Environment DEC
From the November 2008 issue
Record Number of Youth Attend DEC Environmental Camps in 2008
A record-breaking 1,541 young people attended DEC's 2008 summer environmental education camps--the highest attendance in the camp program's 61 years of operation and a 29 percent increase above last year. In addition, there was a 68.6 percent increase in campers from underserved communities, with 290 diversity campers participating this year.
The camp experience reinforces children's love of nature and commitment to conservation.
Guided by experienced DEC staff, campers discover the natural world first hand. Activities teach them conservation techniques used by natural resource professionals. In mock town meetings, they discuss and debate environmental issues, learning valuable lessons about protecting resources as part of economic development. Campers also have opportunities to practice skills they've learned in a wide variety of outdoor activities.
The lessons learned at camp help form tomorrow's environmental stewards. As one camper said, "The thing I will remember most about camp is how important it is to conserve our natural resources. I learned how important it is to reduce, reuse and recycle, and that'll be hard for me to forget."
Parents also expressed their appreciation for the experiences their children had at camp. One mother from Long Island said, "I would like to thank the NYSDEC for offering this excellent summer program for the kids of New York. Your counselors, staff and volunteers are a great team!" Another parent from the Rochester area wrote, "[The camp experience] has reinforced my son's love of nature and his commitment to conservation."
Diversity Program and Campers
Through its Diversity Program, DEC has increased the number of opportunities for children from urban areas and underserved communities to attend camp. Environmental educators in New York City, the Capital Region and Buffalo worked with community groups and organizations to provide free, one-week scholarships, called "camperships," for youngsters who expressed an interest in attending camp and learning new outdoor skills.
Increased opportunities for children from New York City, Buffalo and the Capital Region were created by one-week scholarships called "camperships."
Each area in the Diversity Program organizes pre-camp and post-camp activities for potential campers. For example, DEC educators and fisheries staff conducted fishing clinics, during which kids learned the basics of fishing and were able to test their skills in a local pond. Prospective campers also learned about birds, camped out in city parks and learned about bogs and carnivorous plants. In addition to learning outdoor skills, campers in the Diversity Program participate in stewardship projects, such as helping to clean up an urban park, planting trees and learning about native and invasive species.
2009 Summer Camps
DEC camp sessions for 2009 begin on Sunday, June 28. Campers 12-14 may attend Camp Colby in Saranac Lake, Camp Debruce in Livingston Manor or Camp Rushford in Caneadea. Pack Forest, in Warrensburg, features the Teen Ecology Workshop, a special program of environmental study that runs for eight weeks total. Three of those weeks are for campers 12-14, and five weeks are for campers 15-17. For the 2009 camp season, the cost per week to attend any camp will be $325.
Campers sponsored by an organization may begin sending in their registrations on February 7, 2009. Campers sponsored by their parents may send in their registrations beginning on February 28, 2009. For more information on the DEC camps program, send an e-mail, write to DEC Camps, 2nd Floor, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4500 or call 518-5402-8014.
