Teen Adventures - the Kalamazoo Nature Center

Teen Adventures
Grades 6-12
Summer
2013
Register today at
www.KNCCamp.org

Adventure Skills: 6th–10th Grade
Don’t climb the walls at home this summer, go on an adventure! Learn the skills needed for a lifetime of
outdoor adventures. Practice leadership and teambuilding skills on our low ropes course and zip line forest canopy
tour. Learn archery, canoeing, bouldering, and fishing. Practice camping skills like fire building, camp site selection,
and orienteering. Go wild with the wildlife and get ready for adventure!
Adventure Skills run 9 am - 5 pm Monday-Wednesday, overnight campout is 9 am Thursday - 5 pm Friday.
Tents and 3 meals are provided. Tents are shared with same gendered campers only.
$275 MEMBER, $300 NON-MEMBER
Session 4: July 15-19 ~ Working with Wildlife
Get a head start on exploring awesome wildlife careers and get up close and
personal with plants and animals. Practice wildlife field study techniques with
KNC biologists and go on behind-the-scenes tours of the exhibit animals of
KNC, Wolf Lake Fish Hatchery, and Binder Park Zoo.
Session 6: July 29- August 2 ~ Survival Sense
Sharpen your senses with primitive and modern outdoor survival techniques
like shelter building, weather awareness, water filtration, beginner wild
edible plants and campfire cooking. Work with a survival expert, make a
coal-burned bowl, and go way beyond rubbing two sticks together by
creating fire with flint and steel and bow drills.
Session 8: August 12-16 ~ Eco-Endeavor
Hiking, canoeing, biking, orienteering, bouldering, mud pits, zip lines, teamwork,
puzzles…dive in to the world of Adventure Racing! Have a blast and gain the
skills that you can use in this lifelong adventure sport and beyond.
Nature Treks: 6th - 10th Grade
Are you ready for the ultimate camp experience Camp out 4 nights and 5 days
and really explore the KNC property and beyond. Learn backcountry camping skills like trip planning,
food preparation, campsite selection and proper gear use. Gain leadership and teamwork
experience on our low ropes challenge course and zip line canopy tour. Each trek is different, but all are amazing!
Nature Treks run 9 am Monday - 5 pm Friday. Overnight campouts are Monday-Thursday nights. Tents and
meals are provided. Tents are shared with same gendered campers only.
$375 MEMBER, $400 NON-MEMBER
Session 2: June 24-28 ~ Geo Trek
Explore the awesome land features of our own backyard. See the KNC Gravel Pits from a new perspective -
from a rappel line! Go rock climbing at Climb Kalamazoo, geocache the Devil’s Soup Bowl at Yankee Springs
Recreation Area, and swim, canoe, and camp at KNC’s Bullhead Lake outpost.
Session 5: July 22-26 ~ Adventure Trek
Challenge yourself with a week of Adventure Race activities. Solve puzzles and complete challenges to
complete the next leg of the trek. Bike the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail, canoe the Kalamazoo River, and hike
the KNC trails. Scale the climbing tower, enjoy the waterfront, and camp at the Adventure Centre at Pretty
Lake.
Session 7: August 5-9 ~ Aqua Trek
Dive in to the aquatic ecosystems that make our state great. Canoe Rupert Lake and the Kalamazoo River, and
assist the Kalamazoo River Guardians with water quality monitoring at the Source Pond, Trout Run Stream, and
Kalamazoo River. Study dune ecology, swim, and camp at Van Buren State Park.

Institutes: 6th - 12th Grade
Take the next step in your personal development with activities to expand your abilities while still having summer
fun! Institutes are a great way to practice valuable skills that are useful in academics, future careers, and your
personal life while blending in your favorite camp activities. You get the chance to guide the development and
implementation of camp activities and keep a field portfolio useful in tracking your experiences for future
academic and employment applications.
Institutes run 9 am - 5 pm Monday-Wednesday, overnight campout is 9 am Thursday - 5 pm Friday. Tents and
3 meals are provided. Tents are shared with same gendered campers only.
$275 MEMBER, $300 NON-MEMBER
Session 1: June 17-21 ~ Leadership Institute
Want to know what it takes to be a leader or just want to tweak your skills Practice teamwork, trust, and
communication in a canoe, on the challenge course, on a night hike, and in the air on the zip line canopy tour.
Apply social skills and bike mechanic skills with the Open Roads Bike Program and ride the Kalamazoo River Valley
Trail. Earn first aid and CPR certification through the American Heart Association. Wrap up the week with a
leadership project of your own design. Step up and have some fun!
Session 3: July 8-12 ~ ConServ Institute
Focus on building your individual strengths while
practicing environmental stewardship, working for social
change, and having amazing summer experiences. Work
with KNC field biologists to assist with local citizen
science projects, then visit the staff and animals behind
the scenes at Binder Park Zoo and learn about the role
zoos play in animal conservation at home and around the
world. Dig in to sustainable food systems at the DeLano
Farms CSA, do your part for the Kalamazoo River on a river
cleanup canoe trip and design and implement your own
conservation service project. Roll up your sleeves and make
a real difference.
Register for an
amazing summer
adventure today!
Visit
www.KNCCamp.org
to register and for
scholarship information

Non-Profit Organization
US Postage
PAID
Permit No. 830
Kalamazoo, MI
Printed on recycled paper.
Please pass along to a friend or recycle.
Backcountry Adventures: 10th–12th Grade
Session 4: July 14-20 ~ Manitou Island &
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Explore North Manitou Island and the Sleeping Bear Dunes,
their natural beauty, and long human history. Hike through the
scenic wonder of this island and experience its beaches, inland
lakes, forests, wetlands, wildlife, and the spectacular views from
its western tall bluffs. See the sights of Sleeping Bear’s Scenic
National Lakeshore, take a ship to the island, canoe the Platte
River, work together, and apply your leadership skills setting up
camp and cooking meals. Step into the backcountry and join us
for an experience of a lifetime.
$600 MEMBER, $650 NON-MEMBER
Trip runs Sunday morning-Saturday evening. Tents and meals
are provided. Tents are shared with same gendered campers
only. Campers supply sleeping gear, backpack, and personal
items. Pre-trip meeting is mandatory. Campers must attend
with guardian.
ORIENTATION MEETING:
Adventure House, Tuesday, June 25, 6-7:30 pm
Meet at Adventure House, Sunday, July 14 at 9 am.
Return Saturday, July 20 by 8 pm.