For Release: Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Youth around New York Taking Part in DEC Summer Camps
Campership Program Increases Attendance at
DEC Summer Environmental Education Camps in 2005
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan today announced the Campership Program for DEC's four residential summer environmental education youth camps has made significant strides in fostering environmental awareness in young New Yorkers.
"It's essential that we reach out to communities and families across this State and try to help develop the next generation of environmental stewards," Commissioner Sheehan said. "Our Campership Program helps children gain an appreciation for the outdoors, and focuses on our most important natural resource - the young people of New York State."
As part of the Campership Program, DEC's Diversity Initiative assists under-served populations in attending DEC programs. This year, more than 270 urban youngsters will enjoy fun, environmentally-focused activities by receiving a free, one-week stay at youth environmental education camps.
Through this effort, DEC hopes the campers will see their experiences as the beginning of a lifelong connection with the outdoors. These campers may be the future forest rangers, environmental conservation officers, foresters, biologists and environmental educators for New York State. Last summer, 79 of the 1,400 campers received DEC camperships.
Similar to scholarships, camperships were made available to a variety of community-based agencies and not-for-profit organizations in metropolitan areas throughout the State. These partners agreed to recruit campers, help parents with paperwork and assist in transporting the children to and from camp. Besides offering the one-week camp experience, DEC and its partners arranged for pre- and post-camp programs to help the children learn about New York's natural resources through outdoor recreation and hands-on experiences. Typical activities include hikes, canoeing, overnight camping and field trips to nature centers. During the fall, several of the partners will conduct service projects, such as park and beach clean-ups, and will help youth explore environmental careers.
One of the major partners is the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR). Under a grant from the New York City Environmental Fund, administered by DEC and the Hudson River Foundation, DPR's Urban Park Rangers will send up to 100 youngsters to the camps. With their focus on providing environmental education programs in after-school and outdoor settings for urban youth from diverse backgrounds, the Urban Park Rangers organized exciting pre-camp activities for prospective campers. These included an overnight winter campout in Brooklyn, a fishing and canoeing trip in the Bronx, a hike in Queens, and an overnight canoe trip on the Bronx River. After their camp experience, the New York City youngsters will continue to explore environmental careers and conduct stewardship projects with the Urban Park Rangers.
DEC operates three camps for children 12 to 14 years old, and one for teenagers 15 to 17 years old. The 58-year old program is an enjoyable blend of learning and recreation that heightens the camper's environmental awareness. Activities, such as sampling streams for aquatic life, netting butterflies, watching birds and hiking through forests, bring conservation concepts to life. For younger children, the three camps are Camp Colby near Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks, Camp DeBruce in the Catskill's Sullivan County, and Camp Rushford located in Allegany County. Older teenagers attend Pack Forest in the Adirondack Park near Warrensburg.
Locations of camps, sample lessons and a general description of program activities are available on DEC's Environmental Education Summer Camps website. A list of partner organizations and agencies is attached.
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