New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today that online registration for the agency’s 2018 Summer Camps program will open Wednesday, January 24, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. Applications should be submitted through the online registration program available through a link from the Summer Camps website http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/29.html. Parents and guardians are encouraged to register early since some of the weeks fill up quickly.

Commissioner Seggos said, “DEC’s Summer Camps program is a great way to introduce kids to the outdoors and everything it offers. Our camps provide opportunities for kids to experience camping, canoeing and hiking while learning about environmental stewardship. It’s adventure and an education that is preparing our next generation of conservationists.”

Now in its 71^st year, the Summer Camps program offers week-long adventures in conservation education for children ages 11-17. DEC operates four residential camps for children: Camp Colby in Saranac Lake (Franklin County); Camp DeBruce in Livingston Manor (Sullivan County); Camp Rushford in Caneadea (Allegany County), and Pack Forest in Warrensburg (Warren County).

New this year, camps Colby and DeBruce will offer two weeks of programing for children aged 14-17 as “returnee weeks” and offer programming for ages 11-13 the rest of the summer. Camp Pack Forest will continue to host children aged 14-17 for six weeks and ages 11-13 for two weeks. Camp Rushford will continue to offer two weeks of programming for children aged 14-17 and five weeks of programming for ages 11-13. The complete schedule of camp weeks and ages is available on the Summer Camps website.

Campers will have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of outdoor adventures and are encouraged to try new things. Activities may include fishing, bird watching, fly-tying, archery, canoeing, hiking, camping, orienteering, and hunter safety education. One hunter education program for either gun, bow, or trapping is offered at each camp each week. Class size is limited for hunter education programs and campers must sign up for it during registration and complete the homework in advance.

Along with adventure experiences, DEC campers engage in fun, hands-on activities, and outdoor exploration focused on field, forest, stream, and pond ecological principles. Campers might collect insects in a field, use nets in a stream, investigate soil composition, measure tree sizes, or practice taking field notes, and writing in journals. Trips to nearby state lands might include kettle bogs, state parks, fish hatcheries, or nature museums.

Also new this year, Camp Pack Forest will offer “Outdoor Adventure Week 2.0” during Week 5 (July 22-27). DEC encourages teens ages 14 to 17 who love being outdoors to sign up for this redesign of the Outdoor Adventure Week that will help deepen their enjoyment and widen their horizons while exploring environmental careers at Camp Pack Forest. During this week, campers will develop hands-on outdoor skills that go above and beyond the traditional camp week. Alongside canoeing, fishing, and games campers will engage in forestry, citizen science, conservation science, and more. Guest DEC, higher education, and natural resource professionals will provide opportunities to consider career paths.

All four camps will operate for seven one-week sessions (Sunday to Friday) beginning June 24, 2018; Pack Forest operates for eight weeks. Drop-off time is 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, and the closing ceremony and pick-up time is Friday at 4:30 p.m. One week of camp remains $350 per child for the 2018 year, and includes meals, trips, and a camp t-shirt.

In addition to inviting parents to register their children to participate in the DEC environmental education Summer Camps program, sporting clubs, civic groups, and environmental organizations are encouraged to sponsor one or more children for a week at camp. Groups that deposit funds to sponsor six (6) paid campers in one transaction will receive a scholarship to send a seventh child to camp for free. The seventh camper will use a sponsorship code generated by the Albany Camps administrative. Information about becoming a sponsor and managing sponsor accounts is available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1866.html on DEC’s website.

For more information please visit the DEC’s website at www.dec.ny.gov, call 518-402-8014, visit “NYS DEC Summer Camps” on Facebook or write to DEC Camps, 3rd Floor, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12233-5256.