|
DEC Announces Summer Camps Registration Opens March
24, 2024
Published: January 05, 2023
at 10:15 a.m.
By: Press Release from NYS DEC
DEC Announces Summer Camps Registration Opens March 24, 2024
Families Encouraged
to Register Early for Camps
New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced that online registration for the
2024 Summer Camps program will open Sunday, March 24, 2024, at 1 p.m.
Guardians can register youth for a week of camp, manage their account, and
complete required forms and waivers through a link from the DEC Summer Camps webpage. Parents and
guardians are encouraged to register early since many weeks fill up quickly
and are advised to monitor the webpage for upcoming announcements on 2024
camp forms.
Commissioner Seggos said, “DEC’s summer camps are a great way to introduce kids
to the outdoors and everything it offers. DEC’s summer camps provide
children and teens with opportunities to experience outdoor activities and
environmental stewardship, all while encouraging our next generation of
conservationists.”
Now in its 77th year,
the DEC Summer Camps program offers week-long adventures in conservation
education for children ages 11-17. DEC operates four residential camps for
kids: Camp Colby in Saranac Lake (Franklin County); Camp DeBruce in
Livingston Manor (Sullivan County); Camp Rushford in Caneadea
(Allegany County); and Camp Pack Forest in Warrensburg (Warren County). Opening of specific camps is dependent on staff
availability.
Camp Rushford will
offer three weeks of programing for children aged 14 to 17, including
an Outdoor Adventure Week, and four weeks for 11 to
13-year-olds. Camp Colby will operate six weeks of camp for 11 to
13-year-olds, and one week for campers aged 14 to 17. Camp DeBruce will
offer six weeks for kids ages 11 to 13. Camp Pack Forest will host children
ages 11 to 13 for three weeks, and 14 to 17-year-olds for four weeks with
one Outdoor Adventure Week. Individual campers will be
limited to one week of camp registration. If there are still spots at camps
available after May 24, campers will be allowed to sign-up for additional
weeks. The complete schedule of camp weeks and ages is available on the
Summer Camps website Camp Weeks and Availability.
At camp, kids will
have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of outdoor adventures
and are encouraged to try new things. Activities may include fishing,
birding, fly-tying, archery, canoeing, hiking, camping, orienteering, and
hunter safety education.
One hunter
education program of gun, bow, or trapping is offered at each camp during
four of the camp weeks. Class size is limited for hunter education programs
and campers must sign-up during registration and complete required homework
in advance. Registered campers will receive booklets prior to their session
at camp.
DEC campers engage
in fun, hands-on activities and outdoor exploration focused on local field,
forest, and freshwater aquatic ecological principles. Campers might collect
insects in a field, use nets in a stream, investigate soil composition,
measure tree sizes, or practice taking field notes and writing in journals.
Trips to nearby state lands might include kettle bogs, State parks, fish
hatcheries, or nature museums.
Camps Pack Forest
and Rushford will offer “Outdoor Adventure Week” during Week 4 (July
21-26). DEC encourages teens ages 14 to 17 who love being outdoors to sign
up for this popular program that will help deepen their enjoyment and widen
their horizons. During this week, campers will develop hands-on outdoor
skills that go above and beyond the traditional camp week. In addition to
our typical camp activities, campers may be engaged in team and
trust-building activities, forestry, citizen science, conservation science,
and more. Guest DEC and natural resource professionals will introduce
campers to a variety of career options.
All four camps
offer at least six one-week sessions (Sunday to Friday) beginning June 30,
2024; Camp Colby, Rushford, and Pack Forest will operate for seven weeks.
One week of camp is $350 per child for 2024, and includes meals, trips, and
a camp t-shirt.
In addition to
inviting guardians to register children to participate in the DEC
environmental education Summer Camps program, sporting clubs, civic groups,
and environmental organizations are encouraged to sponsor one or more
children for a week at camp. Information about becoming a sponsor and
managing sponsor accounts is available at Sponsoring Youth to Camp on DEC’s
website.
For more information,
please visit the DEC’s website, email EducationCamps@dec.ny.gov, visit “NYS DEC
Summer Camps” on Facebook, or write to DEC Camps, 3rd Floor, 625 Broadway,
Albany, New York 12233-4501.
|
