archbold biological station’s 2015 ecology summer camp ...€¦ · summer we were able to offer...

ARCHBOLD BIOLOGICAL STATION’S

2015 Ecology Summer Camp Reportby Dustin Angell, 2015

Archbold Biological Station Ecology Summer Camp 2015

2015 Summer Camp Report

This report presents an overview of the 2015 Ecology Summer Camp at Archbold Biological

Station. The intention is for readers to gain a sense of how the camp was run and what it

looked like. Environmental Educators planning or comparing their own ecology themed camps

may find this helpful, as well as any readers interested in how environmental education is

implemented at a biological field station. Appendices, which includes registration lists, volunteer

hours, and finances is available from the Education Department for appropriate Archbold staff,

but is not made available to the public.

Most of the photographs were taken by Archbold’s Education Coordinator Dustin Angell. A few

were taken by camp interns and volunteers.

Ecology Summer Camp

Young scientists are welcomed at Archbold Biological Station every summer during week-long

day camp sessions focused on ecology and conservation. Campers explore our nature

preserve, visit a working cattle ranch, meet scientists, and participate in a variety of educational

activities. Our campers are between the ages of 7-12 and are mostly local children from

Highlands County, FL. The camp is fee based, but sponsorships covering the full cost of tuition

are available for families who demonstrate financial need. These sponsorships are made

possible through donations. Camp is run by the Education Coordinator with help from interns,

adult volunteers, and teen volunteers. Each year the activities are tailored to a theme. Recent

themes include: “Moths” 2009, “Finding Your Way” 2010, “Birds” 2011, “Minnie Beasties” 2012,

“Animal Senses” 2013, “Animal Defenses” 2014, and now “Prescribed Fire.”

Archbold Biological Station

Archbold Biological Station in Venus, FL is an independent non-profit biological research facility

founded in 1941 by Richard Archbold. The Station conducts and promotes long-term ecological

research and conservation, and has a strong commitment to education. The work at the

Station emphasizes the unique biological communities of the Lake Wales Ridge, part of the

headwaters of the Florida Everglades, and one of the most distinctive and endangered biotic

regions of Florida. For more information, please visit our website at www.archbold-station.org.


http://www.archbold-station.org/


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Table of Contents

Content Page

Cover 1

Purpose of Report 2

Table of Content 3

Camp Flyer 4

The Campers 5-8

Sponsorships & Donations 9

Team Leaders 11

Adult Volunteers 12-13

Research Interns 14

Summer Camp Intern 15-16

Education Coordinator 17

Team Building 18-20

The UnNature Trail 21-22

Fire Demonstration 23

Fire in a Bucket 24-25

Florida Scrub-Jay Intern Visit 26-28

Science Notebook 29-32

Butterflies and Milkweed 33-37

Nature Films 38-39

Content Page

Storytelling 40

Meeting a Live Snake 41-43

Tortoise Burrow Explorers 44-45

Camera Traps 46-47

Catching Antlions 48-49

Just for Fun Games 50

Scrub Hunt 51-52

Plant Ecology Intern Visit 53-55

Hiking and Discovery 56-58

Seasonal Pond 59-61

Observing Organisms 62-63

Herp Collection 64-66

Art Project 67-69

Ranch Tour 70-73

Florida Panther Talk 74

Family Science Night 75

Lake Annie 76-80

Letter Writing 81-85

Camp Shirts 86

Camp Surveys 87-88

The CampersThis summer we ran five session of summer camp during June and July. Three

were for 7-9 year olds and two were for 10-12 year olds. Overall we had XX

campers. Many of our campers are returnees, and may end up participating all the

way through high school. Most campers were from Lake Placid and Sebring, but

some came from other parts of Florida and other parts of the county.


Camp flyer

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The CampersThis summer we ran seven sessions of summer camp during June and July, including

five week-long sessions for the public, and two private two-day camps done in

partnership with Delray Plants. Overall we had 96 campers, of which 31 were

sponsored. Many of our campers were returnees, and some will probably return

to camp all the way through high school. Most campers were from Lake Placid and

Sebring, but some came from other parts of Florida and beyond.

Session 1 (7-9 year olds)





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Session 7 / Delray Camp (7-12 year olds)

Session 6 / Delray Camp (7 -12 year olds)


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Delray Plants Co.

