4-H Camp & Learning Centers at Tanglewood & Blueberry Cove

Extension 4-H Program Inspires Students’ Sustainability Projects

extension — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:18:25 +0000

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension has received renewed funding for a 4-H program that has introduced hundreds of middle and high school students to sustainable lifestyle practices and inspired them to positively influence their schools and communities through service-learning activities.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture recently allocated $140,000, the third installment of a five-year, $660,000 grant-funded 4-H project. The grant focuses on “at risk” youth in schools and school districts with high eligibility rates for the National School Lunch program, according to Bryant Pond program director Ryder Scott. The program introduces entire middle and high school classes to service-learning, sustainability and, ultimately, leadership toward those ends.

Since the Maine Sustainable Communities project started three years ago, more than 35 middle and high school classes from throughout Maine have participated at either Bryant Pond 4-H Camp and Learning Center in Western Maine or Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center in Lincolnville.

Scott has been impressed with the results.

In 2009, Buckfield Middle School students left the five-day residential experience to go home and start a school garden. The students last year decided to raise honeybees to improve garden pollination, Scott says, and the garden won a statewide award this year from Maine Agriculture in the Classroom.

“We teach principles of ecology, environmental studies and principles of sustainability, conservation, recycling and reuse and ecology, and combined with that — and this is the unique part — we have combined it with a service-learning curriculum,” Scott says. “Our intent is to spark an interest in change — making communities and schools more environmentally and ecologically sustainable.”

Students learn, for instance, about organic foods and composting by hauling kitchen and meal scraps to a compost site after camp meals as part of that sustainability package, Scott says. The Maine Sustainable Communities Project civically engages youngsters, who often feel powerless to effect change in an adult world, he says.

During the typical two- to three-day camp experience, 4-H staff and teachers guide students though a facilitated process where they’re asked how they would make life better in their community. Then they create an action plan.

Both Bryant Pond and Tanglewood “have supported lots of successful programs that the students have conceived during their experiences at the 4-H camps,” Scott says.

“I’ve been an outdoor educator for 15 years, and for me, the service-learning component is the biggest success story for us. By integrating service-learning and sustainability into a program, it’s more than a knowledge transfer lesson,” he says.

“The implicit message is we’re all connected and action matters. Student participation is important. You’re exposing them. You’re giving them a true sense of empowerment. I have to believe it’s a life-long lesson.”

The program is one of several overseen by Extension professor Cathy Elliott, a founding member of the National Network for Sustainable Living Education who teaches and conducts research and presentations on sustainability. She and Kristy Ouellette, Extension educator for 4-H Youth and Family Development, in the Lisbon Falls office, are the principal investigators for the grant.

Contact: Ryder Scott, (207) 665-2935; Cathy Elliott, (207) 581-2902

ELLMS Project raises $290,000 for environmental education in Maine

jdecke — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:07:34 +0000

From the Bangor Daily News: http://bangordailynews.com/2011/10/14/outdoors/ellms-project-raises-290000-for-environmental-education-in-maine/

WISCASSET — Four well-respected Maine non-profits have combined forces to combat the economic challenges facing public schools in Maine and limited access public school students have to environmental education.

Chewonki Outdoor Classroom for Schools (Wiscasset), Ferry Beach Ecology School (Saco), UMaine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bryant Pond, and UMaine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Tanglewood (Lincolnville) have formed a partnership to help provide residential environmental education to Maine public school students: Environmental Living and Learning for Maine Students: The ELLMS Project.

The project has caught the attention of leaders in the field of environmental education and major funders, receiving $290,000 in grants to date. The ELLMS Project will encourage students to develop a lifelong commitment to environmental sustainability and stewardship, outdoor exercise and recreation, good nutrition, community-building, and civic engagement through positive, nature-based activities, lessons, and challenges.

The project will also spur students’ understanding of the connections between natural resources and the economy so that they will be better prepared to participate in the “green economy.”

