Conservation Days Teach Campers Skills, Stewardship
Published: Friday, August 15, 2025
On Aug. 5, fifty-two children between the age of 9 –13 attended a Conservation Day Camp hosted by the Whitley County Soil and Water Conservation District. Also offering assistance were Whitley County SWCD associate supervisors, Indiana State Agriculture Department, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Resilient Indiana Technical Assistance, Natural Resources Department (DNR), camp counselors from Camp Whitley, LaGrange SWCD Stueben SWCD, and DeKalb SWCD office.
At the beginning of camp, the campers were divided into four groups to participate in the morning activites. The campers got to try their hand at shooting skeet with a shot gun with the instruction and supervision of Conservation Officers Darren Reed and Levi Knach. Then they moved on to practicing their archery skills with the assistance of Jay Weber and Phoenix Smith, camp counselors. The next stop was down by the lake, where they took samples of water out of the lake to look at the macroinvertebrates that live in lake waters with help from Camille Sczerbowicz (RITA) and Bailey Temple (Steuben County SWCD). And the last thing before lunch, campers got to build a bird house to take home with them at the end of the day.
The campers were assisted by staff from ISDA, SWCDs and NRCS. The wood for the bird houses were all pre-cut, and the nail holes were pre-drilled by Scott Anderson and Dennis Easterday, who are associate members of the Whitley County SWCD.
After the morning activities the campers all got back together to take some time to sit down and eat lunch before their afternoon activities began.
Mark's Art entertained the children with stories about the different reptiles, birds and insects he brought with him. The campers got to touch everything he brought with him. And at the end of his presentation the campers got to hold a small alligator if they wanted.
And during the last hour of the day, the campers all enjoyed a refreshing swim in Troy-Cedar Lake before their parents or grandparents came to pick them up to take them home.
The campers all enjoyed their day at camp and are looking forward to returning next year. The Conservation Day Camp will be held at Camp Whitley on Aug. 4, 2026.
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