This summer Archbold partnered for the first time with a local business to create a

custom camp for the children of their workers. This partnership not only represented

a new model for our programming, but success at expanding camp participation to the

local Hispanic community. Previous efforts, including free camp sponsorships advertised

in school and newspapers, hadn’t worked. Fortunately, we found a partner in Delray

Plants, a local nursery employing almost 300 Hispanic workers. They helped us recruit

campers from the families of their workers, translate parent letters and liability forms

into Spanish, and lent a staff person to help with camp each day. In order to tailor the

program to the needs of the families, we made several changes. These included: shifting

to two-day camps with extended hours for easier pickup; providing breakfast, lunch,

and heathier snacks; keeping seven to twelve year olds together instead of separating

them; eliminating the night program due to transportation issues; providing a Spanish

translator during camp pickup; and adding a family pizza party. Thanks to the generous

donations of Robert and Donna Lloyd George and others, we were able to provide

this program at no cost to the families. In addition, Delray Plants provided money for

Archbold to produce a video highlighting the Delray sessions. The short video, titled

Jumping into Science, is available on our YouTube pages. The Education Department

hopes to continue this partnership next summer.


Screenshot for www.delrayplants.com

Sponsorships & DonationsEach year donations from individuals and groups throughout Highlands County and

beyond make it possible for children from low-income families to attend camp.

Families qualifying for sponsorships have their entire registration fee waived. This

summer we were able to offer sponsorships to all who applied. We sponsored 31

campers (including 20 Delray campers), a new record for Archbold. In past years,

sponsored campers have gone on to become camp’s future Team Leaders, science

majors in college, and even Archbold interns.


Team LeadersTeam Leaders were teenage volunteers who donated a week of time to help with

camp. On the first day of each session, the campers divided into teams. Each team

had at least one Team Leader. These volunteers acted as positive role models for

campers and helped lead their teams during camp activities. Team Leaders arrived

early each day to greet campers and setup activities, and stayed late to help

cleanup. This summer we had 24Team Leaders with a total of 866 hours.


Camp Volunteers and Art VolunteersAdult volunteers are an essential part of a successful summer camp. Our Camp

Volunteers helped with most aspects of camp. For the forth year in a row, we

welcomed volunteers from the Lake Placid Art League to help with Wednesday art

activities. Together, these adult volunteers donated 292.25 hours toward

camp. Combined, adult and teen volunteers contributed 1,158.25 hours.


Research Staff & InternsAn important aspect of camp was when Archbold’s research staff and interns

visited our campers with science games and presentations. Each Research

Program’s interns, with the help of the Education Coordinator, developed new

activities, giving our campers excellent opportunities to learn about science and

science careers from enthusiastic young professionals.


Summer Camp Intern – Lexi SeigleThe Ecology Summer Camp is usually run by a team of two – the Education

Coordinator and the Environmental Education Summer Intern. Lexi Siegle started

attending at age 7 as a sponsored camper, then became a teen volunteer, and was

even a part-time camp intern in 2014. This summer, after completing her first year

as a Marine Biology student at Gulf Coast University, she became our fulltime

camp intern. Her deep appreciation and enthusiasm for camp and Archbold made

her an effective and inspiring leader for the campers and volunteers.


Education Coordinator, Dustin AngellThis was Dustin’s third time running Archbold’s Ecology Summer Camp. His

responsibilities included: promotion, registration, overseeing an intern, staff and

volunteer training, scheduling, program design, gathering supplies, transportation,

first aid, t-shirt, design, photography, and running each session.


Forming TeamsMost activities allowed all the campers to mix with each other, but the campers

also belong to teams. At the beginning of each session, the campers divide into

mostly self-selected teams of 3-5 kids with 1-2 teen volunteers assigned to each

team. The campers then name their teams after Florida’s wildlife. Using a team

structure is a helpful classroom management tool, and it also builds cooperation

and leadership skills for the campers and teen volunteers.



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The UnNature TrailThe UnNature Trail scavenger hunt is an Archbold camp tradition. Our campers

walked quietly along a short nature trail while searching for artificial objects placed

on the trail beforehand. After finishing the hunt, campers shared and compared

how many objects they spotted. The UnNaure Trail was used on the first day of

camp, as it helped introduced the campers to the Florida scrub and motivated

them to practice their observation skills.


Fire DemonstrationFire ecology was an important theme during our 2015 camp. Archbold’s Land

Manager Kevin Main visited our campers the first day of each session. He talked

about the practice of using prescribed fires in Florida, showed the campers a real

“brush truck,” demonstrated how to use a drip torch, and allowed the campers to

use the truck’s fire hose.


Fire in a BucketFire in a Bucket gave campers the chance to learn firsthand how prescribed fires

work on a landscape. The activity, modified from the Florida Forest Service’s Fire in

Southern Ecosystems curriculum, had students try to burn different kinds of fuel, and

observe the differences between how green leaves, pinecones, leaf litter, and other

plant fuels ignite and burn. Students made predictions and recorded the results of

their experiments.