Ryder Scott, ELLMS Project spokesperson and program director at Bryant Pond, says he is thrilled to be a part of this collaborative effort. “Our four organizations are competitors, but we share the same mission of providing residential environmental education to Maine students, getting them outside and active. All four of our programs provide academic programs that complement schools’ science curricula, and offer students a chance for a ‘camp’ experience — eating with their classmates; sleeping in simple dorms, cabins or tents; being a part of a small community and engaging in outdoor activity and learning,” Scott said in a press release.

Recognizing that school budget cuts and increased transportation costs have prompted many schools to eliminate off-campus enrichment, the ELLMS partners have created a financial aid fund for public schools that need support to give their students residential environmental education. Through the ELLMS fund, public elementary and middle schools in Maine can apply for grants to help send their students to any of the four ELLMS organizations. Schools will apply to the fund online, selecting the program that best fits their curriculum and needs. The ELLMS Project Steering Committee is currently soliciting businesses and foundations for funding for this initiative and with great success.

Five foundations have already contributed for the 2011-2012 school year. The Elmina B. Sewall Foundation granted the ELLMS Project $125,000. Megan Shore of the Sewall Foundation says, “Providing opportunities for Maine’s school children to learn about and connect with the environment is an essential part of strengthening Maine’s communities, economy, and health. The collaborative nature and strong track record of the organizations involved in this program, as well as the potential to reach so many children throughout the state, were very compelling.”

The other foundations who are supporting the ELLMS Project to date are the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation ($5,000), the Sam L. Cohen Foundation ($20,000), the Quimby Family Foundation ($40,000), and Jane’s Trust ($100,000). Cohen Foundation Executive Director Nancy Brain says that her foundation was impressed with the collaborative spirit of the ELLMS Project. “It’s rare that we see competing organizations come together like this for a common goal. The combination of what these non-profits offer collectively is going to make a huge impact on Maine students. We’d love to see more Maine organizations follow this model.”

Ryder Scott says there is still a long way to go to make ELLMS financially sustainable. “We’re working on ways to assure that all Maine students, regardless of family income, have access to residential environmental education. ELLMS will allow us to share best practices and administrative resources; reach a much greater number of public school students, particularly underserved students; and work together to teach a rising generation how to be responsible stewards of their environment, their own health, their communities, and their state.”

For more information on the ELLMS Project or to apply for financial aid, visit www.ellms.org or contact Ryder Scott at 207-665-2935 or ryder.scott@maine.edu.

Anyone interested in financially supporting the ELLMS Project, is urged to contact Lucy Hull at 207-882-7323 ext. 127 or lhull@chewonki.org.

Businesses Sought for October Clover Promotion during 4-H Month

extension — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:14:09 +0000

ORONO — The Maine 4-H Foundation is inviting area businesses to participate in the Maine Clover Promotion Oct. 1-31 as part of its 4-H Month fundraising campaign.

The project raises money for 25,000 youths involved in Maine 4-H. 4-H is the youth development program of University of Maine Cooperative Extension. The foundation calls the campaign a great way for all to contribute to the youth in our state and to identify local businesses as a youth supporter in their communities.

The Maine Clover Promotion enables business customers to buy a “clover” for $1. Some businesses have hung the clovers in their stores and some have chosen to give them to customers making the donation. Seventy percent of the contributions go directly to local county 4-H programs and thirty percent goes to statewide programs such as summer camps and trips.

Last year, more than 50 businesses participated and more than 6,000 people purchased clovers. The Maine 4-H Foundation invites all businesses to help make the 2011 campaign successful one. Contact the Maine 4-H Foundation directly at (207) 356-5904 or e-mail Audrey.chapman@maine.edu for more information.

