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EXPERIENCE > LANDMARK PLACES > OREGON HATCHERY RESEARCH CENTER
When asked what the hardest part was for a 22-year-old working at a remote research center, Alex Powell thinks for a moment before replying.
“Well, there’s no cell phone service out here, and the internet doesn’t always work great. But mostly it just gets a little lonely,” he says. “But the summers here are really nice, which kind of makes up for everything… I hunt and fish, so it’s nice to be able to do that. In the Fall, this creek is open for trout fishing. There’s plenty of things to do if you like being outdoors.”
When asked what the hardest part was for a 22-year-old working at a remote research center, Alex Powell thinks for a moment before replying.
“Well, there’s no cell phone service out here, and the internet doesn’t always work great. But mostly it just gets a little lonely,” he says. “But the summers here are really nice, which kind of makes up for everything… I hunt and fish, so it’s nice to be able to do that. In the Fall, this creek is open for trout fishing. There’s plenty of things to do if you like being outdoors.”
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Life at the Oregon Hatchery Research Center: Meet Alex Powell, a 22-year-old employee with the Oregon Hatchery Research Center. This is his story of what it's like to live and work in a fascinating but very rural facility along the banks of the Fall Creek.
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The rural life may not be for everyone, but Alex finds enjoyment not only with the beauty of the Coast Range Mountains, but also with the various science experiments conducted at the Oregon Hatchery Research Center (OHRC).
“I really like it here because we have such a variety of jobs,” Alex said. “We’re always having to figure out how we’re going to build something or do something more efficiently. Since I’ve been here, we’ve started three new projects, we’ve built bridges, we updated intakes… I love that variety.”
Alex has always been interested in working with wildlife and animals. In high school, he participated in the Future Farmers of America program and initially wanted to be a veterinarian. But when he started volunteering with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), he found his calling. Taking the advice of his ODFW colleagues, Alex completed a two-year fisheries technology course at Mount Hood Community College and was hired on by OHRC right after graduation.
Beyond a formal education, Alex stresses that volunteer work is an important step for teens looking to break into any kind of work. Alex credits his volunteer work as part of the reason he landed a job at OHRC.
“If you were to work or volunteer here, you’d definitely get to experience things you’d never see anywhere else,” Alex said. “Those experiences are so valuable, and they could lead to a job later.”
OHRC is located at 2418 E Fall Creek Road, Alsea, Oregon. The center can be contacted at (541) 487-5510 and more information is available by clicking here. The center is jointly operated by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Oregon State University’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.
“I really like it here because we have such a variety of jobs,” Alex said. “We’re always having to figure out how we’re going to build something or do something more efficiently. Since I’ve been here, we’ve started three new projects, we’ve built bridges, we updated intakes… I love that variety.”
Alex has always been interested in working with wildlife and animals. In high school, he participated in the Future Farmers of America program and initially wanted to be a veterinarian. But when he started volunteering with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), he found his calling. Taking the advice of his ODFW colleagues, Alex completed a two-year fisheries technology course at Mount Hood Community College and was hired on by OHRC right after graduation.
Beyond a formal education, Alex stresses that volunteer work is an important step for teens looking to break into any kind of work. Alex credits his volunteer work as part of the reason he landed a job at OHRC.
“If you were to work or volunteer here, you’d definitely get to experience things you’d never see anywhere else,” Alex said. “Those experiences are so valuable, and they could lead to a job later.”
OHRC is located at 2418 E Fall Creek Road, Alsea, Oregon. The center can be contacted at (541) 487-5510 and more information is available by clicking here. The center is jointly operated by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Oregon State University’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.
