Science Camp at The Edge of Appalachia Preserve!

Are you looking for a way to get your child more connected to the outdoors? Have them reconnect with nature at the museum’s Science Camp on the 14,000 acre Richard and Lucile Durrell Edge of Appalachia Preserve in Adams County, Ohio. The museum has offered this outstanding young naturalist adventure for 32 years and 2010 marks the Preserve’s 51-year-anniversary (1959-2010). Together with The Nature Conservancy, Cincinnati Museum Center has been actively preserving some of the finest natural areas in Ohio through stewardship, scientific inquiry and education.

Science Camp participants spend three days immersed in exploration on one of the most unique natural areas in Ohio. Stream life, birds, trees, wildflowers, insects and Ohio's rare prairies are all fair game on this hands-on adventure. Teens and preteens come face to face with a myriad of globally threatened and endangered plant and animal species while exploring the preserve’s rugged un-glaciated landscapes. Participants will also experience the preserve’s new Eulett Center Learning Lab complete with a microscope projection system which brings the often unseen life of water and forest into bigger than life-sized view!

Small groups of twelve per week allow for personal attention, with careful consideration to interests and needs. Teen (ages 13-16 years) and pre-teen (9-12 years) participants receive hands-on experiences in botany, zoology, geology and other natural sciences.  Classes also have an opportunity to assist with the preserve’s Biological Monitoring Program where they participate in an interactive approach to the scientific method, learn to locate and identify animal species in the field, discuss current issues in conservation and much more while having fun!

When:

All sessions begin with pickup of children at 6 p.m. on Monday evening and end at 6 p.m. on the following Thursday. All pickups and drop offs will be at the Eastgate Meijer store. Detailed directions mailed with registration. 

Where:

Participants are lodged in the modern, air-conditioned Rieveschl Chalet nestled on the southern portion of the Edge of Appalachia Preserve in Adams County located just 75 miles east of Cincinnati.

Note:

Sessions are limited to twelve participants each. These programs, while not overly strenuous, are not recommended for those needing excessive medical attention or who must restrict their physical activity. 

Fee:

Sessions cost $260 for members of Museum Center, The Nature Conservancy, and for Adams County residents; $280 for all others.                                                            

Cost for all sessions includes food, lodging, instruction, use of equipment, supplies, and transportation while at the preserve, as well as, to and from Cincinnati. (Sorry, we cannot discount the price if travel from Cincinnati is unnecessary).

Food:

Special dietary needs may be accommodated with advance notification.

Health Care:

Staff Members are certified in first-aid and CPR. A hospital is located approximately 12 miles from the Rieveschl Chalet if needed. Transportation is available at all times. Emergency 911 service is also available.

Staff:

Staff consists of four Museum staff members (male and female) plus visiting area scientists, educators and naturalists.

Information:

For questions or more information, please contact Preserve Director, Chris Bedel (Ext 11) or Chief Naturalist, Jessica Huxmann (Ext 14) at 937-544-2880 or jhuxmann@hughes.net.

Registration Policy:

Science Camp registrations will be accepted by mail only (payment must accompany registration) starting Monday, February 1 to Monday, February 22. Beginning Monday, February 22, phone registration, email, and mail-in registration will be accepted until the camps are full.