The Environmental Center

Recently the Camp ASCCA staff participated in an aquatic education training session. This training was provided by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Our two instructors were Doug Darr, pictured below, and Maurice Jackson.

Doug and Maurice taught the staff a variety of instructional games and activities. In the future, our environmental camps will benefit from this educational experience. Doug also taught us a few things about fishing and fish identification that we hope to pass on to our summer campers. While our fishing program has always been fun and relaxing, we hope to add a teaching element in the near future.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources offers a variety of services to the state. Their website is very useful in finding information about hunting, fishing, boating, state parks, and other outdoor adventure opportunities in the state of Alabama. You can also get information about licenses and even apply online or by phone.

The ADCNR has also posted coverage of the day’s activities. Follow this link to see their pictures.

Below is a video interview with Doug. In this brief clip, Doug talks about our day of educational training and what the ADCNR hopes to accomplish. The video is 3:34 in length and is a 5.8 mb download. You can also view photos from the day by clicking the link here or by clicking on Doug’s picture at the top of the page.

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 Doug Darr on Aquatic Ed. [3:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (816)

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Hunting is challenging activity. Sometimes a hunter can sit for hours and not see a deer. Other times a deer comes through but is too young or too small. But every once in a while, if you’re patient, the perfect opportunity presents itself and you get to take a deer home.

For Scotty, that perfect opportunity came Saturday afternoon.

I didn’t see the deer until after dinner, but everyone was talking about it in the dining hall. Scotty was sitting in his chair, smiling from ear to ear, as one by one campers and guides stopped to say congratulations. After we ate, everyone headed to the barn to get a good look at his prize. Scotty proudly posed with his deer for a brief photo session, then the rest of the campers joined him for a group shot. The next step was to skin and clean the deer. This was quite a graphic process, so I’ll spare you the details. In the end, Scotty was able to take home a large portion of deer meat, as well as a souvenir set of antlers.

Josh Rhodes, Environmental Education Director, recently sat down to discuss the January hunt and the hunting program. In the video below, Josh talks about some of the different activities offered on a hunting weekend, as well as Scotty and his deer. The video can be viewed below and is 6:19 in length and is an 11.0 mb download.

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 Online Video [6:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (821)

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This weekend Camp ASCCA hosted the 2007 January Hunt. After a successful 2006 Fall Hunt, we were excited to see what the January hunt had in-store.

Jim Hardy and most of the hunting guides returned, so there were several familiar faces. However, we were able to host 6 new campers and their families. It is always exciting to bring new people to Camp ASCCA and the recent success of the hunting program offers additional opportunities for growth.

The campers were able to participate in a hunter education program early on Saturday morning and then headed to the riflery range and fishing pond just before lunch. After lunch, the group headed out to the hunting fields for their first chance to harvest a deer. Everyone reunited later that evening for a steak dinner followed by fellowship around the campfire. On Sunday, many of the hunters were in the woods as the sun was rising. The group enjoyed an early lunch and then re-entered woods later that afternoon one last time.

One of the campers, Scotty, was able to shoot a deer on Saturday night. It was an exciting moment for Scotty. It wasn’t his first deer, but it was his first buck! We’ll have more on Scotty’s deer tomorrow.

A special thank you to Jim Hardy for doing alot of the background work that makes these hunting weekends run smoothly. He contacted the hunting guides and helped get donations. Many of our campers were able to take home a new hat or some camoflauge from one of the sponsors Jim arranged. Camp ASCCA couldn’t provide the services and high level of accessibility without people like Jim Hardy.

Check back tomorrow for more on Scotty’s deer!

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On Thursday, January 11, the Camp ASCCA staff went through an aquatic training program. This program was taught by Doug Darr and Maurice Jackson, both with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The goal of this training was to enhance the programs offered by Camp ASCCA by educating the staff about the local aquatic resources.

The camp staff was taught many new programs that we will be able to perform with our campers. These programs ranged from activities that teach the different adaptations of fish, to a presentation on the geograghical regions of Alabama and the unique (often endangered) species found there. One definite outcome of this training will be a more educational fishing program. The camp fishing program has always been a fun recreational experience, but we are looking to improve upon it by teaching our campers more about how to fish, and why we fish.

Alabama is truly a unique state, with more aquatic resources than any other state. From the cold waters in the northern part of the state that are home to trout, to the estuaries of the Gulf Coast, no other state offers the aquatic diversity that is found in Alabama. We want to thank these gentlemen and the ADCNR for sharing their ideas and materials with us.

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