Outdoors schooling

DENNISON TWP. — Engrossed in finishing her journal entry, high school senior Annabeth Tucker was abruptly interrupted. Several ruby-throated hummingbirds buzzed overhead, breaking Tucker’s concentration. But the 17-year-old from Erie didn’t mind. After all, when it comes to ECO Camp, working outside with everything that inhabits the outdoors is part of the fun.

“It’s pretty neat to sit here and have hummingbirds right in front of you while you work,” Tucker said. “I like to paint hummingbirds from pictures, but I’ve never seen them this close.”

Tucker is one of 21 high school students enrolled in the camp run by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The seven-day event takes students through a whirlwind of hands-on outdoors activities. On Monday, they built and installed bat boxes at Nescopeck State Park. Today they’ll raft down the Lehigh River, and later in the week will bike through the Lehigh Gorge State Park, canoe on Beltzville Lake and take a night hike in Hickory Run State Park.

Officials hope the students learn something about the environment or outdoors and pursue it as a career. At the very least, they’d like them to come away with a greater appreciation of the natural world.

“We show them things that are fun and engaging, and fuel their drive for an outdoors career,” said Rob Neitz, camp director and regional program coordinator for the Bureau of State Parks.

The students come from across the state with a wide variety of backgrounds. To be accepted to the camp, they had to maintain at least a C average and write an essay explaining why they want to participate. The camp exposes students to a variety of outdoors-related careers with DCNR, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and other agencies. But Neitz said the career samplings range far beyond the typical ranger and biologist jobs.

“The sampling includes just about any career linked with the outdoors, such as eco-tourism,” he said.

High school junior Ben Livengood, 17, of Ohiopyle, Fayette County, said he is leaning toward an outdoors-related career, but isn’t sure which field.

“This camp will help me narrow my choice,” he said. “I enjoy hunting and fishing, and I’m interested in conserving the outdoors.”

“The hands-on approach they have is great because it gets us interested and involved,” Rojek said. “There are so many different outdoors careers out there. Once they explain it to us and we take part in it, it makes things more interesting.”

Tucker said the hands-on approach is a must if the careers are to be presented correctly.

It’s also important to come into the camp with an open mind, according to Maggie Germain, a high school sophomore from Scranton Prep.

Germain, 15, said her career path has yet to be chosen, but she is looking forward to learning about what others do in their outdoors-related jobs.

“These people are telling us what they love to do every day, and it makes you want to learn more,” Germain said. “I know this will be an awesome and fun experience and if something catches my eye maybe I’ll fall in love with it and pursue it.”

Dcnr offers 2 camps

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources puts on two ECO Camps in the state each summer. One camp is held in Carlisle, and the other in state parks in Luzerne and Carbon counties. For a link to the DCNR Web site, go to www.timesleader.com

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Dcnr offers 2 camps

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