Florida Scrub-Jay Nest DefendersInterns from the Avian Ecology Research Program talked with the campers about

Florida Scrub-Jays and then played a game with them. In Florida Scrub-Jay Nest

Defenders, teams of campers tried to defend their nests from predators (played by

other campers) while also finding food for themselves and their nestlings. The

game taught the campers about cooperative breeding, animal defenses, and the

difficulty of survival in the wild.



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Science NotebooksEach camper received their own science notebook. Some pages contained

worksheets needed for camp activities, but most pages were blank and could be

used as the campers wanted. Some campers quickly invested time and care into

their notebooks, and had soon made leaf rubbings, drawings, and even taped leaf

litter and other finds onto the pages. At the end of the session, campers could

bring their notebooks home.


Butterflies and MilkweedButterflies were a recurring theme this summer. Campers learned about monarch

butterflies and their dependence on milkweed plants. Campers helped raise

monarch caterpillars in a butterfly enclosure, and during some sessions the

campers were able to release adult butterflies. Campers decorated and

personalized their milkweed pots, planted milkweed (mostly Asclepius incarnata),

and brought their plants home at the end of camp.


Video TimeThe Florida summer heat and humidity can be hard on staff, volunteers, and

campers. During camp we tried to schedule most of our outdoor activities for the

cooler mornings, and spent most of our afternoon time indoors. The last part of

the day was sometimes spent relaxing and watching science videos. This summer

we watched parts of films from the Disney Nature collection as well as Archbold’s

Florida Scrub-Jay film, At Home in the Florida Scrub.



Screenshot from Archbold’s At Home in the Florida Scrub

Screenshot from Disney’s Wings of Life

StorytellingTelling old stories is a way for us to learn lessons from our ancestors and others that

came before us. Stories also allow children a chance to see the world in different

ways and consider the actions and decisions of characters. Many old stories often

have strong natural elements, and many demonstrate relationships between humans

and the rest of nature. This summer Education Coordinator Dustin Angell told a

Cherokee legend about strawberries. Campers saw a live strawberry plant, and were

invited to snack on strawberries when the story was finished.


Meeting a Live SnakeThe Education Department’s live snakes have long been summer camp favorites.

While handling live snakes and observing them eat, campers learned about Florida

snake species and the problems facing them. Campers were also encouraged to

appreciate snakes and understand their roles in Florida ecosystems.


Gopher Tortoise Burrow ScopingResearch Interns from the Herpetology Research Program visited our campers for a

program on Gopher Tortoises. Campers followed them on a tortoise tracking hike

and observed how to scope a tortoise burrow. Campers also competed in Gopher

Games, like burrow racing, to learn more about Gopher Tortoises.



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Camera TrapsAnimal trapping has a long tradition at Archbold’s Ecology Summer Camp. Small

mammal trapping was the standard for many years, but Education Coordinator

Dustin Angell established the tradition of introducing campers to different kinds of

traps each year. This summer the campers set up wildlife cameras along a fire lane

overnight. These camera traps were checked for two days, and usually captured

images of deer and other common mammals.


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Catching AntlionsEach team caught antlion larvae to keep for the week in a plastic cages. The

campers observed the antlions build funnel traps and even capture prey. Campers

were responsible for gathering ants each day to feed their antlions.



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Just For Fun GamesSometimes the campers needed a chance to let loose. Our daily schedule was

always fluid and playing games was a great way to fill extra time between activities

and cool off from the summer heat. The campers loved the games and asked to

play them every day. Nest Robbers challenged players to use their hearing to spot

predators and to move quietly to remain undetected. The Tail Game is a physical

exercise game about paying attention to rules, working in groups, and practicing

moving like different animals.


Scrub HuntA nature themed scavenger hunt is an effective way to focus children while also

allowing them to make their own discoveries. Before hiking, each camper was given

a Scrub Hunt card with a list of items to find on the trail. During the hike, campers

were very motivated to find all their items.



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Plants and FireInterns from the Plant Ecology Research Program visited the campers at the

Learning Center to teach them about how different plant species in the Florida

scrub survive with fire. The interns demonstrated a variety of ways plants survive

or respond to fire by having campers act them out in the classroom, and then

search for fire related plant features in the scrub.



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Hiking and DiscoveryExploring Archbold’s nature trails and fire lanes was an important part of camp.

While all camp activities are structured, campers are sometimes given minimally

structured exploration time. These times allowed students to go at their own pace,

make their own discoveries, and be surprised by what they found. Even when

outdoors for a specific activity, campers were encouraged to break for interesting

animal and plant sightings.


