Study Natural Resources at MHCC

Photo by Marissa Ellsworth

Hiding in plain sight is a program at Mt. Hood that exists for those with a deep love of nature. I’m sure if you’ve spent any time on campus, you’ve passed our hallways, spotted our study groups, and have seen our teachers. Yet for most students here on the Gresham campus, Natural Resources Technology (NRT) is not a program they have heard of. So, let me bring you into the world of NRT.

I have always loved the natural world but never thought I could incorporate that into my future career. Instead, when I first arrived at MHCC, I wanted to get enough applicable credits to transfer to a four-year university to pursue a teaching degree. Like most other students, I had not heard of the NRT program.

It was by a stroke of luck that my algebra class was moved, halfway through the term, right in front of a giant display set out by the NRT staff. I remember feeling a spark of excitement as I looked over the different specimens on display, including a beautiful taxidermy owl. I found myself heading to the Library and excitedly googling “MHCC Natural Resources degree.” By the end of the day, I had changed my major: I was going to be an NRT student.

This program is best summed up by its mission statement: “… (T)o provide a comprehensive, field-oriented education in the technical applications of sustainable natural resources management.”

Classes range from wilderness survival, where its instructor teaches how to navigate the backcountry and build fires, to tree and shrub identification, where students learn how to differentiate different species of cedars, pines, sequoia, and more. I went into tree and shrub ID coursework mixing up firs and pines and left with a newfound appreciation for the plants I once had never even noticed.

In my wildland fire class, we hiked the Eagle Creek Trail (a trip I recommend to anyone who enjoys hiking) until we were overlooking the very spot where the fire had been started. Standing up there, looking out towards the Eagle Creek hundreds of feet below, surrounded by trees scarred from the fire but alive with fervor… fundamentally changed something in me. At that moment, panting and sweating from the hike, my love for nature and the NRT program were solidified.

The program is open-entry, meaning that anyone can join and the competitive nature (no pun intended) inherent to other programs does not exist. In fact, some classes, such as the previously mentioned wilderness survival class, are open to all students. If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to use a compass mirror to signal miles away, wilderness survival is a great PE credit course. Other classes available to NRT students include Forest Insects and Diseases; Forest Botany; Mammals: Biology and Techniques; Outdoor Recreation; and there are so many more.

I want more students to know this amazing program exists. If more students knew how close they were every day to classrooms where I learned about the resilience and complexities of the natural world, I think the program would be one of the most popular at Mt. Hood.

The program is led by compassionate professionals who love what they do, teaching students who have created a community based on support and success. The NRT program is a hidden gem here at MHCC, just waiting to be found.