Environmental Education Camps
Colby, DeBruce, Rushford, and Pack Forest
For over 60 years, DEC has provided a residential summer camp program in conservation education for young New Yorkers. Three camps, Colby, DeBruce and Rushford, serve children who are 12 to 14 years old. The summer of 1998 marked the opening of a new camp at Pack Forest in the southern Adirondacks. Here DEC offers week-long Ecology Workshops for teens who are 15 to 17 years old.
At the camps, youth become immersed in conservation education, participating in fun activities and games that teach the wise use of natural resources. There are usually six to eight weeks of camp that a student can choose from in the months of July and August. Campers are encouraged to return the next year for a Returnee Week, offered only to campers who have already enjoyed the camp program. Special trips and activities are planned for this week. Sportsmen Education courses are offered at Camps Colby, DeBruce and Rushford, and shooting sports are offered for a few weeks at Pack Forest.
Camp Colby, for youth who are 12 to 14 years old, in the northern Adirondacks, is near the village of Saranac Lake in Franklin County. It includes the western shore of Lake Colby and approximately 100 acres adjoining the Adirondack Forest Preserve.
Camp DeBruce, for youth who are 12 to 14 years old, in the southern Catskills, is near the village of Livingston Manor, Sullivan County. The camp is located on 300 acres of land adjoining the Catskill Forest Preserve.
Camp Rushford, for youth who are 12 to 14 years old, is in the Genesee River Valley in Allegany County. The camp is situated on the 4,500-acre Hanging Bog Wildlife Management Area.
Pack Forest, for teens who are 12 to 14 and 15 to 17 years old, is located north of Warrensburg in the southern Adirondacks. It comprises some 2,500 acres, including an 85-acre lake and many streams and wetlands.
DEC camp costs $325 per camper per week. Many campers are sponsored by local conservation and community groups, so talk with organizations in your area to find out if they offer sponsorships to the DEC environmental education camps and how to receive one.
More about Environmental Education Camps:
- Camps Diversity Program - Programs to help urban youth learn about the DEC Summer Environmental Education Camps and to help them get out and experience nature.
- Camp DeBruce - This camp is located in the Catskills, in Sullivan County about eight miles east of Livingston Manor, NY.
- Camp Rushford - This camp is located on the Hanging Bog Wildlife Management Area in Allegany County about two miles southwest of Rushford Lake.
- Camp Colby - This camp is located on the western shore of Lake Colby, just outside the Village of Saranac Lake.
- Pack Forest - Located in the southern Adirondacks, this is DEC's newest camp and conducts a high school-level program in environmental studies for the last few weeks, then operates a 12-14 year old camp in the last few weeks.
- Parent's Guide to Applying for Camp - A how-to for parents to send their child to camp, including applications and deadlines.
- Employment at Education Camps - Staff positions available at the environmental education camps.
- Sponsoring Youth to Camp - Steps for an organization sponsoring youth to the environmental education camps.
- Information for Camp Attendees - Forms, descriptions, and general information for youth attending Camp Colby, DeBruce, Rushford, and Pack Forest.
- Campfire Recipes - Tasty recipes used at the summer camps using a campfire to cook the desserts.
