Hi there folks!
Boy, it's great to look back at this past summer and think about all the amazing things that we were able to accomplish. I want to take this time to thank every one of our campers for their help in making 2011 our most productive gardening season ever! Without your help, who knows what would have happened to all of our delicious veggies? Thank you as well to all the parents for continuing to support our program as well as our great counselors for yet another year of fun and outdoor exploration!
Camp has been rather quiet as of late, with the exception of my homeschool class. We've been having a lot of fun learning about wetland and forest ecology, as well as climate change and conservation. We've heard a variety of birds, particularly dark-eyed juncos, and come across quite a few tracks, many of which were left behind by deer and porcupine. We had a lot of snow a few weeks ago, but other than that the weather has been unseasonably, but not uncommonly, mild.
The owls have still been quite vociferous at night. This coming weekend, Astro (our property manager) will be helping the local boy scout group put up some owl boxes that they built for the sanctuary. You may think that this is a bit early, but our owls tend to start scouting out areas for nesting around this time so that they can begin to lay eggs in January-March. Later on, the scouts will be back to put up wood duck boxes out on the pond. Because these ducks are cavity nesters, this will be a great way to protect and maintain a healthy population of these beautiful birds.
The holiday season is upon us. I hope you all had a very wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones. Whatever your plans this season, remember that you will always have a family here at Wildwood. Stay safe, and enjoy the outdoors.
Happy holidays everyone!
-Johnathon
