May 15, 2007 — With summer fast approaching, the V.I. Environmental Resource Station is gearing up for its annual eco-camps at Lameshur Bay, located on the south side of St. John.
Registration is limited to 30 students per camp, so register your children early to make sure they can attend.
"With today's attention to the environment, especially with climate change and global warming, our camps are more relevant than ever," VIERS Administrator Randy Brown said.
Brown said the camps give students the opportunity to meet park rangers, marine biologists and others who are at the forefront of protecting the environment.
Camp one, a science-based ecology camp, runs July 13, 14 and 15 and is aimed at children ages 13 to 16.
Camps two through five are targeted at children ages eight to 12.
Camp two runs July 16, 17 and 18; camp three is July 20, 21 and 22. Camp four is July 23, 24 and 25, with camp five running July 26, 27 and 28.
Camps are free for bona fide V.I. residents; non-residents pay $250.
To register, send a registration form, proof of local residency (such as a report card or school identification), and a $30 registration fee. The registration fee is refundable at the end of the camp.
Camps include lodging, meals, snacks, bottled water, camp T-shirt and transportation from Red Hook or Cruz Bay.
In celebration of the park’s 50th anniversary, camp curriculum has been developed to look at the park today, 50 years ago, and 50 years from now. In addition, campers will explore a variety of eco-systems that surround the camp at VIERS through interactive, hands-on activities and fun lessons.
Each camper will receive a copy of “Island Peak to Coral Reef: A Field Guide to the Plant and Marine Communities of the Virgin Islands” by UVI's Toni Thomas and Barry Devine and a guide to the V.I. National Park.
Eco-campers will meet at the Red Hook or Cruz Bay ferry docks at 9 a.m. on the first day. They will return to the same location on the third day by 5:20 p.m.
The Friends of V.I. National Park, Disney Cruise Line, First Bank, lana Vento Charitable Trust, Prosser ICC Foundation, Chevron Caribbean, the V.I. Agriculture Department and the Rotary Club of St. John serve as sponsors.
This is the ninth summer VIERS held summer camps, with the Friends in its eight year of sponsorship.
“In these times of thin budgets, which are rendering summer learning opportunities scare, Friends is proud to be involved in the Eco-camps program, which remains strong, and provides a fun, interactive and safe environment in which to learn," Friends President Joe Kessler said in a news release,
For registration information and forms, visit www.islands.org or call VIERS Environmental Education Coordinator Gretchen Mills at 776-6721 or via e-mail.
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