Haley Mountain

About me

Outside of school, I love to read if I get the chance, cook random meals with whatever I can find in the kitchen, and spent plenty of time with my lovely friends and family doing whatever strikes our fancy. I also love the Chuckanut Community Forest. It’s a place you could every day if you wanted, the muddy paths keep things interesting, and I love the history behind saving such a lovely place through community power.

Career plans

Right now, I’m most interested in forestry management or restoration work. As long as I’m planting, identifying, or saving trees, I’ll be happy!

Why I chose Western

I participated in the Westerns Scholars Invitational the summer before high school and stayed on campus for a couple days. I had no clue what I wanted to study and had done zero research on state colleges. Luckily, I was so enthralled with Western (and, honestly, all the green moss everywhere) that I knew it was the only place for me. That fall I took an ecology class, fell in love with the field, and applied to only Western.

My favorite professor

Peter Homann. I think I’ve taken every class he’s offered!

My favorite Huxley class/internship/project

My favorite Huxley class would have to be Forest Ecology (taught by David Wallin). It was the first lab class I took where we went into the field and were treated like adult scientists. Plus, the old growth stands around Bellingham are stunning. Also, my internships with NSEA have taught me so much about stream restoration, salmon, and handling mobs of children during field trips.