Flatbread Pizza Fundraiser in Portland May 10

jdecke — Thu, 05 May 2011 13:01:35 +0000

With many thanks for former campers & staff, Tanglewood and Blueberry Cove 4-H Camps are part of a benefit night at Flatbread Pizza in Portland’s Old Port, Tuesday May 10th.

http://knox.villagesoup.com/place/story/pizza-night-to-benefit-4-h-camps/396520

Adventure camping offered to military family teens

jdecke — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:45:27 +0000

In a joint grant with Cooperative Extension and the Department of Defense, Maine’s 4-H Camps at Tanglewood, Bryant Pond and Blueberry Cove will be offering special adventure trips for teens aged 14-18.

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/04/18/the-midcoast-beacon/adventure-camping-offered-to-military-family-teens/

Tanglewood prepares to welcome thousands of area children

jdecke — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:43:19 +0000

Come to Tanglewood and Blueberry Cove 4-H Camps on April 30th for our annual Volunteer Work Day and Open House!

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/04/18/living/tanglewood-prepares-to-welcome-thousands-of-area-children/

Tanglewood initiates CREW Program

Patti Chapman — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 16:32:54 +0000

Community Resources for Environmental Wellness, or CREW, is a new sustainability initiative to involve high school students in promoting sustainable lifestyles in their schools and communities.

CREW participants will identify a sustainability need in their community and work to educate and benefit the community through service. Students gain leadership skills and ecology and sustainability knowledge they will use working with younger students in the planning and completion of a service-learning project.

Program of the Week – Blueberry Cove Residential Camp

Patti Chapman — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:39:46 +0000

Blueberry Cove Residential Camp

A fun-filled summertime of learning and play…two beaches and salt marshes to explore…rolling blueberry fields and flower filled meadows to frolic in…mud flats to learn and play on…a majestic spruce forest with secret rooms to find…islands to discover…cabins nestled in a mossy, seaside forest for dreamy slumber…misty, magical mornings, exciting, fun filled days, and firefly nights…

Our fleet of rowboats, kayaks, canoes and sailboats, offers campers and staff the chance to experience the joy of “simply messing about in boats.” Baby farm animals and a half-acre, organic vegetable garden give children the opportunity to watch life grow and change right before their eyes.

Click here for more information.

Previously featured programs:

Open House & Volunteer Work Day – Saturday, April 30; 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

We are having Open Houses and Volunteer Work Days at both Tanglewood inLincolnville and Blueberry Cove in Tenants Harbor. Come visit us and get a feel for camp before the summer season starts!

If you can’t make it to the open house, you are still welcome to visit either of our sites any time. Tanglewood in Lincolnville is part ofCamden Hills State Park so our trails are open to the public year round for hiking, skiing and snowshoeing.

Spring 2011: Home School Mondays

Participants are given the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of topics such as forest, freshwater and intertidal ecology through hands-on learning. In these innovative programs our instructors weave together exploration, art, puppetry, music and games to create a truly engaging learning experience.

May 2, 9, 16, & 23: 9am-2pm each day
Cost: $88 per child for the entire 4 week series
Registration is required
Register online or print a registration form; call (207) 789-5868 or e-mail patricia.chapman@maine.edu with any questions or concerns.
Print parent packet or request one be mailed on your registration form.

April Vacation Camp in the News

Patti Chapman — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 18:23:51 +0000

Tanglewood & Blueberry Cove have announced their new April Vacation Adventure for children age 6-11. Read more on Village Soup: http://knox.villagesoup.com/place/story/april-vacation-at-tanglewood/384539 or visit our April Vacation page at http://umaine.edu/tanglewood/year-round/april-vacation-camp/.

Blueberry Cove Half Marathon Filling Fast!

Patti Chapman — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:02:59 +0000

Although not until August 28, the Blueberry Cove 13.1 to benefit Tanglewood 4H Camps and Learning Centers has more than 60 registrants!

Read more about the marathon in the Free Press at http://www.freepressonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=45&subsectionID=67&articleID=11357#B2