Holly Weiss-Racine, CPG
I am a Geologist and Outreach Coordinator with the Cascades Volcano Observatory. I work in partnership with public officials, emergency planners, media, park interpreters, and educators to advance the cause of volcano preparedness.
As the CVO outreach coordinator for preparedness planning, I engage with federal, tribal, state, local officials and the public to keep emergency planning strategies and documents current and relevant to the communities they serve. Particularly, those communities near the eight Very High Threat Potential* volcanoes in Washington and Oregon. I also represent CVO on teams and working groups addressing topics like road closures impacting access to monitoring equipment, sediment retention and management at Mount St. Helens post-1980, developing long-term meaningful tribal engagement, and others. With a background in NEPA and Permitting, I also assist in the environmental planning process for the installation and maintenance of CVO’s network of monitoring equipment, located within some of our nation’s iconic public lands here in the Pacific Northwest. I assist with outreach education to park interpreters, educators and students to build a coalition of stewards that amplify CVO's messages of understanding hazards and disaster preparedness. As a public face of CVO, during times of increased volcanic unrest, I assist with media response and relay important messages to the communities we serve. My goal is to foster meaningful relationships with partners and the public, so we are ready to act when the next event occurs.
*This ranking was developed as a part of the National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS). Learn more here: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/national-volcano-early-warning-system-monitoring-volcanoes-according-their-threat
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government