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Summer Programs Expand – With a Little Help From Our Friends<br />
By Alena Porte, VWS Education Coordinator<br />
Despite last-minute challenges<br />
presented by the Big Sur fire, we<br />
successfully expanded our summer<br />
youth education programs this year,<br />
offering three sessions (six campers<br />
each) of the new Condor Wilderness<br />
Camp for teens that we piloted last<br />
year. We also offered nine sessions<br />
of our ever-popular Natural Science<br />
Discovery Camp (NSDC), serving 196<br />
young people ages 8 to 12.<br />
But it wasn’t an easy task! With just<br />
a few days notice, the fire forced us<br />
to completely relocate the Condor<br />
Camp from Andrew Molera State Park<br />
and the VWS condor release site to<br />
Pinnacles National Monument. We<br />
also needed to find a new site for the<br />
NSDC overnight campouts at Andrew<br />
Molera.<br />
Special thanks go to the Pinnacles<br />
Condor Crew for opening their<br />
program to our camp on such short<br />
notice and to Denise Louie for her<br />
assistance with campsites and other<br />
logistics. The Big Sur Land Trust also<br />
generously provided its Marks Ranch<br />
property for the NSDC campouts.<br />
Condor Wilderness<br />
Camp for Teens<br />
The Condor Wilderness Camp offers<br />
teens (ages 13 to 18) the opportunity<br />
to experience what it’s like to be a<br />
wildlife field biologist. The Pinnacles<br />
Condor program staff were terrific,<br />
stepping easily into the role of<br />
mentors for camp participants and<br />
sharing their personal stories and<br />
goals. Campers got a crash course<br />
in the California Condor recovery<br />
effort and learned how to track the<br />
birds using radio telemetry. They<br />
also participated in a nighttime food<br />
placement at the condor feeding area.<br />
Campers also enjoyed some great<br />
hikes, including a popular night hike<br />
and a spectacular and demanding<br />
trip up to the Pinnacles High Peaks.<br />
Other highlights included watching<br />
two juvenile falcons wheeling and<br />
screeching overhead and the Violetgreen<br />
Swallows that silently skimmed<br />
the campground pool– and campers<br />
agreed that lunch never tastes better<br />
than it does after a long, hot hike!<br />
Natural Science<br />
Discovery Camp (NSDC)<br />
As usual, tide pooling, kayaking, wildlife<br />
observation, swimming, and games<br />
were at the top of the “favorites” list<br />
for participants in the weeklong NSDC<br />
program. Parents had high praise as<br />
well, with more than 95 percent saying<br />
they would definitely recommend the<br />
program to other parents.<br />
While exploring condor country, a camper takes a moment to reflect in the solitude of a<br />
wilderness oasis.<br />
Marks Ranch near Toro Park was a<br />
wonderful venue for the overnight<br />
campout and offered a change of pace<br />
for returning NSDC campers. Early risers<br />
were greeted by flocks of wild turkeys,<br />
and in the evening campers were treated<br />
to the screeches and swoops of Barn<br />
Owls. According to one astute camper,<br />
“Things sound bigger in the dark!”<br />
7 ON THE WILD SIDE FALL <strong>2008</strong> www.ventanaws.org
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