We’re more than halfway through our summer camp season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and I’m feeling so grateful—grateful for Amanda and Geena (our stellar camp staff duo), grateful for the trusting families who registered their children and grandchildren, and grateful to live in Maine, where we are experiencing a lower than average rate of COVID cases.

It wasn’t an easy decision regarding whether to move forward with our camp programs. If Amanda hadn’t been returning for her fifth (!) season as Summer Camp Coordinator, things might have turned out differently. Her confidence that camp could be conducted safely, despite the uncertainties that the pandemic presented, was music to my ears! Her “I’m up for the challenge, Suzanne” was what I needed to hear.

And, thank goodness we moved forward! We’ve had four successful and smooth weeks of camp, with three more to go, and the camp staff, campers, and campers’ families are clearly all benefiting from this opportunity. Camper and caregiver evaluations are only just beginning to find their way back to us, but here are some bits of feedback we’ve received thus far:

• Wilderness Survivor was a hit! My girls loved it so much they took us on a hike to sample all the edible plants they learned about.
• It was so fun...I never wanted to leave!
• I was really happy to see that camp was run as close to normal as possible and that the appropriate safety precautions were taken.
• I like coming to this camp because we’re learning and having lots of fun, too!
• Our girls are still talking about how much fun they had at camp.
• The staff I can tell has worked VERY HARD in making camp safe for all.

Earlier this week we had a downpour during Critter Camp and I was delighted to look out my window and see the 6-9 year old campers running around on the lawn outside the barn, clearly experiencing such joy! It’s so uplifting to hear the laughter of children outside my office window again. Here are some glimpses of our campers over these past four weeks, connecting with Nature’s treasures and one another: