Scholarship Application to Audubon Workshop for Educators at Hog Island, Maine 

Scholarship Application to Audubon Youth Camp at Hog Island, Maine

Appalachian Audubon Society Awards Annual Scholarships to Educators and Youth to attend summer Audubon Environmental Camps at Hog Island, Maine

Wading waist deep into a lake to collect a water sample. Holding a sea star in the palm of her hand to get a closer look at all the parts. Braving rough seas to watch the antics of puffins.

These are just a few of the experiences our Appalachian Audubon Society scholarship winners enjoyed during their week at Audubon Camp in Hog Island, Maine, this summer. In 2008, four youth and one educator received scholarships from the Society. Many past scholarship recipients describe their week at Hog Island as "life changing" and treasure their memories and the pristine beauty of this special place.

The week-long Environmental Workshop for Educators Camp is intended for both science and non-science educators who are either already incorporating environmental education into their lesson plans or would like to. Field trips, boat cruises, discussions, workshops, special presentations, and lots of ideas and materials to take back home help to make this a very special week. Educators come back rejuvenated and inspired to pass on what they have learned. Scholarship Application to Audubon Workshop for Educators at Hog Island, Maine

The Audubon Youth Camp for boys and girls aged 10-13 was developed to instill appreciation, respect, and a sense of stewardship for the natural world. Led by dedicated science and environmental educators and naturalists who have a strong background working with middle school-aged youth, campers learn about themselves, about nature, and how they relate to the natural environment. The curriculum is wide-ranging and includes marine science, geology, forest ecology, ornithology, field and pond studies and more. Scholarship Application to Audubon Youth Camp at Hog Island, Maine

To win scholarships, aspiring young people must demonstrate an understanding and practice of conservation, such as recycling, walking instead of driving, spending time outdoors, creating wildlife habitat, and talking to others about such practices.

This year's scholarship recipients received backpacks filled with items to enhance their experience—water bottles, journals, hand telescopes, field guides, and more. Items for the packs were provided by Appalachian Audubon, Audubon Pennsylvania, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation.

Funds for the Appalachian Audubon Society Scholarship Program are raised through our annual fall Native Plant sale and Bird Seed sale, and the Silent Auction held at our May banquet. To learn more about these events, check out the links on our web site.

For more information on the 2009 Scholarship Program, contact Marci Mowery, Education Chair, at mmowery-ppff@pa.net.

Here is what one of the 2008 campers had to say about the Youth Camp:

Hog Island is going to be an experience to remember. The best part I thought was the sea kayaking which we did on our fourth day. Near the end we brought our boats side to side and each of us took turns walking from one end of the line of boats to the other. Unfortunately, nobody fell in. I guess nobody would want to anyway because the water was only about 65 degrees (and that was warm). Well, we went into the bay on our third day at camp. It was a blustering, cold, windy day. I stood on the bow of the boat at the beginning for about five minutes and then headed back inside the cabin. It felt so warm we called it the Puffin X Hawaii. When we went swimming the next day it was, um, I don't know how cold the water was but I would say about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Well, the weather was not to stop us at all and everything went smoothly and freezingly.

In the daily morning bird hikes, we saw many birds such as loons, cormorants, a black and white warbler, a butterbutt, an Osprey, and a goldfinch. The warbler was the most spectacular because it was not native to the area, and was probably migrating; so it was a rare sighting. You can identify loons and cormorants due to their beak angle in relation to
the water. The loon's beak is exactly parallel to the water and the cormorant's beak angles towards the sky.

If I had the chance to go back to Audubon camp I would, and I will encourage my friends to do the same.

Campers exploring Hog Island