2019 Adult Summer Camp Program
Our wildly popular Camp Musky is no longer just for kids!
The programs below are just as fun as kid camp, but designed for busy adults - one day long! They are for ages 15 and above (younger children with adults; seek approval from Kyle Richter). Pick and choose one program or all eight! A 15% discount will be offered if you register for three or more camps. Programs are held at the MWA River Resource Center (RRC), 10 Maple Avenue, Asbury, NJ 08802 unless otherwise noted.
REGISTER EARLY! Camp attendance limited.
To register for one or more camps, please call (908) 537-7060.
For questions about these camp programs, email Kyle Richter.
Cancellation policy: Full refunds will be given if the minimum class size is not achieved or if a cancellation is made more than 21 days before camp. Cancellation within 7-21 days of the camp will result in a 50% cancellation fee. Cancellation within one week (seven days) of camp will result in a complete forfeiture of the registration fee. Registrations are transferable (you may have someone attend in your place if you must cancel). If the camp is wait-listed, and MWA can fill your spot from the wait-list, you will also be refunded 100%.
I Spy with my Camera Eye...
Friday, June 14
9 am to 4 pm
$45
The Birds and the Bees for Adults
Saturday, June 22
8 am to 2 pm
$45
Farmer
for a Day
Thursday, July 11
10 am to 3 pm
$45
Huck Finn
for a Day
Saturday, July 13
9 am to 4 pm
$45
Where the Wild Things Are
Saturday, July 20
9 am to 4 pm
$45
Geocaching
Saturday, July 27
9 am to 4 pm
$45
Watercolor the Watershed
Tuesday, August 6
10 am to 2 pm
$65
The Occasional Nature Warrior
Saturday, September 14
9 am to 4 pm
$45
I Spy with My Camera Eye...
Friday, June 14 (rain date June 15), 9 am to 4 pm
Open to all levels of photography experience
MWA River Resource Center, 10 Maple Avenue, Asbury, NJ
This is a very hands-on, experience-based camp that weaves together nature and art. We will inspire you to be another "visual" ambassador in the watershed - sharing your experiences with friends and family to raise their regard and care for the watershed. Following a brief review of camera equipment and safety, campers will talk about how to move from 'snapshots' to 'photographs' with 5 guaranteed tips to improve your photography. (Hint: It's not about the camera!) To warm up your "vision" and perception, campers will go into the natural areas surrounding the Musconetcong River for a "Universe at Your Feet" exercise where observations of the micro-universe will be made using all 5 senses. A substantial part of the camp will be the interactive Watershed Photo Scavenger Hunt. Campers will have a morning list and an afternoon list of photos to take that will ask you to apply the principles you've learned to improve your nature photography. Each hunt is followed by a group critique and discussion. Each camper will have 1 photo selected that will be used as an MWA Facebook cover photo in the next year.
Leaders: Jeremy Travers, Tish Lascelle
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The Birds and the Bees for Adults
Saturday, June 22 (rain date June 23), 8 am to 2 pm
MWA River Resource Center, 10 Maple Avenue, Asbury, NJ
Insects are the most abundant animals on earth! Not only are these creepy-crawlies everywhere, they provide us many necessary benefits. Through a variety of interactive hikes in MWA's Education Trail and the surrounding river environs, this camp will explore the conservation of bees, butterflies and birds in your yard. Expect there to be some humorous double-entendre in keeping with camp's title as our gifted educators warm to their adult audience. (Preview: Monarch butterfly males will sometimes conduct aerial take-downs, grabbing females out of their air and mating with them on the ground!) Campers will collect insect-friendly natural materials during their field time to construct and take home their own insect "hotel". We will meet at MWA's River Resource Center, but if conditions are right, we will carpool over to Point Mountain Reservation (~5 miles away) for the birding.
Leaders: Tomas Gonzales, Brian Butler
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Farmer for a Day
Thursday, July 11th (rain date: July 12th), 10 am to 3 pm
Open to anyone with reasonable physical capabilities for a farm (walking on uneven ground, bending over, etc...)
Comeback Farm, 8 Deboer Farm Lane, Asbury, NJ
Campers will meet at Comeback Farm, a 40-acre, certified organic farm that has been preserved in perpetuity, located in the Musconetcong River Valley's fertile soil. Put on your boots and become one with the land! Attendees will get a glimpse into the life of a farmer starting with a morning farm walk - seeing what the farmer sees and assessing the day's tasks. You will learn the connection between a healthy environment and healthy soil and water, a healthy local food system and your own health. Summer provides rich moments on this farm; something is always ready to plant or harvest. This is a hands-on experience that may include planting, watering, weeding and harvesting (don't worry - you won't have to work that hard!). You will learn about composting, land stewardship and the challenges and benefits of organic farming. The lunch you bring will be supplemented with a farm-to-table dish and you will leave with several favorite farm recipes.
