Connecting Youth to the Outdoors
The MyForest Summit begins on Friday after school and ends Saturday evening with a barbeque and celebration. It will combine outdoor fun with environmental education and stewardship projects. The event is targeting 200 students that would normally not get a chance to visit the National Forest.
The 2010 MyForest Summit will be held at SCICON, the environmental education campus for Tulare County Department of Education. SCICON is located eight miles above Springville in the foothills of eastern Tulare County at an elevation between 2000 and 3500 feet above sea level. Within this 1100-acre campus are many miles of hiking trails, a museum of natural history, planetarium, observatory, raptor center and amphitheater for evening activities. Twenty cabins adorn the campus as housing for students, teachers and staff. Meals take place in the spacious John Muir Lodge.
Youth will participate in games, an environmental fair, and an outdoor campfire program with entertainment. On Saturday morning teams of students will work on public lands projects such as trail maintenance, river cleanup or wildlife enhancement projects. At noon everyone will return to the campus to enjoy an afternoon of outdoor recreation fun hosted by outdoor organizations showcasing their favorite outdoor activities. There will be a climbing wall, mountain bike demonstration, leave no trace camping, stock packing clinic and contest, flyfishing lessons, bird dog exhibition, and Dutch oven cooking. The day will culminate in an evening barbeque extended to the students’ families.
Schools and youth groups are invited to participate in this event by assembling a team of students with chaperones. Students are asked to contribute $15 to the costs of the event. There is no charge for adult chaperones. Transportation for students will need to be provided to and from SCICON and to certain stewardship projects that are held off of the SCICON campus. Youth leaders or teachers can contact Mary Cole of the Forest Service, marycole@fs.fed.us or 559-784-1500. For more information or apply for this event visit the website. www.3forests.us/myforest