Connect a child to Nature through a Week of Camp!

This fall, we have all enjoyed watching the forests change from bright green foliage to bare brown and grey branches. With the relief from the summer heat comes the reminder to get ready for winter. Observing wildlife prepare for the upcoming cold shows us the value of the survival skills we practice such as building shelters and fires as well as whittling and plant identification.

During one of our homeschool programs, our counselors and homeschooler walked by this mysterious plant with tons of purple berries on them.  While filling up water bottles, many of the homeschoolers talked about seeing this purple berry plant in their yard or in a park by their home. One camper pointed out, "I've noticed this type of bush before many times!" Practicing observational skills is something we take pride in. One of our counselors, Kelsey, had a chance to teach about mystery plant: The American Beautyberry! It is usually used as an insect repellent, but the berries are also used to make a jelly. Eamon, a homeschooler who loves to sample edible plants, had the chance to learn that the berries taste pretty bitter by themselves; we hope to make a jelly out of the plant in the future.

As fall started to feel more like winter, the appreciation for fire grew as it warmed our souls and brought us all together. Your support helps to foster that sense of community at our camps. Our teen Counselors In Training (CITs) have had plenty of practice over the years building fires and even help younger campers develop the skill. At camp, we allow older campers the opportunity to learn leadership through teaching those with less experience. Fire building is one of the skills we learn at camp that allows an individual to feel independent and demonstrate responsibility.

Avery, a homeschooler who has participated with the homeschool community as a kid, is now a teenager who works with one of our homeschool groups.  He has a drive to teach others what he has been taught about fire building, and has started fires in cold and wet conditions. Once we get a fire going, Avery may tell a story of the trickster Coyote.

Thank you! Your support provides youth like Eamon and Avery with the opportunity to grow in skills they can teach to others and carry with them for the rest of their lives.

This summer will be one of the wettest summers we will remember; when it wasn't raining, we made an effort to head to our water sources to beat the heat.  We had a ton of fun catching critters, dancing in dirt, and making masks that look like our wonderful wild friends!

One of the results of the weather was a plethora of mushrooms were found.  The most notable one we found was the Beefsteak Polypore, which "bleeds" and has similar colors a tongue.  One of our campers, Andrew, exclaimed "This is bigger than my head!" when we found it.

While the rain clouds did cover the sun, our days were not darken by them; we were able to play games, listen to stories, and bond with each other just like any other day.

We took advantage of the mud and we donned ourself with it.  We were able to give ourselves whiskers and follow any animal tracks we found.  During the driest days of the summer, we would use paper to make masks instead.

Your donations are able to bring light during dark rainy days.  The kids we are able to bring to camp with your donations are able to experience the comradery of camp with other kids.  I personally was able to share my love and admiration of fungi, plants, and small mammals with our camp kids summer.

One of my favorite moments with a small mammal came from our kids learning about Opossums.  Our Wildlife Ambassador to Opossums, Olive, got to meet many of the kids this summer.  Many of the kids who met Olive had never seen an Opossum up close before.  Precious moments like meeting Olive are possible when you help bring kids the camp.

Thank you for being a friend to children and wildlife everywhere.

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