Leaders: Mark Canright, Amy Hansen
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Huck Finn for a Day
Saturday, July 13 (rain date July 14), 9 am to 4 pm
MWA River Resource Center, 10 Maple Avenue, Asbury, NJ
Remember Huck Finn's idyllic childhood? Living in a small town. Barefoot. Climbing trees. Turning over rocks. And one grand float on the Mississippi River. This camp will recreate that summertime-is-forever feeling. Campers will leave their "cramped up and smothery" (Mark Twain) real life behind and have a carefree day of exploring the banks - and the water - of the Mighty Musconetcong with the MWA's storey-filled Education Director. While playing in and along the river from the small town of Asbury, you will learn how to recognize a healthy ecosystem and how to 'read' a river - how a fisherman reads it, how a river scientist reads it, and how a kayaker reads it. After campers are introduced to kayak safety and the basics of paddling, the river adventure continues in the kayaks, exploring the ecosystem in the calmer waters above the dam. (OK, not a Huck Finn raft, but it floats!) Plan on getting your feet wet; after that, how wet you get is up to you!
Leaders: Kyle Richter, Chris Meyers
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Where the Wild Things Are
Saturday, July 20 (rain date: July 21), 9 am to 4 pm
Open to anyone with reasonable physical capabilities for walking in nature, including in and along the river
MWA River Resource Center, 10 Maple Avenue, Asbury, NJ
Campers will be entertained by this gifted educator. The majority of the day will be spent outdoors, exploring the MWA Education Trail, the nearby meadow, and the banks of the Musconetcong River in search of the wildlife supported by a healthy ecosystem. Campers will learn about local Musconetcong Valley animals, beginning with a collection of skulls found in nature and supported by discoveries made that day along the trail. You will be looking in the river (glass bottom buckets or snorkels for the more willing to get wet) and looking up at the sky for birds. You will have the opportunity to dissect an owl pellet and learn how to identify animal tracks. Campers will also learn about invasive insects and animals that are of current concern in the Watershed. This camp is perfect for anyone who considers themselves a "biology watcher" at any level. We guarantee you will leave with dozens of new obscure facts to impress your kids and grand kids with.
Leaders: Kyle Richter, Tomas Gonzales
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Geocaching (a.k.a. How to use a Multi-Million Dollar Satellite to Find Tupperware in the Woods)
Saturday, July 27 (rain date: July 28), 9 am to 4 pm
Open to anyone with reasonable physical capabilities for walking in nature
MWA River Resource Center, 10 Maple Avenue, Asbury, NJ
Ever been curious about the geocaching craze? Geocaching combines respect for the environment with being outdoors and a sense of adventure. It appeals to all ages and its a great family activity. We particularly encourage parent-child registrations for this camp session. Using just a smartphone, campers will go on high-tech treasure hunts, with often clever clues, to locate a "cache" of some small prize. Camper will meet at MWA's River Resource Center and begin with an overview of how geocaching works. You will make several local hunts (prepared by the MWA) in Asbury and learn to design/hide/post your own cache. In the afternoon, we will carpool to the Warren Glen dam - a popular, established caching site - for more treasure hunting. Since this dam is slated for removal in a few years, we will also take the opportunity to tell you how dams impact the Musky and how we do removals.
Leaders: Kyle Richter, Brian Lubbert
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Watercolor the Watershed!
Tuesday, August 6, 10 am to 2 pm
Open to all levels of watercolor/painting experience
Imlaydale Mill, 10 Imlaydale Road, Hampton, NJ
Campers will meet at the artist's studio - a historic mill on the banks of the Musconetcong River. Using the beauty of the river as inspiration, you will begin a watershed sketchbook journal. All materials are provided, and no previous experience is needed! You will learn to choose subjects, layout pages, and gain the confidence to paint fearlessly. Complete 2-3 watercolor pictures, painting at your own pace and with pointers and help from Doris.
Leader: Doris Ettlinger
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Watercolor by Doris Ettlinger
The Occasional Nature Warrior
Saturday, September 14 (rain date: September 15), 9 am to 4 pm
Open to anyone with reasonable physical capabilities for walking in nature.
MWA River Resource Center, 10 Maple Avenue, Asbury, NJ
If we called it "Wilderness Skills" you wouldn't come because you probably live in New Jersey, and wilderness to you is Pennsylvania. But wilderness survival skills can be relevant to anyone visiting our beautiful parks and preserves, many of which are unattended and have large expanses of remote forested areas. We can't make you experts at survival in a day, but in this camp session, you'll get some useful suburban survival information (like the ubiquitous backyard pant that treats a bee sting or how to keep calm when you think you're lost). We won't ask you to eat bugs, but we will treat you to a campfire lunch - just as soon as you are able to build a fire without a match! You've all heard not to stand under a tree in a lightning storm, but what if you're in the woods when one blows in? What kinds of things can you do to signal for help? Could you purify some water for drinking without a device or a pill? The scary ticks will still be in the woods, but at the end of this camp, you should have more confidence going deeper into our forested wilds.
Leaders: Kyle Richter
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