Tom Oliver

HOUGHTON — The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge has announced the promotion of Thomas (Tom) Oliver to Events and Education Lead. Oliver has been working with the lodge in the outdoor activity center since June and will now be responsible for developing and fostering educational opportunities and recruiting, organizing and leading events held at the lodge and with lodge partners.

Oliver has worked in the fields of education and ecology for three decades.

“His experiences in those fields have taken him around the world and developed his interpersonal skills, his understanding of cultural diversity, and have complemented his knowledge in the natural sciences,” officials said in a news release. “Working at the lodge is another opportunity for Tom to continue his interests in outdoor activities, ecology, and education in his native environment. Tom’s background as an Upper Peninsula native and world traveler (having lived in Europe and Asia) will also help him further the educational philosophy and activities in line with the values of the Lodge.”

When asked about what brought him to the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, Oliver said:

“Since I was a child, nature and wildlife have always been my deepest passions – the things which drive me. I was introduced to the outdoors through my family’s activities, including hunting, fishing, land management, and camping. Those activities drew me to pursue a wide array of outdoor recreations, including hiking, backpacking, rock-climbing, canoeing and kayaking, photography, and birding. In turn, all of those interests finally led me to study wildlife ecology and then into a career as a wildlife biologist. However, over time, I discovered that if I truly wanted to have a positive impact on conservation issues, it would be through education, especially for people who have seemingly become disconnected from what we consider ‘the natural world.’ Through educational experiences and activities, people realize how natural resource use and ecosystems affect each other and themselves. Here at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, guests are fully immersed in the rich history and ecology of the area and that triggers their interest in those topics. Being available to create programs, coordinate events, and generally answer questions for guests makes my role at the lodge a great match with my personal background and interests.”

Oliver has already spent the last year incorporating education into activities at the lodge. When he led the Morning Miles hikes during last summer, he would explain to participants how to identify wildlife and plants, point out unique geologic features, and discuss the regional history. This has carried over into the winter for the moonlit snowshoe hikes. He also took the leadership with the photo workshops that the lodge started last year, and infused more educational components into them. He is working on building out the nature trail at the lodge, which will offer guests an option for hiking along a self-guided footpath that contains information about the environment that surrounds them. This winter he started the annual Snowshoe Hare event, which celebrates snowshoeing in the Keweenaw. During the event participants were able to compare traditional and modern snowshoes onsite, join in a snowshoe race, attend a seminar about snowshoe hare ecology, learn about mindfulness as part of snowshoeing, snowshoe by moonlight, and try Hasenpfeffer, a German spiced rabbit stew.

For those who are interested in scheduling any events or if those who would like to learn more about educational opportunities available at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, contact Oliver directly at tom@keweenawresort.com or by telephone at 906-289-4403, ext 2.