Owls and Snakes and Archery; Oh, My!
On July 11 and 12, Noble SWCD hosted their annual Environmental Day Camp for local kids, ages 9 – 12. The campers were taught valuable lessons about wildlife conservation, hunting and fishing safety, all while having fun and exploring the great outdoors.
On Tuesday campers practiced their skills at the archery range with Noble SWCD Wildlife/Forestry Specialist Dave Schott; Noble County Wildlife Officer Caitlin Perry; and ODNR Wildlife Officer Brad St.Clair. Campers were able to go hiking with Ann Bonner, Division of Forestry Regional Urban Forester. They also made stained glass butterflies with Sammi Hull, OSU Extension Educator and 4H youth Development.
In the afternoon the kids learned about owls and were treated to owl ambassadors from Raptor Hallow Sanctuary in Alliance. The campers then got to dissect owl pellets with Dee Carter, retired science teacher from Guernsey County. They also got to cool off with some water balloons during field day games with Guernsey SWCD staff members Brianna Roe and Madyson Epperson.
When campers returned on Wednesday, they spent the morning fishing and shooting air guns. They also learned about reptiles with Christina Slover from Monroe SWCD. After lunch the campers got to test their canoeing skills with John Hickenbottom, Salt Fork Naturalist, and learned about deer and fox habitats while playing games with Kayla Landefeld from Monroe SWCD. We ended the day with an impromptu water fight to cool everyone off.
Noble SWCD supervisors and staff would like to give special thanks to Darrel Crum, Village of Caldwell Administrator, and the Caldwell Street Department for working hard to make Caldwell Lake the perfect location for Day Camp. The facility was a wonderful place for the campers to learn the importance of conservation. Without the support of community members working together, projects like these would be difficult, if not impossible to pull off. For more pictures of the two days of fun follow us on Facebook at Noble Soil and Water Conservation District.
