive funds from your DAF! Your donation supports education, science, exploration, and stewardship at Mount St. Helens.

Join thousands of others today as they designate DAF funds to support nonprofits around the country. To support MSHI, log in to your DAF account and search for Mount St. Helens Institute, tax ID 91-1569993.

➡️ Don't have a DAF? DAFs are available on a variety of platforms including major financial institutions (Fidelity, Vanguard, DAFGiving360, etc.), local community foundations, and tech-forward DAFs (Daffy, Ren, etc.)

Have you noticed this specimen among the pumice at Mount St. Helens? Partridgefoot (Luetkea pectinata) is actually a mem...
10/07/2026

Have you noticed this specimen among the pumice at Mount St. Helens? Partridgefoot (Luetkea pectinata) is actually a member of the rose family!

This ground-trailing evergreen plant is commonly found in sandy soil in moist or shady areas such as scree slopes, which are covered with small, loose stones. It has crowded, thick basal tufts of fan-shaped leaves, and in the summer, flowers in dense white blooms on the end of an upright leafy stem.

Partridgefoot’s woody base is too short to qualify it as a shrub but too ligneous to be an herb, so botanists classify it as a subshrub or semi-shrub. Individual clusters of basal leaves are connected at or below ground level by woody rhizomes and stolons, allowing it to form extensive, bright green mats. This ability to spread by rhizomes is an important adaptation for growing in late snowmelt areas where the growing season may be too short for flowering and fruit ripening.

What's your favorite plant at Mount St. Helens?

Source: Washington Native Plant Society (wnps.org) / US Forest Service

Photo credit: Diane Routt

We're counting down the days until Boots & Bow Ties - got your outfit dialed in yet? 🥾🎉We want to extend a special thank...
10/06/2026

We're counting down the days until Boots & Bow Ties - got your outfit dialed in yet? 🥾🎉

We want to extend a special thanks to Sauer Holdings and the Three Rivers Recreational Area for sponsoring this event. Their generous support for our annual gala powers our mission to expand outdoor education and exploration of volcanic landscapes. 🌋

See you all on Saturday! Didn't snag a ticket? You can still support our work by making a donation: https://mshi.ejoinme.org/Support26

On this day in 2004, at 09:05 PDT, there was another phreatic (steam-driven) explosion at Mount St. Helens - a 70-minute...
10/05/2026

On this day in 2004, at 09:05 PDT, there was another phreatic (steam-driven) explosion at Mount St. Helens - a 70-minute-long emission of water v***r and ash rising to an altitude of 4,500 m. The ash plume was visible on Doppler weather radar!

Five steam and ash explosions have now occurred in this eruption phase, with three producing noticeable fallout of fine ash downwind. Only the ashfall of October 5 affected populated areas, with a light dusting of ash extended downwind (NNE) as much as 60 miles to the northeast part of Mount Rainier National Park.

The size and frequency of earthquakes dropped following the first four explosions, but in each case built back within hours to pre-explosion levels. The level of earthquake activity dropped a final time after the largest explosion on October 5, 2004 - the volcano is settling into a quieter phase of activity... watch this space to find out the next development!🌋

Source: USGS / Photo credit: Steve Schilling

We're getting big fall vibes at Mount St. Helens. Want to capture autumn foliage and level up your camerawork? There are...
10/04/2026

We're getting big fall vibes at Mount St. Helens. Want to capture autumn foliage and level up your camerawork? There are just three spots left for our Autumn Photography Hike on Sunday, October 18!

👉 Register now at mshinstitute.org/events/photo-101826

: On this day in 2004, a 22-minute-long steam and ash emission (to an altitude of 3,700 m) occurred mid-morning. The vent area was a bubbling lake, and visual observations noted tens of meters of uplift of Crater Glacier. Magma was at a shallow level and could soon reach surface - there was an increased likelihood of larger steam and ash emissions. Gas flights also detected carbon dioxide and low levels of hydrogen sulfide.

Photo Credit: MSHI Volunteer Alice Chang

MSHI Education Coordinator Shelby was at the Lower Columbia Nature Network's "Take Learning Outside" kick-off event at R...
10/03/2026

MSHI Education Coordinator Shelby was at the Lower Columbia Nature Network's "Take Learning Outside" kick-off event at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge!

helps foster relationships between organizations focused on environmental education and teachers seeking meaningful connections for students in their communities.

As a community partner, Shelby hosted a table and shared how MSHI's Volcano Outdoor School program can supplement in-class learning. She also listened as teachers described hurdles to getting students outside. Through these discussions, our program is able to identify ways we can better support in-class learning and lower barriers to access outdoor education. Networking events such as these are essential to the ongoing success of our field trips at the volcano!

: On this day in 2004, seismicity remained high with a 25-minute low-frequency tremor starting at 02:50 PDT and magnitude 3 earthquakes occurring at a rate of one every 5 minutes. There were additional explosions late in the day alongside large-scale uplift and fracturing of Crater Glacier!

Address

42218 NE Yale Bridge Road
Amboy, WA
98601

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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+13604497883

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