The Environmental Center

It is always great to be able to give back to our local community and school systems. Thanks to a grant awarded to Camp ASCCA by the Alabama Forestry Association, we were able to do just that on April 17 and 18. Council Middle School 5th graders, from Dadeville, were the benefactors of the grant as they participated in Science Camp activities, one half of the class visited on Tuesday and the other half on Wednesday.

…Camp ASCCA was pleased to host Council Middle School’s 5th grade class…

Activities included the award winning Project Learning Tree, which is a program developed by the American Forest Foundation, and hands on learning at our Dunn Environmental Center. The student campers were also able to get out on the waters of Lake Martin and learn about water testing. They tested water clarity, ph levels, temperature, and dissolved oxygen levels. Lastly, all students were able to try their hand climbing the cargo net, one of camp’s high adventure activities.

Everyone had a super time and learned a great deal about our environment and issues related to the environment. When the grant is completed in October we hope to have served all 5th grade students in Tallapoosa County.

Did you know that Camp ASCCA is in Facebook? If you are too, please go on over and “Friend” Camp ASCCA. This way you may keep up with what we’re doing all the time. Join the Camp ASCCA Facebook group, too.

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Lee-Scott Academy from Auburn, Alabama kicked off Camp ASCCA’s busy Spring of Environmental Science Camps by visiting camp March 21-23, 2007. This outstanding group of 40 sixth graders went through a thorough rotation of 8 different activities, all designed to help students learn more about their natural environment and be informed decision makers for the future. The activities were all “hands on” and in addition to being educational were fun and promoted teamwork and leadership.

As always, a favorite activity was the Living Streams program led by local Lake Watch volunteers. Students learned about water quality issues by collecting and assessing macroinvertebrates, or bugs, from a stream located on the camp grounds. Project Learning Tree, Map and GPS, Step Outside and Fish, Dunn Center, Group Elements, and Zip Line were also activities that have come to define the Camp ASCCA experience.

Another popular activity, that was offered for the first time ever, was Lake Testing. Students were loaded onto the camp pontoon boat and Heather taught them how lake testing programs are used on Lake Martin. She also related to the students how valuable these tests are to those agencies that monitor water quality.

Each student then had the opportunity to do actual testing themselves. Divided into small groups of 3-4 students each, they all tested for water clarity, temperature, PH levels, and the most important indicator of water quality of all, dissolved oxygen levels. Results were then compared to other groups. Everyone performed well and most results compared favorably to other groups. We were all pleased that our end of the lake appears to be in excellent shape.

We thoroughly enjoyed Lee-Scott with their outstanding students, teachers, and chaperons. We look forward to a return visit next year.

Special thanks to Tom Collier for this blog and all the pictures here and on Flickr. Check them out!

Did you know that Camp ASCCA is in Facebook? If you are too, please go on over and “Friend” Camp ASCCA. This way you may keep up with what we’re doing all the time. Join the Camp ASCCA Facebook group, too.

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Josh Rhodes, Camp ASCCA’s Director of Environmental Education, and I recently had the pleasure of doing a presentation in Wetumpka for the Elmore County Public School System.

Our mission for the day was to inform teachers in Elmore County of available opportunities for their students to participate in Environmental Education programs at Camp ASCCA. I briefly told them of camp’s history, facilities, and strong backgroud in partnering with organizations to provide outstanding programs to those we serve. Josh then gave an outstanding power point presentation explaining in detail programs such as Living Streams, Project Wild, and the full scope of all programs.

Cindy Cochran, 4th - 8th grade Curriculum Specialist, set up our meeting and is very supportive of science based programs. Also attending were her supervisor, Dr. Andre Harrison, and several teachers in the Elmore County School System. The target group for our presentation was Science Teachers for grades 4-6.

As always, Josh and I are available to travel to schools or organizations to do a program on our Science Camps, the Oscar C. Dunn Rotary Environmental Center, and Environmental Education Programs. We are also available to give on-site tours and show teachers and interested parties our program firsthand.

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The month of October has proven to be very busy for environmental programs at Camp ASCCA. Drake School from Auburn, AL. sent their entire 6th grade class over 5 different day camps, a total of over 400 students. They participated in some of the more popular educational programs such as Living Streams and Map and GPS. The school wanted to equally emphasize team building for their students so group elements, zipline, low ropes, and cargo net were a part of the day.

We also had the opportunity to serve one of our local schools, Radney School from Alexander City. On October 6 they sent over 90 6th grade students for a day camp as a reward for being in the 90th percentile on their Science SAT’s. These outstanding students did many of the same activities as Drake but added a Classroom in the Forest program as well as activities in the new Dunn Rotary Environmental Center.

This coming Friday, October 19, we look forward to serving and educating approximately 70 5th grade students from Dean Road Elementary in Auburn.

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TV coverage is a wonderful thing. WSFA TV-12 in Montgomery has long been kind to Camp ASCCA. Bob Howell visited last week and reminisced about the early years. Howell remembered his conversations with Charlie Higgins and others during the camp’s initial creation process. He’s been with us from the beginning.

So, when WSFA was planning their “WSFA 12 On Tour” series where “WSFA 12 News takes newscasts out of the studios to the roads of Central Alabama,” Howell knew two of the sites he wanted to visit. The Oscar C. Dunn Environmental Center and Camp ASCCA.

Check out the news coverage. Please visit WSFA’s main site or go to the WSFA 12 On Tour page. These links should stay current for awhile, but don’t wait. Go watch them now.

Look for two stories. First, there is the “WSFA 12 News On Tour: Alexander City” newscast. We show up about four minutes into the newscast. Then, look for the Weather Team and their story - “Environmental Science” - which highlights the Oscar C. Dunn Environmental Center.

Many thanks to WSFA for coming to visit.

Note: The Internet Explorer browser is recommended for these links to watch the videos.

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