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NC Arboretum's Discovery Camp Celebrates 10 Years

By NC Arboretum May 19, 2015
This summer, children of all ages can enjoy a week or more of fun and learning as part of The North Carolina Arboretum’s popular Discovery Camp program, recognized by Mountain Xpress readers as the top nature camp in western North Carolina in 2014. This year marks a major milestone for the Arboretum as the organization celebrates the Discovery Camp’s tenth anniversary. From June through August, the Arboretum will host 30 camp programs to nearly 500 children from western North Carolina. Campers can enjoy a wide range of age-appropriate outdoor activities, including tracking the Arboretum’s resident box turtles, evaluating water quality by identifying aquatic insects, and setting out trail cameras to take photographs of nocturnal animals.

Since its inception, the Discovery Camp’s program mission has focused around cultivating a sense of adventure and wonder in the outdoors, fostering an enthusiasm for exploration in the natural world, and promoting environmental awareness, stewardship and conservation. Children in rising grades K-12 are given unique opportunities to explore both the natural wonders of the Arboretum and other outdoor destinations located throughout western North Carolina.

Of course, fun in the outdoors is also central to the camp program. “We believe the greatest success of our program is giving kids of all ages the opportunity to unplug and simply spend time in nature,” said Jonathan Marchal, youth education manager at The North Carolina Arboretum. “Our Discovery Camp program provides children with a safe, supportive environment with a staff that is truly invested in each child’s experience. This is what really makes our camp program so unique. ”

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Beyond providing learning opportunities for young campers, The North Carolina Arboretum offers high school students the chance to make a difference in young children’s lives by serving as an EcoCorp member. Discovery Camp EcoCorp members assist the Arboretum’s professional staff in program activities and ensure a positive and rewarding experience for the Arboretum’s younger participants. Members are also invited to assist the Arboretum’s youth education program with events in the spring and fall as well as other special opportunities throughout the year.

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“The EcoCorp membership program at the Arboretum is a great way for our older youth to become better leaders and share their love for the outdoors to their younger peers,” continued Marchal. “Not only do these members grow as educators but they often bring new ideas to the Discovery Camp program, which helps our organization grow in its mission.”

The North Carolina Arboretum’s Discovery Camp subjects range from natural science and exploration to natural history to mountain sports. For a full listing of available camps, click here.