Sign Up Now for FWC Summer Camp

Do your children long to spend their summer days in the great outdoors?  Would they love the chance to learn about wildlife from experts, and hike or canoe with other children their age?

Then it’s time to sign them up for the Ocala Outdoor Adventure Camp at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Ocala Conservation Center in the Ocala National Forest.  Registration for the 2008 summer sessions has already begun.

The summer camp is for boys and girls, ages 9-16, and focuses on wildlife conservation, outdoor skills and firearm safety.  This year, the camp offers six one-week sessions beginning June 15.

The primary goal of the camp program is to help children become good, conservation-minded sportsmen and wildlife stewards. They learn these skills and values through fun and educational programs and activities such as fishing, canoeing, swimming, hiking and many other outdoor pursuits.

Tuition is $295 per camper, per week and includes lodging, food, program materials and instruction for each session.  Each week-long session is divided into four groups, each with a different focus.

{sidebar id=1}“Campers in the wildlife and conservation group go wild exploring nature,” said Greg Workman, director of the Ocala Conservation Center.  “They learn about wildlife concepts and enjoy many traditional camp activities as well as gun safety and other fun, hands-on outdoor activities.”

For the camper who wants to take the hunter safety course, the hunter safety group is the way to go.  This program teaches campers how to be safe and ethical outdoorsmen and women. They’ll learn about wildlife and its habitat and be able to apply what they learn when they go into the woods. In addition, they will have a chance to get their certification, which is required by law before they can get their hunting license.

“They will receive firearm and archery safety instruction from certified range safety officers.  They’ll also learn basic outdoor skills and field first-aid training, and do other traditional camp activities,” Workman said.

After the camper completes their hunter safety certification, they’re eligible for the advanced hunting skills program.  This program is designed to pick up where the hunter safety program leaves off.  The campers explore hunting with a special emphasis on wildlife management and hunting skills.

“This exciting new program teaches the campers essential management techniques, like learning how to age and score deer, as well as teaching turkey- and duck-calling skills,” Workman said.

The final program is sponsored by the African Safari Club of Florida and focuses on wilderness outdoor skills.

“This program is for campers who have an avid interest in the outdoors. They’ll get to experience several outdoor adventures, including an overnight primitive camping trip into the forest and hiking on the Florida Trail,” Workman said. “Before leaving base camp, campers prepare for the experience by learning the fundamentals of surviving in the wilderness, orienteering, backpacking and preparing a campsite.”

The Ocala Conservation Center is on a 57-acre peninsula, rich in history and wildlife, located in Marion County in North Central Florida. It is 20 miles east of Ocala, on Lake Eaton, in the heart of the Ocala National Forest.  The facilities are rustic, yet comfortable, with air-conditioned cabins and dining hall.  The classrooms have no walls and include fishing piers, shooting ranges, nature trails, Lake Eaton and the vast Ocala National Forest.

For more information or for registration materials for the summer program, call 352-625-2804 or go to www.OcalaAdventureCamp.com .

This article originally published on March 1, 2008.

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FWC

 

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