Audubon holds 75th annual Hog Island camp
On August 20, 2011, the Audubon Hog Island Camp kicks off for the 75th time. First held in 1936, the camp is held to educate children, adults and families about birds, conservation and the environment in general.
In 1910 Hog Island was purchased by Mabel Loomis Todd, a writer and editor with a mission to save its trees from being cut down. She and her husband, David Peck Todd, who was the head astronomer at Amherst College, built a summer camp on the island for family use.
Their daughter, Millicent Todd Bingham, worked with John Baker of the National Audubon Society for the establishment of a nature study facility on the island, and in 1936, the first Audubon Nature Camp opened.
One of the first teachers at the camp was naturalist Roger Tory Peterson, who was instrumental in promoting bird watching as a hobby.
Audubon president David Yarnold said in a news release, "Hog Island is a breeding ground for optimism. People's lives are changed when they see how birds lead us to ecosystems and they hold a special place in their hearts and souls for nature - and for Hog Island. Most important, Hog Island fuels our passion for teaching others about the world we've been entrusted to protect."
Hog Island's programs also target teachers to train them to become "conservation ambassadors." Audubon's Vice President of Education, Judy Braus, explains, "we know that the experiences they share as well as the teaching skills the program imparts will foster environmental stewardship among thousands of young people and adults in communities across the country."
To read more about Hog Island's programs for 2011, check the websites of Maine Audubon and Project Puffin.
Top Image Credit: © Copyright 2011 by National Audubon Society, Inc
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