Seasonal Pond ExplorationArchbold Biological Station has over 350 seasonal ponds. Campers learned about

the role of seasonal ponds as breeding grounds for many organisms. Campers

explored a pond using dip nets, plastic containers, and their hands. They caught

frogs, lizards, spiders, beetles, insect larvae, and more.



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Observing OrganismsWhile finding macro-invertebrates during seasonal pond exploration, campers

could choose to bring specimens back to the Learning Center for observation.

Camp intern Lexi Siegle led the campers in observing the specimens over the next

day and a half. Campers were particularly interested in watching fish eating

spiders.


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Herp CollectionViewing parts of Archbold’s natural history collection has become an important

part of camp in recent years. This summer, campers toured Archbold’s wet

collection and then had a lesson on some of the reptiles in the collection. The

lesson focused on the importance of natural history collections and the basics of

taxonomy. Campers were challenged to translate the Latin names of common

reptiles into English.



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Art ProjectsVolunteers from the Lake Placid Art League visited each session to assist the

Education Coordinator in running an hour long art class. The campers made

artworks they could display during Thursday’s Family Science Night and take home

with them on Friday. Campers made 3-D butterfly art, creating new imaginative

species with scientific names.



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Ranch Buggy TourEvery Thursday, our campers were treated to a 2 ½ hour buggy tour at the

MacArthur Agro-Ecology Research Center., also known as Buck Island Ranch.

Campers learned about conservation on private ranchlands, saw wildlife, and met

Ranch ecologists. They also disembarked from the buggy to explore an oak

hammock on foot.



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Florida Panther TalkOn Thursdays, the campers participated in a presentation from a visiting scientist.

Dr. Jennifer Korn, a wildlife biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission

gave a presentation on Florida panthers. After giving a talk using PowerPoint, Dr.

Korn shared animal skulls and skins the campers could feel.


Family Science NightEvery Thursday evening the campers and their families were invited to an evening

event. There was a display with the campers’ art and the antlions they caught, a

viewing of a photo slideshow, and (weather permitting) a night hike. This year we

had two successful night hikes, one canceled evening, and two shortened evenings

without hikes caused by lightning and thunder.


Image source: NASA

Lake AnnieFriday morning at Lake Annie was by far the campers’ favorite part of camp. This

lake visit was a chance for the campers, volunteers, and staff to relax and have fun

together. Watermelon polo, catching fish with nets, and taking group photos were

all part of the lake excursion.



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Letter WritingOn the last day of camp, we reviewed the week’s activities and then the campers

wrote letters to their future selves. This activity gave them a quiet time to reflect

on what they learned, enjoyed, and wanted to remember. Sometime during the

next year, the Education Coordinator will mail the letters back to the campers,

giving them a reminder of camp they can keep for years.



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Kendal, age 9


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Payton, age 9


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Kira, age 10


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Camp ShirtsEach year a new t-shirt is designed for camp. All the campers, volunteers, and staff

involved with camp receive a shirt. Some campers and volunteers take pride in

their collection of summer camp t-shirts and wear different ones throughout the

week. This summer, the shirts featured a drawing of the word ECOLOGY by

Education Coordinator, Dustin Angell.



Camp Surveys

As one way to measure the effectiveness of camp we conducted pre and post surveys with our

campers. The first half of the questions were knowledge based and the last half were measured

attitudes toward nature and science. The survey can be seen on the next slide. The data are

available to Archbold staff on request.

Results: Overall, our campers showed significant gains in content knowledge. The younger campers

achieved higher gains, but they also started with lower scores. Attitudes toward nature and science

were mostly stable, but did show a slight declines in some groups. It is difficult to know if this

negative result is measuring a real decline in attitude, or is the result of confusion with the survey

questions, an affect of our small sample size, or some other fault of the evaluation methods. We

recognize that the assistance of a specialist is environmental education program evaluation would be

helpful in future years.

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%

57

%

40

%

82

%

71

%

78

%

A GE 7 -9 A GE 10 -12 A LL CA MPERS

KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS

Pre Test Post Test

77

%

79

% 85

%

71

% 77

%

70

% 84

%

77

%

73

%

75

%

A GE 7 -9 A GE10 -12 GIRLS BOYS A LL CA MPERS

NATURE AND SCIENCE RECEPTIVITY SCORE

PreTest PostTest


Camp Survey


123 Main Drive

Venus, FL 33960

(863)465-2571

www.archbold-station.org

www.facebook.com/ArchboldBiologicalStation

www.facebook.com/scrubedu

archbold biological station’s 2015 ecology summer camp ...€¦ · summer we were able to offer...

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