Community Reflections
What Campers Say
“Here I have so much freedom.”
“You can be your best self here.”
“I like how there is mutual respect and mutual kindness.”
“Sometimes at school I feel pressure to be a certain way, do certain things, but being here reminds me it’s okay to decide anything.”
What Parents Say
“A sanctuary for peace and understanding. This is a place like no other. Regardless of from whence you came, you are immediately woven into the fabric of their woods. If you ever have the opportunity to attend this camp, take it. The memories will last a lifetime.”
“Best unplugged experience for kids!”
“Lots of summer camps claim to let kids explore and experience freedom but Nature Camps is the only camp I've sent my kids to where the claim is entirely true.”
“Every year I see my son growing here at Nature Camps. The counselors are amazing, loving and inviting, "All of you is welcome!” My son exudes a sense of calm and confidence.”
“Nature Camps is the kind of place you thought didn't exist anymore. A place where kids are free to make choices, roam free in nature, explore, build, and ask questions and figure out solutions. The staff are incredible - warm, kind, fun and compassionate and able to nurture a love of nature and the great outdoors while also learning to be a ‘good citizen of the world.’”
What Alums and Counselors Say
“I was able to develop skills that influence me in every leadership role that I undertake.”
Esmail Hamidi
Electrical engineer, Drexel University ‘17
Baltimore, Maryland
“I learned ‘how to learn’ at Nature Camps. It is a lesson that led me to a career in education, trying to create spaces for students to learn.”
Josh Blumberg, M.Ed.
Director of Academic Technology, Champlain College
Burlington, Vermont
Counselor Reflection (2014, 1:49)
“Nature Camps taught me the following: Seek a lifetime of adventure and experience. Be confident in my abilities as a leader. Understand how to work within a group. Have compassion for nature and people. Value community, fresh air, clean water. And of course the fun of getting dirty.”
“My time as an Explorer eased the awkward adolescent years by surrounding me with a community of all ages in an environment where I was free of expectations and judgment.”
Ian Leinwand
Landscape Ecologist, GIS Analyst
Co-Owner: The Gearage Outdoor Sports
Fort Collins, Colorado
Alum Camper, TA, Counselor 1985-1998
“I have taken many turns in the path towards a career, at different times teaching reproductive health with young adults, at another time managing a clinic in the highlands of Guatemala, pursuing a masters degree in public health, working as a doula. A college education in a Quaker, liberal-minded approach formed my critical thinking abilities and secured my commitment to work with underserved populations. I managed a community health center that primarily serves immigrants. I’ve even asked Don for a copy of his “operating agreements” to use when meeting with my large staff as a group – and yes, we meet in circles, just like we did at camp – doctors, nurses, assistants all on equal footing and striving to work together as a unified, consensus-seeking team.”
Amanda Brown, RN, BSN, MPH
Chapel Hill, NC
Alum 1984 - 2000
“I am always so touched by the parents who chose to make Nature Camps a part of their children’s lives, because as an adult, I know that for me, having Nature Camps as a part of me, has helped to illumine my own journey in life; it has helped me to stay close to the things that really matter.”
Rachael Tanner, M.Div., MSW, LCSW-C, PhD candidate
Baltimore, Maryland
Alum camper, counselor and Co-Director, 1984 - infinity years
“It's not just a camp to stick your kids for a few weeks. It is the thing that is most likely to shape your kids into wise, caring, and compassionate human beings for the rest of their lives. It's money in the bank and investment in the future, personally and for the whole planet. Joyfully and infinitely so.”
Environmental Science Teacher + Outdoor Leadership Director
Austin, Texas
Alum camper, counselor 1979-1991
"One of the many beauties of Nature Camps is the unhurried time children enjoy to explore their natural surroundings. Through slowing down and taking their time, looking at the familiar from different perspectives, children at Nature Camps deeply explore the wild spaces around them."
Seth D. Webb. MAEd
Denver, Colorado
Alum camper for life
“I had never before experienced this extreme trust and empowerment of children outside my backyard”
Ben Currotto, MS Environmental Education
Science Teacher at Kindle Farm School, Vermont
Camper, Counselor, Teen Adventure Director, “infinite # of years”