The Continued Impact of Encore Fellows

When Lee Rosenbaum retired from Intel, he decided to expand his volunteer work as a trail host for the Mount St. Helens Institute (MSHI) through the Encore Fellows Program. When he made the institute aware of the fellows program, he found that they were in need of an online image database so staff could find images for their work more readily. A match between the institute and Lee was made.

The MSHI connects people of all ages to the mountain and our natural world through educational programming designed to enrich visitors’ appreciation and understanding of the Pacific Northwest’s youngest most active volcano.

During Lee’s fellowship, he helped the MSHI select a Digital Asset Management tool and defined the directory structure, rating criteria, and keyword vocabulary. He also created a User’s Guide and Cheat Sheet and then rolled the tool out to the institute’s staff. . . all while working remotely during Covid. The new system greatly improves the MSHI’s ability to efficiently manage images and videos for now and into the future.

The result? “Lee's contribution will allow us to share the stories of children and adults who connected with nature while at Mount St. Helens. Through sharing these stories, we are able to raise funds to ensure that all people regardless of background or income have the opportunity to learn from and explore public lands. It allows students and adults to see themselves in the landscape before they arrive. It allows us to tell the stories of the place so that people can more easily understand the science and social impact of the landscape,” sums up Abigail Groskopf, Programs Director at MSHI.