Camps offer kids more chances to go ‘wild’

IOWA CITY — University of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources are partnering on a project to introduce hundreds of children to Iowa's state park system this summer.

University of Iowa was awarded a state grant to expand its Wildlife Camps program based at Macbride Nature Recreation Area in Solon to six state parks around Iowa.

'It allows us to take something we are near and dear to and offer it to someone not in the Iowa City community,' said Jay Gorsh, who is coordinating the state parks program for UI. 'One of the disappointing things about the Wildlife Camps is, it's a great program, but unless you live in the Iowa City area, you usually don't get to be involved.'

The schedule includes weeklong day camp sessions at Maquoketa Caves, Mines of Spain in Dubuque, George Wyth in Cedar Falls, Springbrook in Guthrie Center, Viking Lake in Stanton and Ledges in Madrid in June and July. Participation is intended for those entering third through sixth grade and who live near the park locations.

The program is designed to provide recreational activities, such as hiking and trekking through creeks, and educational components about wildlife and natural ecosystems.

This summer, sessions include survival techniques, orienteering, frogs and turtles, fishing, wetlands, prairie and forests. Location-specific topics also are offered, such as spelunking at Maquoketa Caves, herpetology at Mines of Spain and geology at Ledges.

Gorsh said Iowa DNR Director Chuck Gipp learned more about Wildlife Camps and Macbride Nature Recreation Area, which is UI's field campus, during a visit to Lake Macbride State Park. The state park and field campus are connected by a berm separating Lake Macbride and Coralville Lake.

Gipp wondered about bringing the program to other state parks and the idea blossomed into a formal plan, Gorsh said.

A $34,606 grant through the Resource Enhancement and Protection — or REAP — Conservation Education Program is helping pay for the expanded program. Each session can host 40 children or 240 over the summer.

'There's no better thing than that direct experience and being able to mentor kids in the outdoors and let them know there are natural treasures and safe places to go, away from screen time,' said Dawn Snyder, the education program director for Woodbury County Conservation and a member of the board that awarded the REAP grant. 'It could be life changing for many kids.'

The Wildlife Camps program has educated 20,000 children since its inception in 1991. Its mission is increasing 'awareness and appreciation of the natural world.' The Wildlife Camps also have sessions for spring break and winter, and additional summer sessions are scheduled at Macbride Nature Recreation Area.

The camps cost $100 per person. For more information about the camps or to register go to recserv.uiowa.edu/wildlife-camps-state-parks.

[naviga:h3 style="padding-left: 30px;"]IF YOU GO

Here is a look at the summer schedule for the expanded Wildlife Camps program offered by the University of Iowa in partnership with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources:

June 12-16 — Viking Lake State Park

June 19-23 — George Wyth State Park

June 26-30 — Springbrook State Park

July 10-14 — Ledges State Park

July 17-21 — Maquoketa Caves State Park

July 24-28 — Mines of Spain State Park

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