Quatzy and Zumba here!
We’re the Eco-skills staff for the summer camp, responsible for
delivering environmental and nature based programming for residential
and day campers. Quatzy’s been here for a couple of years since she
graduated from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. She took Outdoor
Recreation, Parks and Tourism and Concurrent Education, along with
some geography and natural science. Throughout the year she teaches
outdoor education at Camp Kawartha while filling her spare time with
travel, hikes and exploring nature. Zumba is entering the final year
of her undergraduate degree at Trent University in Peterborough,
taking courses in Environmental Studies, Biology and Indigenous
Studies. She has previously worked for the YMCA Wanakita summer camp
as the Wilderness and Environmental Educator, and the Petroglyphs
Provincial Park as the Natural Heritage Educator. She’s very
excited about her summer working at Camp Kawartha in the eco-skills
program, and when she’s not at camp, she can be found travelling,
hiking, gardening, and canoeing in Peterborough and the Kawarthas.
Since we both love the
outdoors, we’ve been incredibly lucky to work with the great
natural setting of Camp Kawartha set on the beautiful Clear Lake with
186 acres of woodlands and wetlands on ‘The Range’, adjacent to
the camp. A visit to the range would start with a walk across the
rock plateau which is imbedded with countless fossils of cephalopods
and crinoids from the Silurian period (since before the dinosaurs!).
After the plateau, there are several hikes to choose from including
the yellow trail which is prime salamander and amphibian habitat
within the maple, red oak and ironwood forests; or perhaps a hike
along the blue trail which leads to the large wetlands and a
boardwalk. Along the red trail there is an established encampment
area with shelters made out of natural materials such as birch bark
and a canvas tipi; these are ideal for practicing rustic fire
building skills with flint and steel or making medicinal herbal teas
from plants such eastern white cedar.
If you’re interested
in food issues or learning about plants, Camp Kawartha is also home
to a passive solar greenhouse and an organic vegetable and herb
garden. The greenhouse contains a closed loop hydroponic system which
uses a carp fish tank and algae pool to fertilize seedlings grown in
the greenhouse. Just recently, we had a crop of fresh basil which was
made into a delicious pesto sauce for an interest choice session, in
which kids learned how to plant seedlings, pick the basil leaves, and
prepare the ingredients and the recipe for making pesto. Other plants
in the garden include tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, zucchini, bell
peppers, onions, beets and cilantro. All of plants are grown without
synthetic chemicals or the use of fossil fuels, and it supplies the
camp kitchen with fresh local produce. Both the garden and the
greenhouse provide hands-on opportunities for campers and staff to
learn about how organic food is grown and enable them to interact
closely with the soil, plants, insects and other living organisms.
Finally, every
Eco-skills program is based through the Jack Frost center in Camp
Kawartha. This room is home to several taxidermy animals, native to
this region as well as interactive displays, games and educational
posters on the local natural environment. Visitors to the Jack Frost
center can touch and handle bird egg and animal skull replicas, make
animal tracks in a sand box, play with wildlife themed puppets and
observe terrariums filled with camouflaged insects. The Jack Frost
center sets the stage for much of our environmental and nature based
programming, and provides campers with a place to explore hands on
with elements of wilderness. Some of our favourite things are when
campers find and bring us interesting rocks, bones, fungi etc to
place in the center!
So
as you can see, the Eco-skills section at Camp Kawartha is a
multi-dimensional program involving several aspects of nature based
education for campers of all ages. Through our programming, we always
make sure to emphasize the importance of environmental awareness and
building a learning relationship with the earth and the other species
which we share this land with. We’re constantly working on new
programming and researching to learn more about the amazing natural
environment we live in, so we just keep adding to our repertoire as
the summer goes on. If you have any questions about the eco-skills
programs, just come find either one of us and we’d love to attend
to your curiosity. Happy exploring!