Enviro Camp members enjoyed exploring their surroundings this week at the Kirkmont Center. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)
With getting young people outside to enjoy nature as their goal, Bob Stoll with the Logan County Land Trust (LCLT) and Bruce Smith, a fourth-grade teacher at Benjamin Logan Middle School, set up their first Enviro Camp, which took place this past week at the Kirkmont Center, Zanesfield.
Over five days, 15 students explored topics like wild edibles, Indian heritage, forestry, wildlife, aquatics and more. The camp is an extension of the Benjamin Logan Environmental Science Club, which is hosted during the school year.
“We want kids to understand the need to be stewards of the earth,” Smith said. “And to see there are careers in nature.”
Trina Smith, who’s going into eighth-grade at Benjamin Logan this fall, called it a fun way to get outside more and fourth-grader Penny Ater particularly liked making s’mores over the campfire.
Wednesday night, the students enjoyed making foil pack dinners, which involved wrapping meat, vegetables and seasonings in tinfoil and cooking it over the fire. That was one highlight for fifth-grader Logan Cox, who’s also part of the science club.
“The foil dinners were really good,” he said, adding his meal included hamburger, potatoes, bell peppers, tomatoes and herbs.
Special guests came to the day camp all week, including biologists from the Ohio Division of Wildlife, a state forester, and an expert on Native American culture. The attendees enjoyed other activities offered by Kirkmont, like canoeing and swimming in the pool.
And they left their devices at home.
“Kids are on their phones or iPads and this gets them outside,” Stoll concluded. “So many of us are out of touch with nature, and this gives the next generation a basic understanding of the outdoors.”
To learn more about Enviro Camp and the science club, contact Stoll at bob.stoll5 or Smith at bhsmith325. You can also check out the LCLT’s website and Facebook page.
Bill Davis, right, provides an Indian heritage demonstration for Enviro Camp attendees this week. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)
